A man who was adopted and brought up by Orthodox Monks in Greece astonishingly lived almost his entire life without ever seeing a woman.
Contemplate living your whole life without experiencing or engaging with the opposite gender.
While this scenario may sound like a dystopian nightmare to some, for Mihailo Totolos, it was his daily reality and all he ever knew.
Born in Halkidiki, Greece, Totolos only learned about the existence of women through his peers’ conversations and written descriptions.
It’s reported that although the monk entered the world around 1856, he never met his mother.
His mother passed away shortly after his birth, leaving him without any immediate family.
After his mother’s death, Totolos was taken in by a group of Orthodox Monks in Greece and resided in a monastery on Mount Athos.
While living there, he was required to adhere to strict rules.
One such rule was that women were absolutely forbidden on the premises.
This rule had been enforced for centuries, and although Totolos had the freedom to explore beyond the monastery, it is said he never left.
This meant he never saw a woman in person. Instead, he gained knowledge from books and conversations.
He was left to imagine how nearly half of the world’s population looked, sounded, and behaved, which is quite an extraordinary thought.
Apparently never curious about the world beyond the monastery, Totolos continued his life until 1938, when he passed away at the age of 82.
Following his passing, the monks at Mount Athos gave Totolos a special burial in his honor.
They believed he was the only man in the world to have lived and died without ever seeing a woman.
His death was later mentioned in a newspaper article, which highlighted that women weren’t the only experiences absent from Totolos’ life.
The article noted that he had also lived without ever riding in a car, watching a film, or seeing an airplane.
Given the digital age and technological advancements, it’s unlikely there will ever be another person like Mihailo Tolotos.
It’s a fascinating concept to consider.