The Choir of the ”Nea Skiti” Monastery
Mount Athos, Greece
Nea Skiti belongs to the Monastery ”St Paul” . The settlement is located near the sea, between the Monastery ”St Paul” and the Skete of ”St Anna” .
The monastery was founded in the 18th century. The ancient name of the monastery is Saint Benedict or the Holy Cross and was located a little bit far from the current settlement. There are many graves in which there have been found coins and other artefacts. These discoveries support the hypothesis that in the ancient times, one of the cities of Athos was located here.
The kyriakon was built in 1760 and is dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos. The cemetery chapel dedicated to All Saints is near the kyriakon.
There are 20 codices, 200 manuscripts and 500 printed works and the diaconicon contains religious habits, crosses and holy relics.
Many great figures of monasticism, such as Nikodimos the Hagiorite, Athanasios the Athonite and the philosopher Kyrillos lived and prayed here. During the 20th century, Elder Joseph, the Hesychast, and his novices also lived in this monastery.
With an idiorrhytmic monastic system, the monastery is made of 28 cells (kellia) and huts (kalives) where 40 monks live in. Some of these cells belong to the most renowned iconographers: monk Nikon and hieromonk Prodromos. Apart of painting icons, the monks living here deal with sculpture, metalworking, music and subsistence agriculture.
(Source: www.doxologia.ro, article published by father Silviu Cluci)
Father Damaskinos - Conductor
He was ordained as monk in 1984 and beginning with 1996 he has been the abbot of the Cell ”Holy Wonderworking Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian”. His main duty in the monastery is the Psaltic chant. Together with the monk Theodosios and with other monks of the community, he takes part in the feast services of the Athonite settlements, by this preserving and promoting the music and the Athonite musical tradition which they inherited.