A delegation of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy headed by its rector, Professor Archpriest Oleksandr Trofymliuk, arrived at Holy Mount Athos.

Mount Athos or Athos (Greek: Άθως), also called the Holy Mountain (Greek: Άγιον Όρος), is the world's largest center of Orthodox monasticism on the Aion Oros Peninsula, in the Central Macedonia region, on the northeastern coast of Greece, between the Aion Oros (Singithikos) and Ierisos (Akantios) bays of the Aegean Sea. In the system of administrative regions of Greece, it is called the Autonomous Monastic State of the Holy Mountain (Greek: Αυτόνομη Μοναστική Πολιτεία Αγίου Όρους). The administrative center of the autonomy is the city of Karyes. Athos is a community of 20 Orthodox monasteries under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Ivan Vyshensky lived on Mount Athos for a long time (late 16th - early 17th centuries). In the eighteenth century, a purely Ukrainian Skete of the Holy Prophet Elijah, or the so-called St. Elijah Cossack or Zaporizhzhia Skete, was established on the lands of the Pantocrates Monastery. This hermitage was founded by hieromonk Paisius Velichkovsky (1722-1794), a native of Poltava. Monks, mostly Ukrainians, began to flock to Paisius. Here, the great elder Paisius translated from the Greek "Dobrotolubii" and the works of the founders of Christian asceticism. In 1747, Hryhorii Holubenko, a former Bunchuk comrade, founded the Black Vyr skete on Mount Athos.

The delegation of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy arrived at the Democritus University of Thrace in Komotini.

The university was founded in July 1973. It is named in honor of the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus, who was from the city of Abdera in Thrace. During its existence, the University has achieved a high level of education, the demand for its graduates in the world market and has secured a place among the best Greek universities. The University currently has twenty faculties in four cities - nine in Komotini, five in Xanthi, four in Alexandroupoli and two in Orestiada.

The delegation, which was accompanied by the Consul of Ukraine in Thessaloniki Oleksandr Sosoniuk, was received by the Dean of the Faculty of Classics and Humanities, Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Churches of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem Manolis Varvounis and other professors of the Faculty.

During the visit, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy and the Faculty of Classics and Humanities of the Democritus University of Thrace.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the University and the 10th anniversary of the Faculty, the Rector of the Academy, Archpriest Oleksandr Trofymliuk, Metropolitan Fedir (Bubniuk) of Poltava and Kremenchuk, Vice-Rector for Research, Archpriest Vitaliy Klos, Deputy Rector for International Relations Serhiy Shumylo, benefactors and volunteers Bohdan Kolodiy, Maksym Makeev, Yevhen and Oleksandr Suslov were awarded with appropriate commemorative awards.

In turn, with the blessing of the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Archpriest Oleksandr Trofymliuk awarded Professor Manolis Varvunis the Order of St. Michael the Archangel.
Personally from me, as the Chairman of the Association of Volunteer Teams of Ukraine, the professor received a collectible commemorative medal "Dream" as a gift.

The Holy Kinot of the Holy Mountain.

This is the building of the Athos Parliament.

As previously reported, with the aim of developing international cooperation in the field of education and science, on May 9, 2023, a delegation of the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy headed by its rector, head of the Department of Spiritual Education and Theological Science and the Synodal Calendar Commission of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Doctor of Theology, Professor Archpriest Oleksandr Trofymliuk, began an official visit to higher theological education institutions and shrines in Greece.

The delegation also included the head of the Synodal Department for Youth Affairs of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, member of the Presidium of the KPBA Alumni League, PhD in Theology, Metropolitan Fedir (Bubniuk) of Poltava and Kremenchuk, Vice-Rector for Research of KPBA, Doctor of Theology, Professor Archpriest Vitaliy Klos, Deputy Rector for International Relations of KPBA, Research Fellow at the Department of Religion and Theology at the University of Exeter in the UK, Director of the International Institute of Athos Heritage, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Doctor of Theology Serhiy Shumylo, Rector of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Boyarka Archpriest Vasyl Lilo, Head of the Association of Volunteer Teams of Ukraine Bohdan Kolodiy, philanthropists Yevhen and Oleksandr Suslov, Maksym Makeiev, translator, PhD in Theology, graduate of the KPBA and Master's degree in Theology at the Theological Faculty of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Vasyl Prus, a translator, PhD in theology, and a graduate of the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

GLORY TO UKRAINE! GLORY TO THE HEROES!