The Latin Archive

The presence of Latin documents in the Athonite archives is extremely rare, given the monasteries' limited contacts with the Catholic West and the concentration of their activities in the Ottoman Empire. The archives of the Vatopedi Monastery preserve a small number of documents written in Latin, which prove that its glory had spread beyond the Orthodox area. Among these documents stands out the letter of recommendation of the King of Spain Alfonso (1456), in which he requests the facilitation of the Vatopedi monks who were touring his country for the purpose of begging. A similar letter was issued in 1512 by the Marquis of Montferrat, William, in which he urged Christians to financially support the Monastery.