The Sacred Monastery of Alypios was located on the outskirts of Karyes, adjacent to the old Sacred Monastery of Anapausa. Its original name was "Monastery of Alopos". The name was probably given by its founder, who would have been called Alopos. In the eleventh century, the Alopos family flourished in Byzantium.
The Monastery was dedicated to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and is referred to either by their name or by the name of the Holy Apostles.
The oldest written testimony of the Monastery of Alopos is the signature of the Hieromonk of Hierotheos in a document of 1021. The first proper document of the Monastery of Alopos, which is preserved to this day in the Monastery of Koutloumousiou, is by Abbot Theophanes of the year 1257.
In the year 1313, for the first time, the Monastery is referred to by the name "Monastery of Alypios". The change was made because the Monastery of Alypios had the holy Skull of Venerable Alypios the Stylite.* In the same year, the area of Kalliagras was granted to the Monastery of Alypios by the Protos of the Holy Mountain, Theophanes. The Abbot of Alypios was then Joseph. In the year 1322, with a chrysobull of Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos, the possession of the dependencies of Strymonos and Ierissos was ratified. At that time, among the benefactors of the Monastery of Alypios was the Empress Irene, wife of Andronikos II.
In 1325, by a document of the Protos Isaac, the Cell of the “Ichthyophagou” was annexed. In 1350, the Protos gave the Cell of “Gomatos” to the Monastery of Alypios. In 1375, the Protos of Mount Gerasimos gave the Cell of Saint John Chrysostom to the Monastery of Alypios, which was called called the “Cell of Jonah.”
In general, in the 14th century, the Monastery of Alypios was in great prosperity and its abbot Theodosios became the Protos of Mount Athos twice. In the typikon of 1394, the Monastery of Alypios occupies the seventh position among the twenty-five Monasteries, while the Monastery of Koutloumousiou is in the seventeenth position.
In the 15th century, the decline of the Monastery began. In May 1428, the Patriarch of Constantinople Joseph II issued a sigillion, by which he defined the union of the Monastery of Alypios with the Monastery of Koutloumousiou. Patriarch Joseph had been a monk at the Monastery of Alypios and personally experienced the heyday of the Monastery, in terms of the number of monks and its estates. In his sigillion, however, he states that in recent years the Monastery has reached “utter ruin and desolation, as if it were to be plundered and trampled upon by anyone who wishes... and is in complete danger of becoming a field of annihilation.” Therefore, the Patriarch permitted the monks of the Koutloumousiou Monastery to transfer to the Alypios Monastery, "making the Alypios Monastery their main monastery, and the Koutloumousiou Monastery a dependency, and for the monks to be called Alypiotes, with the abbot of the monastery being the Abbot of Koutloumousiou Monastery, Karpos." A document of the same Patriarch five years later (May 1433) mentions "Karpos" as abbot of the Monasteries of Alypios and Koutloumousiou. It seems therefore that very soon (after 1428) the provisions of the sigillion of Patriarch Joseph ceased to apply and Koutloumousiou became the dominant Monastery.
Patriarch Joachim I, in a document of 1501, officially designated the Monastery of Koutloumousiou as the dominant Monastery. This document means the definitive cessation of what was defined in the document of 1428 and the end of the autonomy of the Monastery of Alypios. Since then, the Monastery of Alypios has been called the Cell of the Holy Apostles.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. PAUL LEMERLE, ACTES DE KUTLUMUS, PARIS 1988, pp. 15-19.
2. PAN. K. CHRISTOU: ΤΟ ΑΠΟΝ ΟΡΟΣ, ATHENS 1987, pp. 56 and 95.
The Monastery was dedicated to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and is referred to either by their name or by the name of the Holy Apostles.
The oldest written testimony of the Monastery of Alopos is the signature of the Hieromonk of Hierotheos in a document of 1021. The first proper document of the Monastery of Alopos, which is preserved to this day in the Monastery of Koutloumousiou, is by Abbot Theophanes of the year 1257.
In the year 1313, for the first time, the Monastery is referred to by the name "Monastery of Alypios". The change was made because the Monastery of Alypios had the holy Skull of Venerable Alypios the Stylite.* In the same year, the area of Kalliagras was granted to the Monastery of Alypios by the Protos of the Holy Mountain, Theophanes. The Abbot of Alypios was then Joseph. In the year 1322, with a chrysobull of Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos, the possession of the dependencies of Strymonos and Ierissos was ratified. At that time, among the benefactors of the Monastery of Alypios was the Empress Irene, wife of Andronikos II.
In 1325, by a document of the Protos Isaac, the Cell of the “Ichthyophagou” was annexed. In 1350, the Protos gave the Cell of “Gomatos” to the Monastery of Alypios. In 1375, the Protos of Mount Gerasimos gave the Cell of Saint John Chrysostom to the Monastery of Alypios, which was called called the “Cell of Jonah.”
In general, in the 14th century, the Monastery of Alypios was in great prosperity and its abbot Theodosios became the Protos of Mount Athos twice. In the typikon of 1394, the Monastery of Alypios occupies the seventh position among the twenty-five Monasteries, while the Monastery of Koutloumousiou is in the seventeenth position.
In the 15th century, the decline of the Monastery began. In May 1428, the Patriarch of Constantinople Joseph II issued a sigillion, by which he defined the union of the Monastery of Alypios with the Monastery of Koutloumousiou. Patriarch Joseph had been a monk at the Monastery of Alypios and personally experienced the heyday of the Monastery, in terms of the number of monks and its estates. In his sigillion, however, he states that in recent years the Monastery has reached “utter ruin and desolation, as if it were to be plundered and trampled upon by anyone who wishes... and is in complete danger of becoming a field of annihilation.” Therefore, the Patriarch permitted the monks of the Koutloumousiou Monastery to transfer to the Alypios Monastery, "making the Alypios Monastery their main monastery, and the Koutloumousiou Monastery a dependency, and for the monks to be called Alypiotes, with the abbot of the monastery being the Abbot of Koutloumousiou Monastery, Karpos." A document of the same Patriarch five years later (May 1433) mentions "Karpos" as abbot of the Monasteries of Alypios and Koutloumousiou. It seems therefore that very soon (after 1428) the provisions of the sigillion of Patriarch Joseph ceased to apply and Koutloumousiou became the dominant Monastery.
Patriarch Joachim I, in a document of 1501, officially designated the Monastery of Koutloumousiou as the dominant Monastery. This document means the definitive cessation of what was defined in the document of 1428 and the end of the autonomy of the Monastery of Alypios. Since then, the Monastery of Alypios has been called the Cell of the Holy Apostles.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. PAUL LEMERLE, ACTES DE KUTLUMUS, PARIS 1988, pp. 15-19.
2. PAN. K. CHRISTOU: ΤΟ ΑΠΟΝ ΟΡΟΣ, ATHENS 1987, pp. 56 and 95.
* Today the Skull of Saint Alypios is kept in Koutloumousiou Monastery.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
