Mount Athos has been a center of Orthodox spirituality since 1054 and has had its own autonomous constitution since the Byzantine era. Admittedly a prohibited destination for women and children, the ‘Holy Mountain’ is also acknowledged as an artistic location. The design of the monasteries, which now house 1,400 monks in around 20, had an impact on art history that extended as far as Russia, and its school of painting had an impact on the development of Orthodox art.