For the first time in history, a supermarket with 3,000 items of goods and male-only employees is preparing to open on Mount Athos, the Greek portal reports rua.gr .
Among the monastic cells, opposite the holy church of Protatos in Karies, an old cell with an area of about 400 square meters will be converted into a supermarket to serve the permanent residents and guests of the Holy Mountain, which annually number more than 150,000 people.
This is the first time that a supermarket chain enters an autonomous monastic republic, which caused a different reaction. Some welcomed this news as a convenient solution to existing needs, while others wonder what a multinational company is doing in an ascetic place…

As reported, at the moment, construction work in the building where the supermarket will be located is almost completed. The start of work is scheduled for January next year or, ideally, for the Christmas period.

The supermarket will be located in the former cell of St. Nicholas, which belongs to the Holy Monastery of the Megistinsky Lavra. This building has been transformed into a modern center for some time, which houses dormitories for guests, a restaurant and cafe, a physiotherapy center, a church supplies store and an optics store.

It is reported that the chain rented a room on the ground floor, which will be converted into a supermarket, and the second floor, where housing for employees will be created.

But what goods can appear on Mount Athos? People familiar with the Athos state explain that the answer will be "everything" — just as in the case of two grocery stores already operating there. The sale of specific products, such as meat or alcoholic beverages, is not prohibited in these stores, so all those who visit or work in the monastic state from time to time will receive what they need there. The company that will open a supermarket intends to create a special store in which products produced on the Holy Mountain will be sold with a special label.

According to the 2021 census, the permanent population of Mount Athos is 1,746 people, and the number of workers employed there, mainly in the construction sector, is estimated at about 1,000 people.

In Karies, which is the administrative center of Mount Athos, there is a police station, a medical clinic, a post office, a bank, bakeries, a courier company, a tailor shop, a bookstore, various workshops, grocery stores and other shops selling everything you need — from church utensils to building materials. There is also a spiritual secondary school and a spiritual lyceum at the Athoniades School in Karies.
According to the materials grani.lv
Photo - © Yulia Babkina / Lori Photobank