Why was The Holy Mountain formed?
The entire official historical record of The Holy Mountain is unknown because it was formed so long ago pinpointing an exact date is difficult. However, several historical documents point to its formation at around 38AD when Mary of Jerusalem visited the peninsula with St. John the Apostle. She fell in love with the natural beauty of the secluded land on the Northern shore of Greece, so the monks that were living in settlements swore to honour her by preserving the entire region in its natural untouched state. The monastic community began to grow, and for over two thousand years The Holy Mountain has remained an autonomous land, whose borders and laws of have been honoured by governments all over Europe.
What makes The Holy Mountain so special?
Being the largest autonomous land on earth, The Holy Mountain, has very a very uniquely vibrant ecosystem of vegetation and botanical life because the land itself completely removed from human industrialization, and all the ecological destruction that comes with it. Therefore thousands of people all over the world get special admission and enter the private territory, because their collection of wild herbs and natural products are said to heal many ailments as the natural integrity has been preserved.
Why are The Holy Mountain Herbs so famous?
Mount Athos encompasses an entire peninsula of 33,042 ha, an area of sufficient size to maintain a rich flora and fauna that has been well conserved by careful management of the forests and traditional agricultural practices. Monastic activities have kept their traditional character due to rules which have remained relatively unchanged throughout the centuries, such as “the evolution of monastic life should not harm the environment”. This combined with the fact that this geographical region of Greece is well known for its collection of ancient healing herbs that grow in the wild, makes The Holy Mountain unique it its ability to cultivate flowers that have been able to evolve without interruption for almost two centuries. Essentially Mt. Athos is a bubble of natural ancient eco-system surrounded by a world of concrete jungles. Flowers can have powerful healing abilities, but the modern world of mass production and pesticides has stripped many of these healing properties away. This results in people to become disillusioned towards the healing power of nature, but they are likely unaware that the quality of their product has been compromised for profit.
