Brochures

The library of the Vatopedi Monastery includes a remarkable collection of printed matter, which currently numbers approximately 40.000 volumes (27.000 titles) of theological and liturgical content, mainly in Greek. Its formation began in the 16th century and was based mainly on the incorporation of the personal libraries of various learned brothers of the Monastery, either through donations or through inheritances. Other books came from donations by the trustees of the Vatopedi metochias, archpriests and simple vicars or from purchases by the Monastery, mainly for its devotional needs.

One of the first known cases of bequest of a personal collection is that of Makarios of Thessaloniki, who died in 1546 leaving his manuscripts and printed matter to the Monastery. The same happened in the following century with Synesios El(l)anicos, of whom at least five printed matter survive. In 1790, the 45 books of the teacher Theodoulos of Vatopedi, who died in Moudania, were added to the library, while in 1802 a donation of printed matter by a priest from Trieste is Bookshoped. Other large collections that were incorporated in the 19th century. into the library are those of Gregory of Irene, Gregory of Adrianoupolis, and Ananias of Vatopedi.

In 1837, according to Curzon's testimony, the printed matter amounted to 4000, but in reality their number must have been much smaller. In 1867, the printed matter library was transferred to the Tower of the Virgin Mary and in 1869-1870 new shelves were made by Anthimos Vatopedinos. At the same time, the work of cataloguing them began by the hierodeacon Neophytos Vatopedinos and the prior Cyril, which resulted in the compilation of the handwritten catalog of 1880, which lists 3749 volumes (1683 titles). More recent cataloguing and classification work was carried out in 1923 by Arkadios Vatopedinos, according to which the printed matter amounted to 7116 (5600 titles). The rest were described in the period 1934-1955 and their number reached 8126 volumes (6440 titles). Today, the 27.000 printed materials of the new library remain unrecorded, which include the small collections of skete, cells and deceased monks and 4000 Russian books originating from the Skete of Saint Andrew.