Maybe old news but here are some recent pictures of Old Rossikon.
Moscow, 3 October 2008 (Interfax):
Over the next two or three years, more than 20 million euros (714.935 million roubles. 27.56 million USD. 15.535 million UK pounds) shall be budgeted for a multi-phased restoration of various buildings at the Russian Monastery of St Panteleimon on Mount Athos according to the Council of Trustees for the Restoration of Russian Holy Sites on the Holy Mountain. Mayor Yuri Luzhkov of Moscow, the co-chairman of the council, stated that one of the most important reconstruction projects on Mount Athos is the repair of the road that connects the monastery to the Old Rusikon Skete. “As we speak, we should be transporting heavy equipment [to Greece] for construction work on Mount Athos, otherwise, we shall not be able to carry out the planned work in the proper period”, Mr Luzhkov said during the course of the session.

He also emphasised the importance of refurbishing the monastery archives and library, which has a collection of over 1,000 manuscripts and 25,000 books. Mayor Luzhkov stressed that specialists from the Moscow City Archives shall help with this work. Over the past years, much work has been done, and we restored many objects, but, the next few years shall be even busier, he noted. At this session of the council of trustees, the members approved a new stage of the reconstruction of the Russian sites on Mount Athos. Besides the repair of the road to the Old Rusikon Skete, it also includes repairs on the sketes at Ksilugru and Nea Fivaida, and new construction in the north-western part of the monastery complex. Mayor Luzhkov also charged the council of trustees to develop a finalised action plan for construction work until 2016, which shall be the 1,000th anniversary of the Russian presence on the Holy Mountain of Athos.

The ” wooden” chapel.

The church tower.
Photos by Herman Voogd
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