A Collection of Curious Travels and Voyages, Volume 2 · Body of volume 2 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
A Deſcription of Mount Athos, commonly called Monte Santo, by Mr. Belon.
THIS famous Mountain, ſo celebrated by the Ancients, ſtands in a Peninſula or Promontory of Macedonia, ſtretching out into the Aegaean Sea; its Shadow reaches to Lemnos, or Stalamine; 'tis inhabited only by Monks, called Caloyers, who never marry, though other Prieſts of the Greek Church do. Theſe Caloyers abſtain from all Fleſh, and even from ſanguineous Fiſhes in Lent time; they live very hardly and ſeverely; their ordinary Diſh is pickled Olives, not green like ours, but black and ripe, dry'd without Pickle. There are about 6000 of theſe Monaſticks, that inhabit ſeveral places of this Mountain, on which are ſeated 24 large old Monaſteries, encompaſſed with high ſtrong Walls, for defence againſt Pyrates and other Robbers, though they who ſpare no body are kind and indulgent to the Caloyers.
In theſe Monaſteries the Ceremonies of the Greek Church are moſt diligently and ſtrictly obſerv'd, and theſe Caloyers or Monks are the moſt reverenc'd of any belonging to that Communion; the Turks themſelves will often ſend them Alms, being taken with the Sanctity of their Lives; and the Monks who inhabit Mount Sinai, Mount Libanus, the Deſarts of St. Anthony, Jeruſalem, and other holy places, are always the more valued, and reſpected, if they have lived before on Mount Athos, which is in as great eſteem and veneration amongſt the Greeks as Rome amongſt the Latines. This place is under the Juriſdiction of the Patriarch of Conſtantinople, who pays about 12000 Ducats per annum to the Grand Signior, upon the account of the Europaean Greek Church. The Patriarchs of Alexandria, Damaſcus, Antioch, &c. give alſo their particular Sums to the Turk, who gives liberty of Religion to all that pay Tribute.
Of theſe 6000 Religious, or Caloyers of Mount Athos, none lead idle Lives (as moſt of the Monks in other places do) but every one hath his daily Employment, ſome labour with the Ax, Spade, and Sickle, dreſs their Vineyards, cut Trees, build Fiſhing-Veſſels; others carry Sacks full of Proviſion, Bread, and Onions; ſome ſpin and weave, their Diſtaff being made of the Arundo Donax, and their Spindle of the Herb called Attractilis; ſome are Taylors, Bricklayers, and Carpenters; they are generally clothed like Hermits.
This Mountain is about three days Journey long, and may be ſeen about 30 leagues off at Sea; the Monaſteries are at ſome diſtance: They give ſuch Proviſions as they have gratis to all Travellers whatſoever, as pickled or dryed Olives, raw Onions, ſalted Beans, Biſquet, Salted Fiſh, ſometimes freſh, for they often go a fiſhing, their Veſſels or Boats being cut without great difficulty out of the thick Trunks of Plain Trees; their Nets, for want of Cork, are ſupported with Gourds, as they are in the Propontis with the Bark of Pines. The chief Monaſtery is called Ageas Laura, and fronts the Iſle of Lemnos, it contains about 300 Caloyers or Greek Monks; thoſe that look towards the Continent or Macedonia have all their peculiar Names, and contain ſome 200, others 150 Caloyers. Formerly there were good Greek Manuſcripts in theſe Monaſteries, but now none at all, unleſs of Theology; no Poets, no Hiſtorians, no Philoſophers, not one of the Monks learned, of 6000 ſcarce above two or three know how to write or read, ſo degenerated and depreſs'd is the Greek Nation at preſent: They uſe Wax-Candles and Lamps in their Churches, as alſo Statues, Pictures and Bells: They have no Poultry, Pigeons, or any other Birds; nor Sheep, nor Cows, nor Goats; becauſe they abſtain from all Fleſh: They hunt no Game (tho' there is great variety and plenty) only Fiſh near the Shore. I obſerv'd abundance of thoſe Birds called Molliceps (a ſort of Chaffinch) as alſo of the Torquilla or Wrynecks. No People have the Privilege of living on this Mountain but theſe Caloyers.
Mount Athos abounds with many rare Plants, but becauſe many of them are already mentioned to grow near Mount Ida in Candia; I ſhall induſtriouſly omit to name ſuch of them in this place. I obſerv'd here the Apion (a ſort of knobbed Spurge) which the Caloyers themſelves know to be purgative. Hippogloſſum or Horſe-Tongue, Veratrum nigrum, or Black Hellebore, common in the Valleys; Beech, Hornbeam, Service, Oleaſter, Myrtles, Oleander with a red flower, ſeveral Bindweeds running up to the high tops of the Plane Trees, which here vye in height with the Cedars of Libanus, or the Firrs of Olympus.
There is a ſort of Cantharides on this Hill called Bupreſtis, of a yellowiſh colour, very foetid, feeding on Brambles, Succory, Nettle, Conyza, and other Herbs: If any Beaſts ſwallow this Inſect, they ſwell and dye. There is a ſort of Cray-fiſh in the freſh Rivolets, which the Caloyers eat raw, and I my ſelf found the taſte of them very ſweet and grateful: They do not crawl up from the Sea, but breed in the Streams above. There is a Plant in the Valleys called Elegia (perhaps a Species of Arundo) whoſe Branches ſerve inſtead of Writing-Pens, for neither the Turks nor the Greeks know the uſe of Quills.
The Caloyers brought us ſeveral things to eat, as Rocket, Roots of Smallage, the Bulbs of Leeks, Cucumbers, Onions, Garlick, which we eat without either Oyl or Vinegar; black Olives, courſe Bisket, and Wine; they alſo regal'd us with ſalted and dry'd Fiſh, Sepia's, Polypi, and Loligines, Crabbs, and other Cruſtaceous and Teſtaceous Animals. Theſe Monks had rather dye than eat Fleſh upon any occaſion.
We aſcended to the very top of Mount Athos, where we could not long endure the Cold; we ſaw from thence many adjacent Provinces and Iſlands, as Caſſandria, Scyton, Lemnos, Thaſſon, Samothracen, Imbron, &c. In our deſcent we obſerv'd Firrs, and Pitch-Trees, which differ'd a little from thoſe of Mount Ida, for in theſe the Cones adher'd ſo cloſe to the Branches, that they would not ſeparate; beſides, theſe were very ſmooth, whereas the others were ſcabrous.
There being no Haven under this Mountain, the Caloyers are forced to draw their Fiſhing-Veſſels aſhore, and place them behind Iron Gates, leſt the Pyrates ſhould ſet fire to them. They exchange their Grapes, Olives, Figgs, Onions, Garlick, Beans, and Legumes with the Mariners, who bring them ſome Wheat: They have Mills on the Streams of the Hill. They expreſs an Oyl out of their Bayberries, which they ſend into Walachia, Bulgaria, and Servia, where 'tis ſold. They take abundance of the Long Oyſter or Langouſte.
The multitude of Springs and Streams, the variety of Herbage and Evergreens, the Woods and pleaſant Shoar, do all render Mount Athos one of the moſt charming places in the World.