With much Grace and clarity, Saint Gregory Palamas describes Mount Athos as a "proud and venerable place, the hearth of virtues, the desire of all that is good, the heavenly prototype and intangible scene, a place free from all evil and superior to all passionate desires".

Throughout its long history, Mount Athos has showcased a multitude of saints, both named and unnamed, who loved God "with all their soul and heart" and during their ascetic life "did not give sleep to their eyes, nor rest to their cheeks, until they found a place for the Lord and a dwelling for the God of Jacob" (Psalm 132:4-5).

The Holy Great Monastery of Vatopedi can boast in the Lord for being renowned and prolific. From the research conducted so far, there are sixty-six known saints of the Monastery. [...]

(from the book's preface)