Mount Athos: Michael Tolotos who died without ever seeing his wife in person

It is said that Michael Tolotos, from Halkidiki, learned about the existence of women only from what others told him

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Tolotos' formative years and lifelong residence were limited exclusively to Mount Athos, where he was brought up under the tutelage of Greek Orthodox monks within the confines of the monastery.

The disciplinary code of the community, which demanded strict compliance from all residents, was the very background of Tolotus' upbringing.

One of the most notable rules that have existed for a thousand years on Mount Athos is that women are not allowed to enter the area.

Laws prohibiting women and domestic animals from entering Mount Oros have existed since the 10th century and are still in effect today. The reason behind this rule was to ensure that all the monks living in all the monasteries on Mount Athos could fulfill their requirement to remain celibate for their entire lives.

Tolotos never left Mount Athos and died there in 1938 at the age of 82. As a result of this and the ascetic lifestyle the monks enjoyed, which rejected modern conveniences, it is believed that Tolotos died without ever seeing a woman.
Source: edaily.gr