Eldress Galaktia of Crete: Prayer to our Lord

«You should respect your wives. If you don’t feel love, they will suffer and think that they are a means for your enjoyment, and they will feel terrible themselves... A woman wants love to be satisfied with her husband. She has a more delicate heart because she will raise children, and her condition is sensitive. She has tenderness. She doesn't want ribaldries and no dignities. That's why she gets hurt when they treat her like a ‘piece of meat’ and don’t care about her feelings.»

Wine, as a blessed commodity, plays a predominant role in the life of the Athonite monasteries. The founder of the monastic state of Mount Athos, Saint Athanasius the Athonite, decreed that each monastery should have its own vineyards. Thus, since the 10th century, the founders of the monasteries, recognizing the value of wine, have numerous vineyards in their monastic properties. On Mount Athos, there were no large areas for grain, due to the geographical difficulty and the wildness of the place. However, the microclimate of Mount Athos as well as its special vineyards, are key factors for a distinct wine production, unique throughout the Balkan Peninsula and the Northern Aegean. Even today, a number of monks from each monastery are in charge of the cultivation of vineyards and the production of wine.

In 1922 AD, the monastery was completely destroyed following the raid and attack by the Young Turks and Kemalists. As a result, the Greeks of Pontus and Asia Minor left their ancestral lands and were permanently uprooted.Before their uprooting, the monks managed to hide the holy icon of the Virgin Mary Soumela in the chapel of Saint Barbara. Along with the icon, they hid a priceless Cross containing holy wood from Manuel III, as well as a handwritten Gospel by Saint Christopher.