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The Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi (, ) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos, Greece. The monastery was expanded several times during its history, particularly during the Byzantine period and in the 18th and 19th centuries. More than 120 monks live in the monastery.
Vatopedi was founded in the second half of the 10th century by three Greek monks, Athanasios, Nicholaos, and Antonios, from Edirne, who were disciples of Athanasius the Athonite. By the end of the 15th century, the Russian pilgrim Isaiah wrote that the monastery was Greek.
In 1990, Vatopedi was converted from an idiorrhythmic monastery into a cenobitic one.
Extensive construction projects are underway to restore the monastery's larger buildings.
Vatopedi's library preserves a medieval royal charter, the 13th-century Vatopedi Charter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria dedicated to the monastery. It was discovered in the monastery's archives in 1929.
The library holds 2,000 manuscripts and 35,000 printed books. Among manuscripts from Vatopedi are Uncial 063, Uncial 0102, and the Vatopedi Psalter in the British Library and the early-14th century Codex Vatopedinus 655Also known as Vatopedinus 655 and Codex Athous Vatopedinus 655 divided between the British LibraryBritish Library. MS 19391. and the French Bibliothèque Nationale,Bibliothèque Nationale. 443 (Pithou MS). which includes numerous , extracts from Strabo and Claudius Ptolemy's geographical works, and early maps.
After the story became public in August 2008, the government cancelled the land deals and two ministers resigned, under huge pressure from the media and public.[4], Greek SKAI Television Documentary Additionally, Parliament voted unanimously to set up a commission to investigate the deal. Greek minister quits over scandal, BBC Greek MPs vote to investigate Vatopedi monastery land deal, Herald Sun However, after investigations, the estimations of the public agencies for the exchanged real estate objects were found to have been in order.
In December 2010, a Court of Appeals found guilty and imposed a ten-month imprisonment (with three years suspension) to ex-judge Maria Psaltis on charges of misconduct and violations of judicial secrecy. The same penalty was issued to Abbot Ephraim and monk Arsenios on instigation.[7], Kathimerini Newspaper Finally Abbot Ephraim, monk Arsenios and the judge Maria Psaltis were relived from the accusation from Areios Pagos, the Supreme Court of the Hellenic Republic (Greece), by the act 966/2012.
As of December 2011, 3 years after the reveal of the alleged scandal, none of the two different investigating parliamentary commissions and various trials had found any of the persons involved guilty of illegal money transactions or real estate fraud. Then, in late December 2011, Abbot Ephraim was arrested, and jailed pending trial, for alleged fraud and embezzlement. Greece jails Abbot Ephraim in Mount Athos fraud case, BBC
On January 11, 2012, the Criminal Division of the Supreme Court accepted the proposal of the Deputy Prosecutor of the Supreme Court Law Mr. Tsangas: it set aside the decision under which Psaltis, Ephraim, and Arsenios had each been sentenced to 10-month imprisonment (with three years suspended). The Supreme Court considered that the contested decision of the Court of Appeals had no legal justification and presented logical gaps, inconsistencies, and shortcomings. Moreover, the Supreme Court ruling that any disclosure of the outcome of the conference only a court is no longer a criminal offense sic, which means that the three defendants will be treated under more favorable conditions when judged again by the court.[9], Ta Nea, Newspaper
In October 2013, it was reported that fourteen persons, including Abbot Efrem and monk Arsenios were indicted on several counts including money laundering related to the Land Deal Controversy, which has been referred to as the "holy exchange".
On 23 March 2017, Efrem was fully acquitted. On 28 May 2021, Efrem was hospitalized in Athens due to a COVID-19 infection.
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