ABSTRACT
Fortifications testify to the determination of a society to protect itself against potentially or overtly hostile neighbours. This is particularly true in the case of the monasteries of Mt Athos. Being outside the main lines of communications and far away from the stronger garrisons of the Byzantine state, they were vulnerable to attacks from the pirates and bandits who flourished during the unstable periods of their long history and were attracted by their wealth. Therefore the builders of the monasteries took great pains in establishing the siting and the overall defence characteristics, in order to protect them from outside intervention. All of the monasteries, especially the ones situated near the sea, were constructed on easily defensible sites, such as on cliffs. The principal individual defence elements, however, are the tower and the entrance complex. Even if the monastery has a number of towers, one is usually more strongly fortified than the others, acting as the final stronghold should the enceinte be breached.
