In Greece there is a small mountainous peninsula called Mount Athos. Athos was one of the giants who challenged the Greek gods. According to Greek mythology, after killing him in a battle, Poseidon buried the defeated giant under the beautiful mountain that then took his name.

 

Today, it is prohibited for women —and female animals— to enter in the Mount Athos. It is a sacred mountain, in which there are twenty Christian Orthodox monasteries, considered as an autonomous territory under the sovereignty of Greece. Thanks to this consideration, this territory can benefit from European policies while it is exempt from complying with certain laws and agreements. For example, it is part of the Eurozone, so the currency that is used is the euro and they share the European economic policy, but they do not adhere to the Schengen Agreement, which guarantees the free movement of citizens among the member territories.

 

Ascension to Mount Athos is a pilgrimage journey through Google Earth to the top of the mountain.

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The sound design, by Andy G. Vidal, has been made by manipulating a series of found audios related to the mountain, including a recording of the monks of Simonopetra Monastery interpreting the Agni Parthene —Oh Pure Virgin— composed by Saint Nectario of Aegis.