Agios Savas - Athos

The tower of St Savas at Hilandar Monastery is less a standalone fortification than the main defensive spine of the northernmost monastic settlement on the Athos peninsula. Founded in 1198 by Saints Sava and Simeon, the monastery has been home to Serbian monks ever since, and ranks fourth among the twenty Athonite houses. The tower itself rises from a rock ledge on the northeast side of the walled complex, its western face opening onto the courtyard. It measures 8.5 by 13.5 metres at the base and contains a basement, ground floor, four storeys, a chapel dedicated to St John the Forerunner, and an attic. Three building phases are discernible: the lower two storeys date from the original Serbian foundation, the next two from the early 14th century under King Stefan Uroš Milutin, and repairs from 1682 to 1684 added internal arches, crenellations and a wooden roof. A devastating fire in March 2004 destroyed roughly half the walled enclosure, and reconstruction continues.