Milutin Tower, Hilandar

Milutin Tower or Tower of the Horseman is a medieval defensive structure dedicated to Stefan Milutin, located in Serbian Orthodox Hilandar Monastery in Mount Athos, Greece.

Location

The tower is located north of the monastery near its harbor on the northern coast of the peninsula.

History

It was built around the middle of the 13th century. Already in 1198, the monastery and its properties were donated by Byzantine Emperor Alexios III Angelos to the Serbs as an eternal gift. The tower is named after Stefan Milutin, king of Serbia in the period 1281–1321, he added the top floor and roof in 1302.

Description

The tower is 45m high and is a representative example of towers from the late Byzantine period, characterized by strongly protruding buttresses.