2026 Summer Conference and AGM

The Friends of Mount Athos Annual Summer Conference and AGM took place at St Anne’s College, Oxford, on Saturday 6 June, bringing together members and friends both in person and online for a day of reflection, fellowship, and inspiration.

An excellent panel of speakers offered personal, poignant, and deeply moving insights into the enduring magnetic pull of the Holy Mountain.

Keynote speaker Andrew Buchanan set a high bar with a comprehensive and beautifully curated pictorial journey through FoMA’s 36 years of service—a visual testament to the organisation’s role as a bridge between Mount Athos and the wider world.

Peter Howorth followed with a remarkable account of his relative Sandy Thomas, whose extraordinary wartime adventure ultimately led to the creation of the map of Mount Athos now adopted by FoMA. His talk wove together family history, cartographic legacy, and the quiet heroism that shaped a resource used by pilgrims to this day.

The day concluded with Dr Aphrodite Papayanni’s moving and insightful reflections on FoMA’s “Athos Outside Athos” pilgrimage, which took place in May 2026—a journey that explored how Athonite spirituality can be encountered, honoured, and lived beyond the peninsula itself.

A fuller report on the day’s proceedings—together with selected photographs, recordings, and transcripts—will be shared soon.