According to tradition, the Monastery was constructed between 1063 and 1069 by Kallistos Koutloumous, a member of the
Seljuk dynasty from
Iconium in
Asia Minor who converted to
Christianity. The first benefactor of the Monastery was Emperor
Alexios I Komnenos. In written records, the monastery of Koutloumousi was first mentioned in a document from 1169. In the following centuries, the Monastery went through difficult times with plunders committed in the aftermath of the
Fourth Crusade and killings done by
Michael VIII Palaiologos after the
Second Council of Lyon. The Monastery was also raided by
Catalan mercenaries between 1307 and 1309. In 1263, the
Protos of Mount Athos granted the
cell of Saint Elijah to the monastery. The deserted
Stavronikita Monastery was also ceded to Koutloumousiou in 1287. By 1316, the Monastery was on the 17th place in the Athonite monastery hierarchy. and
watch tower (, ) of Koutloumousiou Donations to the Monastery were continued by the Wallachian Voivodes such as
Mircea the Elder,
Laiotă Basarab,
Basarab the Young,
Vlad II Dracul,
Vlad IV the Monk,
Vlad VI Înecatul,
Vlad VII Vintilă,
Radu the Great, and
Neagoe Basarab or by their
boyars. In 1393, the Monastery was proclaimed as a
stauropegion by
Patriarch Antony. A period of decline continued in the 20th century, the monastery being abandoned in the aftermath of
World War II and the eastern wing burning down in 1980. At the same time, the arrival of new monks, including
Saint Paisios, led to a new period of growth for Koutloumousiou. ==Architecture and other buildings==