Mount Athos will introduce new restrictions on pilgrimages beginning January 1, 2025, in response to the growing number of visitors and the need to preserve the monastic order and prayerful atmosphere, according to basilica.ro.

Under the new regulations, the number of pilgrims will be strictly capped. Communal sketes will be limited to 200 visitors per month, central churches (Kiriakon) to 50 pilgrims, and cells (kelia) to 20 individuals. Group visits exceeding five people will be prohibited, except for schoolchildren, students, monks, and military personnel.

Pilgrimages to Athos will only be permitted by official invitation from monasteries or sketes. Unauthorized movement across Mount Athos or requests for accommodation at other monasteries without an invitation will be forbidden. Pilgrims must obtain approval from the Pilgrimage Office by noon the day before arrival.

Exceeding the established quotas will not be possible, and violations will lead to the cancellation of invitations and notification of the Holy Epistasia. The rules may be temporarily relaxed during major church feasts.

Mount Athos, located on the Halkidiki Peninsula in northeastern Greece, is a center of Orthodox monasticism. Surrounded on three sides by the Aegean Sea, it rises to 2,033 meters. Access to the monastic republic is possible by sea or helicopter, as land routes are extremely limited. Athos enjoys autonomous status within Greece and is governed by the Holy Kinot, comprising representatives of 20 monasteries.

Women are prohibited from entering Mount Athos under the long-standing avaton rule, established in the 15th century and reaffirmed in the 1924 charter. Violations of this ban are subject to criminal penalties in Greece. Men can visit Athos only with a special permit, the diamonitirion, issued by the Pilgrimage Bureau.