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Some sources associate the name of "Vatopedi" with the flora of the surrounding countryside (''vatos'' = shrub, ''pedion'' = plain or ground);<ref>[http://www.chalkidiki.com/athos/vatopedi.html The monastery of Vatopedi]</ref> others point to a traditional story in which Emperor Theodosios built the monastery to honor the saving of his son from shipwreck by the [[Theotokos]]; the child was found in a bush (''vato'' = brier, ''paidi'' = child).
The legend says that the [[monastery]] was founded by Saint Constantine the Great. After him, the monastery it was destroyed by Julian the Apostate and in the 4th century the Emperor Theodosios the Great built the monastery, ruins which were found after archeological excavations.The monastery was eventually destroyed again by Arabs in 8th century and was rebuilt in late 9th century by three [[monk]]s: Athanasius, Nicholas, and Antonius, who were nobles from Edirne (AdrianoupoliAdrianople). They spoke with St. Anthanasius of Lavra which told them to rebuild the deserted destroyed monastery of Vatopedi. The major parts of the monastery were constructed either during the Byzantine period or later, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when building reached its peak. The monastery is monumental in size, with a tall wall in which the buildings are placed in triangular form.
==Main buildings ==
==Sketes of Vatopedi==
*The [[skete]] of St. Demetrios<ref>[https://asceticexperience.com/portfolio/skete-of-saint-demetrios-a-view-of-a-typical-monastic-settlement-on-mount-athos/Skete of Saint Demetrios, Vatopedi monastery]</ref>
:The skete of St. [[Demetrios of Thessaloniki|Demetrios]] belongs to the Holy Monastery of Vatopedi and is an idiorrhythmic skete, resembling a settlement and consists of 21 kalyvae, most of which are now in ruins. It is located in the mountains; a half hour walking distance from the Vatopedi monastery and has been operating as a skete since the 18th century. The "Kyriakon" is dedicated to St. Demetrios. It was built in the 12th century; it was renovated and later expanded and was frescoed in 1755.
*The [[Skete of St. Andrew (Athos)|Skete of St. Andrew]] in [[Karyes (Athos)|Karyes]] (or ''Serrai'')<ref>[httphttps://wwwasceticexperience.macedonian-heritage.grcom/Athosportfolio/Monasteryskete-saint-andrew-sarai/vatopedi.html Macedonian HeritageSkete of Saint Andrew]</ref>
:The Skete of St. [[Apostle Andrew|Andrew]] is a huge building complex located on the road that connects Karyes with [[Daphne (Athos)|Daphne]] and follows a classic architectural paradigm of Athonian monasteries, i.e., it is surrounded by tall buildings overlooking an internal court.
:It is called a skete because, according to the customs and the statute of [[Mount Athos]], it is not possible to found new monasteries, besides the ones of the Byzantine era. It was built with the financial sponsorship of the Russian Czars, and many Russian [[monk]]s practiced [[asceticism|ascetic]] life here. Indeed, just before World War I, the skete was inhabited by approximately 700 monks. Nowadays five Greek monks reside here and have taken upon them to revive the skete and deal with the preservation of the [[icon]]s and the maintenance of the premises.