Our dear Athos friend Vasílis de Grote publishes very interesting information about Athos on Facebook. With his permission I have reproduced this list of abbots, hegoúmenos in Greek, which he published on 12 February. The reason for starting this list was that he found a black and white photo of the special moment of the enthronement of the longest serving abbot on Athos, hegoúmenos Parthenios of Ag. Pavlou on December 15, 1974, so he has been head of the monastery now for 48 years (and he is 91 years old? – number 14 on the list).

1. Megistas Lavras – Prodromos (born xxx?): since 2000 – 22 years
2. Vatopediou – Efrem (born 5-6-1956/66 years old): since 1990 – 32 years
3. Iviron – Nathaniel (xxx): since 2005 – 17 years
4. Chilandariou – Methodios (born 7-1-1970/52 years old): since 2010 – 12 years
5. Dionysou – Petros (xxx): since 1989 – 33 years
6. Koutloumousiou – Nikolaos (xxx): since 2020 – 2 years
7. Pantocratoros – Gabriel (xxx): since 2001- 21 years
8. Xiropotamou – Joseph (xxx): since 1985 – 37 years
9. Sografou – Ambrosios (xxx): since 1997 – 25 years
10. Docheiariou – Amfilochios (born 1961/61 years old): since 2018 – 4 years
11. Karakallou – Filothéos (xxx): since 1981 – 41 years
12. Filotheou – Nikodimos (xxx): since 2001 – 21 years
13. Simonos Petras – Elisaios (xxx): since 2000 – 22 years
14. Ag. Paulou – Parthenios (born 1931? – 91 years old?): since 1974 – 48 years
15. Stavronikita – Tichon (xxx): since 1990 – 32 years
16. Xenofontos – Alexios (xxx): since 1976 – 46 years
17. Grigoriou – Christoforos (xxx): since 2014 – 8 years
18. Esfigmenou (new – konaki Karyes) – Bartholomeos (born 1973/49 years old): since 2013 – 9 years
19. Esfigmenou (old – monastery) – Methodios (xxx): since 1991 – 31 years
20. Panteleimonos “- Evlogios (xxx): since 2016 – 6 years
21. Konstamonitou – Charalampos (xxx): since 2018 – 4 years

The Holy Mountain has 20 monasteries, Esfigmenou is mentioned twice because of historical (and obvious) reasons.

Below you can find the portrets/photos of some of these abbots (from my archive and the internet):

Wim Voogd, 20-2-2023