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Agiou Pavlou monastery

Agiou Pavlou monastery is located in the southwest of Mt. Athos in the sea's vicinity, encased within a gorge created by two streams.  St. Paul, the son of the Greek emperor Michael Curopalates better known as Rangabe, founded the monastery in the 10th century.  Paul's name at birth was Procopius.  Leo V the Armenian, who succeeded his father on the Byzantine throne, brutally castrated the underage Procopius, having considered him a potential threat.   Procopius received excellent education and decided early in his life to abandon the worldly life and move to Athos, where he took his monastic vows under the name of Paul.  St. Paul's monastic life grabbed the attention of many disciples, which is why the monastery grew.  Emperor Roman called St. Paul "the greatest philosopher" in a charter permitting the founding of the monastery. The monastery was Slavic in the 14th century and Đorđe Branković provided financial aid.  In 1700, the Wallachian ruler Constantine Basarab built an enormous tower that housed the cells and the church.  In 1774, the monastery became controlled by the Greeks. 

Agiou Pavlou monastery is quadrilateral in shape, with high fortified walls with cells on top.  The marvelous hendecagonal catholicon is dedicated to the Presentation of Christ (celebrated on February 25, according to the Gregorian calendar).

Among the treasures are the three Our Lady icons.  One of them belonged to emperor Theophilos, the iconoclast and his wife, Theodora.   Enraged, he threw the icon into fire, but it did not burn out.   The second icon, encircled by 28 smaller icons embedded with saint relics, was emperor Andronicus's gift.  A cross bearing a fragment of the True Cross (once belonging to Constantine the Great) is preserved in the monastery.  This cross is embellished with 50 miniature icons drawn on parchment, embedded in the cross's dents.  There are also small folding icons, similar to the aforementioned cross. Legend has it that they were a gift from Pope Sylvester I to Constantine the Great.

Princess Marija, the daughter of Đorđe Branković and wife of sultan Murat I, presented the monastery with gold nuggets, thyme and myrrh, which the Three Wise Men bestowed upon Jesus Christ. These items were found in the Constantinople treasury.   Legend has it that Princess Marija wanted to bring the gifts herself to Agiou Pavlou's monastery and as she was approaching the premises, she was informed, like empress Placidia when she had wished to enter Vatopedi, that women were forbidden from entering Mt. Athos monasteries.   A monument depicting the exchange stands in front of the walls. 

The brotherhood holds the relics of the following saints: St.  Gregory of Nazianzus, St.  Maximus the Confessor, Theodora of Alexandria'a head, Callinicus the Martyr, St. Basil the Great etc.  There are 5 more chapels existing in the monastery.  It also includes the New Skete and the Lakkou Skete.

Agiou Pavlou monastery was once occupied by 200 monks. There are 40 monks present today. The monastery is ranked 14th in the Mt. Athos hierarchy.