Philotheus of Philotheou

Venerable Philotheus of Philotheou was a disciple of Saint Athanasius the Athonite and the founder of Philotheou Monastery on Mount Athos, toward the end of the tenth century. According to historical sources, the monastery appeared in 992 under the name "Little Monastery of Fteris," in the region of Kravvatos, where the chapel of the Prophet Elijah stands today. In the eleventh century it was moved to its present site, keeping its buildings and architecture.

The monastery stands on the east side of the peninsula, close to Karakallou, and is twelfth in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. Its main church is dedicated to the Annunciation, and its surviving wall paintings date from 1752. Philotheus is not found in the general synaxaria of the Church, but he is commemorated at Philotheou on 24 January (new style; 6 February on the old calendar), together with all the saints of the monastery.