Hesychasm

The spiritual tradition of hesychasm is arguably one of the most distinguishable features of Athonite monasticism. By employing historical, spiritual, and cognitive perspectives, this chapter explores hesychasm’s deep intertwining with Mount Athos. It follows its historical unfolding from its inception in the 14th century with St. Gregory of Sinai and Gregory Palamas, to the 18th-century Philokalic revival and to hesychasm’s instrumental role in the 20th-century Athonite renewal, around figures like St. Joseph the Hesychast. The chapter ends with an examination of the interplay between hesychasm and coenobitic life in contemporary Athos, by outlining how Athonite environment – both natural and man-made – seems ideally designed for enabling the cultivation of inner stillness.