Holy Mount Athos, December 16, 2015
The Isihazm.ru website has published unique photographs of the cell of St. Paisios in the Iveron Skete on Holy Mount Athos.
“The cell of Venerable Paisios in the Iveron Skete is a little known place even to the Athonites,” the article reads. “Yet it is one of the greatest holy sites of modern-day Mt. Athos. The holy elder spent several years in this cell, or to be more exact, in this small shed, or shelter. He himself built this cell-shelter of hewn logs and planks split with wedges. This cell should not be confused with the cell of the Holy Archangels where the saint lived later!”
“The cell is stuccoed inside. The elder made a tiny stove in it which can be seen on the photograph. Its size is 30 x 25 centimeters (c. 11.81 inches x 9.84 inches). This tiny stove can contain only one log, which means that the cell’s inhabitant can’t sleep deeply all night—he will need to add new logs one after another throughout the night.
The most amazing thing is that the famous Panaguda cell of St. Paisios the Athonite was repaired more than once, while this cell has been standing open already for decades and it looks newly-built. True, hermits from Holy Mount Athos visit it to pray and usually stay here for the night. And there was a fire in it during one of such visits. However, only a part of the cell interior was slightly damaged, particularly a portion of the ceiling near the icon corner.”
“There is a path leading here from Iveron if you walk up directly to the skete, or from Karyes through the place known as “Bull’s Home”. We recommend everybody to visit this undeservedly forgotten monument of Athonite holiness, which has a sobering effect on people during the contemporary ‘celebration of life’,” the article on Isihazm.ru reads.
