This man had never seen a woman, and had spent his whole life in Mount Athos, living for 82 years.
Greek monk Mihailo Tolotos lived in Mount Athos for 82 years and never saw women or experienced modern life, following the rules of ancient monasteries.
Imagine living for 82 years and never seeing a woman. Not your mother, not a friend, not even a stranger passing by. It sounds like the plot of a dystopian story, but it’s a true experience of Mihailo Tolotos, the life of a Greek monk who is one of the most extraordinary isolated stories in the world.
Mihailo Tolotos was born in Halkidiki, Greece in 1856. Sadly, his mother died shortly after she was born, leaving him orphan. He was accepted by Orthodox monks of Mount Athos, one of the most isolated and sacred places in the world. Here he lived an extremely lonely life according to the strict rules of the monastery. In Mount Athos, a basic rule was ruled: women were not allowed. Rules that have been around since the 10th century still exist.
Mount Athos is not only a place of religion. This is the whole world. This UNESCO World Heritage Site occupies the site of about 2,000 monks, following ancient traditions. The ban on women is so far away that even female animals are prohibited from entering the area. This strict isolation is designed to help monks stay celibate and focus on spiritual matters. Mihailo Tolotos takes this promise to the extreme, never leaving the monastery and never seeing a woman in his life.
But his isolation is more than just avoiding women. He has not experienced many modern life. According to an article in the Edinburgh Daily in 1938, Tolotos had never seen cars, planes, or even movies. Although the outside world evolved with technology and change, he was still within the untouched tradition of the monastery.
When Tolotos died in 1938, a monk at Mount Athos funered him, believing that he might be the only person in history to die without seeing a woman. His unique life continues to capture people’s imagination.
Although the rule is outdated or discriminatory, Athos is still enforcing a ban on women today. But for those who choose to live in a monastery, the mountain remains a sanctuary, as Mihailo Tolotos did more than a century ago. His story reminds the quiet corners of the world where people live in seclusion and are influenced by the hustle and bustle of modern society.
