Iviron Monastery

The Iviron Monastery was founded in the late 10th century by Georgian monks, specifically John, Euthymius, and George Tornikios. It was constructed under the patronage of the Georgian nobleman John Tornikios, serving as a major center for Georgian Orthodox monasticism on Mount Athos.

The monastery is famous for housing the Panagia Portaitissa, or the Iveron Icon of the Theotokos. According to tradition, this Marian icon appeared to a monk walking on the sea after surviving the iconoclastic controversy.

Yes, the monastery possesses one of the most significant manuscript libraries on Mount Athos, containing thousands of historical documents. Its collection notably includes many rare Georgian and Greek parchment scrolls from the medieval period.

Iviron Monastery is uniquely located on the northeastern coast of the Athos peninsula, directly on the shores of the Aegean Sea. It holds the third rank in the hierarchy of the 20 ruling monasteries on Mount Athos.