The story of a Greek monk who knew about the existence of women only from books (4 photos)

This semi-legendary story has come down to us thanks to the news an article from the Edinburgh Daily Courier, October 29, 1938, which read: “A monk died in Greece, who in his whole life never saw woman."





We are talking about the Orthodox monk Michael Tolotos, who lived all his life in a monastery on Mount Athos.

It is believed that he was born in 1856 and immediately after giving birth his mother died, and no one knew his father. Someone left an orphan on steps of an Orthodox church on the Holy Mountain. The monks gave him a name and raised. Michael Tolotos lived according to the strict rules of Mount Athos, one of which was that women are not allowed there. So what about the existence of women, Tholotes learned only from other monks, as well as from book descriptions.



Laws prohibiting women and pets such as cows or sheep, go to Mount Athos, have existed since the 10th century and are active still. The ban on women visiting the Holy Mountain is due to the fact that Athos monks must observe a vow of celibacy.

Michael Tolotos never left the monastery in his entire life. He died in 1938 at the age of 82, and he was given a burial with special honors - the monks believed that he was the only man in the world who did not knowing what a woman looks like.

The same clipping from the Edinburgh Daily Courier, October 29, 1938





It says that women are not the only thing he never saw. He also never saw a car or an airplane, and haven't been to the cinema.



Mount Athos is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts thousands of visitors every year. But women are still not here allowed. In recent years, this rule has been criticized as discriminatory and outdated.

There are 20 monasteries in the Orthodox community of Athos, and about 2,000 Eastern Orthodox monks from all over the world. 17 out of 20 monasteries are Greek.