According to the mythology, the Athos peninsula was named after the giant Athos, who during the famous battle, threw a mountain at Poseidon, but failed to find his target as the rock slipped through his fingers and fell to the sea creating a huge block of land which is now Mount Athos. The city of Mount Athos is situated in the entire third, eastern and most beautiful peninsula of Halkidiki, called the peninsula of Athos. It is the only place in Greece that is completely dedicated to prayer and worship of God. Mount Athos, known as the Holy Mountain, is home to a semi-autonomous, all-male monastic community. Mt Athos is the centre of the global Orthodox religion - an area of mystique, contemplation, and isolation. Mount Athos is not only the rampart of Orthodox, its sleepless guard, the eternal guardian angel of its preaches. Mount Athos is also an important culture cradle and the place where man meets the greatness of creation, eternity.
Mount Athos is the oldest monastic republic still in existence. Located on the Athos peninsula of Halkidiki, in the Greek part of Macedonia, it was officially established in 963, when a monk named Athanasios the Athonite built the Monastery of the Great Lavra (Megisti Lavra). However, anchorites had been living at the northern end of the Athos peninsula since the middle of the ninth century.
 The monasteries were protected by the emperors then and they had many privileges. During the Turkish domination, the monks had a neutral attitude keeping their autonomy. Nowadays, the north part of the peninsula "belongs" to humans and the south part of it belongs to God.
Karyes
Since Mt. Athos is considered as a "theocratic republic" adminstered by the Holy Community, Karies is the "capital" of Mt. Athos.
At the east side are the Holy Monasteries of ESFIGMENOS, VATOPEDION, PANTOKRATOR, STAYRONIKITAS, KOUTLOUMOUSION, IVIRON, FILOTHEOS, KARAKALOS; to the south there are the Holy Monasteries of MEGISTI LAVRA, that is the oldest and the leading monastery on the Mountain today. To the west, there are the Holy Monasteries of SAINT (AGIOS) PAVLOS, SAINT (AGIOS) DIONYSIOS, SAINT (AGIOS) GREGORIOS, SIMON PETRAS, XIROPOTAMOS, SAINT (AGIOS) PANTELEIMON, XENOPHON, DOCHIARIOS, KONSTAMONITIS and ZOGRAFOS.