Still the heart and soul of Orthodox Christian monasticism after 1,000 years, Mount Athos in Greece provides an ideal retreat for contemplation, writes Chris Deliso In a time of economic uncertainties, Greeks have continued to find spiritual succour in a place that has provided it for the past millennium – the Mount Athos monastic community. Yet even for the non-Orthodox, visiting the “Holy Mountain” (Agion Oros, in Greek), a richly forested, isolated peninsula embraced by the Aegean Sea, is a highly rewarding and relaxing spiritual retreat.Mount Athos’ 20 monasteries (and numerous dependencies) grew under the patronage of Byzantine emperors, Russian tsars and other donors. Despite periodic fire, occasional attacks from pirates and deviant Crusaders, followed by O