ABSTRACT
Late Byzantine times were a high point in the history of Mt Athos; the Holy Mountain was at once the source of the prevailing hesychastic doctrine and a cosmopolitan pole of attraction for Greek and non-Greek monks and donations. Its economy, based firmly on immense domains protected by all Christian rulers, provided large surpluses that could be commercialized or given away as pensions (adelphata) to those who made further donations to the monasteries.1 With an improved educational level, the Holy Mountain enjoyed an unlimited prestige among all Orthodox populations. The Serbian domination in Macedonia, although not uninterrupted, added to the properties and to the prestige of the monastic peninsula.2
