The holy mountain of Athos. On the easternmost and roughest peninsula of Halkidiki, religion gives a strong “presence”: Mount Athos is the second most important religious/pilgrimage destination after Jerusalem, for more than 300 million Orthodox Christians around the world. The institutional status of Mount Athos was established in the year 972. Today, it is a self-governing part of the Greek territory, while spiritually it falls under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The entry of women is forbidden, but any man, national or foreigner, regardless of religion, can enter Mount Athos as long as he has a written permit, the so-called Diamonitirio.