The monastery was founded by several monks from Kievan Rus in the 11th century, which is why it is known as "Rossikon".
It has been inhabited by mainly Russian monks in certain periods of its history.
It was recognized as a separate monastery in 1169.

Russian pilgrim Isaiah confirms that, by the end of the 15th century, the monastery was Russian.

The monastery prospered in the 16th and 17th centuries being lavishly sponsored by the tsars of Moscovy and Serbian dukes of Kratovo, but it declined dramatically in the 18th century to the point where there were only two Russian and two Bulgarian monks left by 1730.

The construction of the present monastery on a new site, closer to the seashore, was carried out during the first two decades of the nineteenth century, with the financial help of the ruler of Moldo-Wallachia, Skarlatos Kallimachos.
Russian monks numbered 1,000 in 1895, 1,446 in 1903, and more than 2,000 by 1913.
During the Tatar yoke in Russia, most of the monks were Greeks and Serbs.
The monastery occupies the nineteenth rank in the hierarchical order of the twenty Athonite monasteries.
It is coenobitic (i.e., it is a communal monastic life).
It also contains four sketes.

In 1913, the monastery was the site of a raging theological argument (Imiaslavie) among Russian monks, which led to tsarist Russian intervention and the deportation of approximately 800 of the monks on the losing side of the debate.

The Monastery of St Panteleimon was repeatedly gutted by fires, most famously in 1307 (when Catalan mercenaries set it aflame) and in 1968.
The first Russian leader to visit the monastery was President Vladimir Putin on September 9, 2005.
The monastery was founded by several monks from Kievan Rus in the 11th century, which is why it is known as "Rossikon". It has been inhabited by mainly Russian monks in certain periods of its history. It was recognized as a separate monastery in 1169. 
Russian pilgrim Isaiah confirms that, by the end of the 15th century, the monastery was Russian.
The monastery prospered in the 16th and 17th centuries being lavishly sponsored by the tsars of Moscovy and Serbian dukes of Kratovo, but it declined dramatically in the 18th century to the point where there were only two Russian and two Bulgarian monks left by 1730.
The construction of the present monastery on a new site, closer to the seashore, was carried out during the first two decades of the nineteenth century, with the financial help of the ruler of Moldo-Wallachia, Skarlatos Kallimachos. Russian monks numbered 1,000 in 1895, 1,446 in 1903, and more than 2,000 by 1913. During the Tatar yoke in Russia, most of the monks were Greeks and Serbs. The monastery occupies the nineteenth rank in the hierarchical order of the twenty Athonite monasteries. It is coenobitic (i.e., it is a communal monastic life). It also contains four sketes. 
In 1913, the monastery was the site of a raging theological argument (Imiaslavie) among Russian monks, which led to tsarist Russian intervention and the deportation of approximately 800 of the monks on the losing side of the debate. 
The Monastery of St Panteleimon was repeatedly gutted by fires, most famously in 1307 (when Catalan mercenaries set it aflame) and in 1968. The first Russian leader to visit the monastery was President Vladimir Putin on September 9, 2005.
St. Panteleimon Monastery