The article examines the history of the foundation and development of the Prophet Elijah Skete on Athos, founded in 1757 by the Ukrainian elder, spiritual and cultural figure and writer St. Paisius Velychkovsky. The role and significance of this hermitage in the history of the monastic community of the XVIIIth century has been investigated. The national composition among the monks of the Prophet Elijah Skete and their relations with the Ukrainian Cossacks have been analyzed, and the correspondence of St. Paisius Velychkovsky with the Koshovyi Otaman of the Zaporizhian Sich Petro Kalnyshevsky has been studied. It is noted that Prophet Elijah Skete was an important spiritual and cultural centre, where after the liquidation of the Zaporizhian Sich mainly former Zaporizhian Cossacks from Zadunai Sich and Kuban moved.