Dionysiou Monastery

Dionysiou Monastery (Μονή Διονυσίου) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece in southwest part of Athos peninsula. The monastery ranks fifth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. It is one of the twenty self-governing monasteries in Athos, and it was dedicated to John the Baptist.

History
The monastery was founded in the 14th century by Saint Dionysius of Korisos, and it was named after him. The brother of Dionysius of Korisos was the metropolitan of Trebizond at the time. Alexios III Komnenos of Trebizond was the main benefactor of the monastery during its founding. His chrysobull from September 1374 is currently kept in the archives of Dionysiou Monastery. A passage from the chrysobull states that:

"For all emperors, kings, or rulers of note have built monasteries on Mount Athos for their eternal memory; and since the emperor of Trebizond surpasses many of them, he too should add a new foundation in order to live eternally in the memory of the people and to enjoy unending pleasures of the soul."

By the end of the 15th century, the Russian pilgrim Isaiah confirms that, the monastery was Serbian.

The library of the monastery housed 804 manuscripts and more than 4,000 printed books. The oldest manuscripts come from the 11th century.

Today the monastery has a community of around 50 monks.

Notable people

 * Nephon II of Constantinople
 * Saint Joseph of Dionysiou (d. 17 February 1819)
 * Arsenios the Cave Dweller (resident from 1980–1983)

Partial list of abbots

 * Dositheos of Dionysiou (abbot until 1936)
 * Elder Gabriel Dionysiatis (or Gabriel of Dionysiou, 1886–6 November 1983), Abbot of Dionysiou Monastery for 40 years during the mid-1900s
 * Elder Haralambos Dionysiatis (or Charalambos of Dionysiou, 1886–6 November 1983), Abbot of Dionysiou Monastery from 1979 to 2000
 * Peter of Dionysiou (current abbot)

Manuscripts

 * Codex Athous Dionysiou = Uncial 045 (Ω)
 * Uncial 050