Until now we showed you a lot of pictures of monasteries and skiti’s. But the Holy Mountain is full with farmhouses or kellia (hundreds ? – in 1951: 209). In these (useally) small houses only a couple of monks (patéres) live under an Elder (gerontas).
The kellion-houses have a typical architecture, most of the time with a small church at one side, like this building:

Kellion between Filotheou en Koutloumousiou – 1986

I recently found out that I took – by coincidance – a picture of the same kellion in 1989:

Kellion between Filotheou en Koutloumousiou – 1989

and like this house in Kavsokalivia:

Kavsokalivia: a house in the Skiti, also called a Kalybai – 2007

Most of the monks who live in kellia are farmers, but in 1986 we met some blacksmiths, on our walk from Karakallou to Lavra, just before Skiti Lakkou.

Blacksmith-monks – 1986 (photo: Pieter Voorn)

Although we wanted to walk on, because Lavra was still a long way to go, they insisted on serving a good meal and our third (!) glass of raki that morning (11.00 am).

A good meal at the “blachsmith”-kellion – 1986

Thanks and goodbye – 1986

But not all kellia are small, especially the russians build some large ones. Here you see the big deserted Ukrain kellion named Stavros near Lakkou (also see 187, 188 and 192).

Stavros kellion (with two towers) – 1986 (photo: Pieter Voorn)

One of the oldest (10th century) and most famous kellion is maybe Mylopotamos, well known because of the wine they make.

Mylopotamos 2008 – picture from Theologos Tats

Wim, 14/10