The Mountain as a City Dissemination of the Image of the Holy Mount in the Balkans

<jats:p>The article examines the concept of the sacred mountain in medieval Orthodox culture, focusing on parallels between Mount Athos, Constantinople, and Balkan monastic centers. It argues that the idea of the Holy Mountain as the Garden of the Mother of God originates in monastic tradition and later acquires political meaning. Through examples from Bulgaria, especially Tarnovo and Rila, the study shows how the mountain is conceived as a spiritual ‘city’, complementing the imperial capital and forming part of a unified sacred geography linking monasticism, Marian devotion, and state ideology.</jats:p>