Research Article // Hydraulic heritage and water–energy–food nexus resilience at the Holy Monastery of Dochiariou
By Sargentis et al. This study examines the hydraulic infrastructure of the Holy Monastery of Dochiariou, Mount Athos, Greece, as an integrated water–energy–food (WEF) system developed during the Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods.
Abstract
Reliable access to water, energy, and food was essential to the sustainability of isolated monastic communities. This study examines the hydraulic infrastructure of the Holy Monastery of Dochiariou, Mount Athos, Greece, as an integrated water–energy–food (WEF) system developed during the Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods. Field surveys, geomorphological observations, satellite-image interpretation, hydraulic reconstruction, and semi-quantitative estimates of irrigation demand and hydraulic energy were combined to assess the structure, function, and resilience of the historical water-supply network.
The reconstructed system comprised qanat-type groundwater interception galleries, long-distance aqueducts, reservoirs, irrigation areas, and two watermills. Its multi-source configuration reduced dependence on individual supplies and enabled gravity-driven water conveyance under seasonal variability. The historical aqueducts were spatially associated with approximately 11 ha of cultivated land, with a mean net irrigation requirement of approximately 5230 m3/ha/year for the irrigated fraction, corresponding to an area-averaged demand of approximately 2880 m3/ha/year across the total cultivated area under the 55% irrigated-fraction base case. Under the adopted base-case assumptions, the qanat-type sources could have provided approx imately 5 L/s, equivalent to about 430 m3/day, while the estimated 24 h hydraulic-energy potential of the watermills was approximately 7 kWh/day.
The hydraulic infrastructure of the Holy Monastery of Dochiariou can be interpreted as an integrated and resource-efficient WEF system rather than as an isolated water-supply network. Its resilience derived from source diversification, gravity-driven conveyance, storage, irrigation support, and renewable mechanical energy production. The system offers a historical example of low-energy, multi-source resource management with relevance for contemporary sustainability challenges in isolated and water-constrained environments
Published
20 October 2026
In
Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability