A devout Christian, actor, and filmmaker Mel Gibson visited Mount Athos, often called the “Garden of the Virgin Mary,” and the Holy Hilandar Monastery prior to filming his movie 'Resurrection.'
During his visit, Gibson spoke with monks about Church history in Serbia and the ‘struggle for freedom and defense of Christianity,’ according to the Serbian Times. He was also present at monastic meals and was introduced to holy relics.
Photos showing Gibson with several monks circulated online, with one quote attributed to him saying, “I have never felt such a strong connection to God anywhere else as here.”
One notable photo from the Serbian Times depicted Gibson standing with nearly two dozen robed monks in front of an altar during a feast day celebration. A video uploaded on June 30 appeared to show Gibson engaged in a deep conversation with a monk at Mount Athos.
Located on a peninsula in Greece, Mount Athos is a “treasure trove” of Orthodox artifacts and iconography, which ‘have been the focal points of veneration and pilgrimage for centuries,’ according to MountAthos.org.
Referred to as the “holy mountain” of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Mount Athos is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a significant spiritual center, hosting a multi-ethnic monastic community under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The network includes approximately 20 monasteries and religious sites belonging to Greek, Serbian, Russian, Bulgarian, and Romanian communities. Among these is the Serbian Hilandar Monastery, a 10th-century cornerstone of Serbian Orthodoxy, where Gibson is reportedly staying.
Mount Athos is renowned for its ascetic lifestyle, with monks dedicating their lives to prayer and solitude in pursuit of union with God.
Gibson, once dubbed the “most powerful Christian in Hollywood,” told podcaster Joe Rogan earlier this year that, ‘while I was born into a Catholic family,’ he has become “very Christian” in his faith.
