He apparently had never seen a car or an airplane, and had never even seen a movie.
Bred and educated in the walled monastery, Tolotos never even once ventured past the gates of the monastery. Throughout all this, a law passed in 1060 banning women and animals from Mount Athos was in force. A law that still stands today.

He lived his entire life in seclusion, shielded from the external world, and without ever encountering a woman. Eventually, in 1938, at the age of 82, he passed away, having never laid eyes on the appearance of a woman.

The monk was even given a special burial by all the monks living at Mount Athos who believed that he was the only man in the world to have died without knowing what a woman looked like

This is the story of Michael Tolotos. Born around 1856, Tolotos faced a tragic start to his life when his mother passed away a mere four hours after his birth.

With no father or other family members coming forward, the young boy found himself abandoned on the steps of a monastery situated atop Mount Athos. Fortunately, the monastery took him in and became his new home.

Here’s a newspaper clipping from the Edinburgh Daily Courier, dated October 29, 1938.
Greek Reporter