STORY: A group of Ukrainian soldiers arrived in Greece in late November with marks of war - one with a head scar, others with amputated limbs, some with invisible mental wounds.
They travelled to a monastery in Athos, in the hope of escaping haunting memories of the three-year conflict that has ravaged their homeland.
Ivan Kovalyk was taking a break on Ukraine's front line in September 2023 when soldiers asked him to bring a radio, food and water.
As he fetched the belongings, a shell exploded nearby.
Kovalyk lost both legs below the knee.
"I was ready for it (amputation) psychologically. I understood what I signed up for: the risk which was high and what could happen to me. What happened to me is probably the best outcome that could happen."
Part of a psychological support program organized by Ukrainian authorities and over the course of a few days --
the soldiers made a pilgrimage to a dozen monasteries on the slopes of Mount Athos.
Orest Kavetskyi is a Lviv regional official who helped organize the trip.
"When I visited Athos, I felt God's grace, God's blessing, the greatness of Athos. This is when I had the idea to organize a kind of pilgrimage for our heroes that went through the hell of war to have a possibility to feel this grace. We understand that God's blessing and God's grace rehabilitates our warrior heroes a lot more than physical or psychological rehabilitation at home."
Athos has been a spiritual home of the Orthodox Church since the 10th century.
The soldiers took communion shoulder to shoulder in small chapels and made lists of loved ones they wanted to pray for.
Between services, they talked and took photos from balconies overlooking the sea.
"We already see that these five days spent on Athos will replace at least a year of rehabilitation in Ukraine, in hospitals or other medical centers."
Kovalyk agrees.
He says the visit, which he plans to repeat, helped him to relieve stress.
"I rethought a lot of things in my head. I weighed all my deeds: the good and the bad ones. I made a conclusion for myself. I think this is not my last trip here."