Listed 100 (total found 112) sub titles with search on: Religious figures biography Saints for wider area of: "GREECE Country EUROPE" .
AGION OROS (Mountain) HALKIDIKI
AGIOS EFSTRATIOS (Island) NORTH AEGEAN
During the period of Iconomachy, where many disturbances were taking
place, Saint Ephstratios, the so-called miracle-worker, possibly persecuted and
because he could not endure the seasickness anymore, he broke off his travel and
he disembarked in the island. A shepherd and his son were the only inhabitants
of the island. He found refuge in the cave, that today is called "Saint Ephstratios'
Cave". The approach in the interior of the cave is very difficult or even impossible,
after the earthquakes of 68's.
There is no evidence that the Saint has lived on the island until
the end of his life, but it is sure that the natives attributed to him an old
grave which was found at the island and its tombstone was surrounded in a wall
at the homonymous church, until the beginning of our century. However, it is said
that the Skull of the Saint is kept today in the Monastery
of Megisti Lavra of Mount
Athos.
This text (extract) is cited May 2003 from the Prefecture
of Lesvos & Lemnos
Provincial Government tourist pamphlet.
AGIOS GEORGIOS (Village) GREVENA
ANO TRIKALA (Village) TRIKALA KORINTHIAS
1508 - 1579
Patron Saint of Kefallonia, who was born in Trikala.
APOLLONIA (Ancient city) THESSALONIKI
d. unknown, feastday(Catholic): June 17.
AZOKERAMOS (Settlement) ITANOS
d.c. 251, feastday: July 13
CORFU (Island) IONIAN ISLANDS
29/4
d. 1st century, feastday: April 29
DIMITSANA (Village) ARCADIA
1746 - 1821
1410 - 1492
FILIPPI (Ancient city) KAVALA
She was the first European woman, who was baptized by St. Paul in the Zygactes river at Philipi, where the Baptistery of St. Lydia is today.
d. 1st century, feastday: March 22
d. 425, feastday: October 30
d. 1st. century, feastday: May 9 (Catholic). Bishop of Philippi, Greece, and martyr. He was a Roman mentioned by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans.
Hermas, a disciple of the apostle Paul, and one of the apostolic fathers. So at
least it is generally believed, and it is further supposed that he is the same
person as the Hermas who is mentioned in St. Paul's epistle to the Romans (xvi.
14). This opinion arose from the fact that at the beginning of the second century
of our era a Greek work entitled Hermae Pastor (poimen) was circulated from Rome,
and acquired a great reputation in the Christian church. We possess the work only
in a Latin translation, which seems to have been made at a very early period,
though there still exist some fragments of the Greek original, which have been
collected by Fabricius (Cod. Apocryph. N. T. iii. p. 738) and Grabe (Spicileg.
Patr. i.). The object of the author of this treatise is to instruct his readers
in the duties of the Christian life, the necessity of repentance, man's relation
to the church, fasts, prayer, constancy in martyrdom, and the like; but the manner
in which he inculcates his doctrines is of a singular kind, for he represents
them as divine revelations, which were made to him either in visions or by his
own guardian angel, whom he calls pastor angelicus, and from whom his work derives
its name. The whole.work is divided into three books: the first is entitled Visiones,
and contains four visions, which he pretends to have been ordered to commit to
writing. The subjects are mostly of an ethical nature, or the church. The second
contains 12 Mandata, which were given to Hermas by his guardian angel as answers
to questions which he had put to him. The third book, entitled Similitudines,
contains ten similes, which were likewise revealed to Hermas by his angel; and
the similes themselves are taken from a tree and a tower. By these three means,
visions, commands and similes, the author endeavours to show that a godly life
consists in observing the commands of God and doing penance; that he who leads
a godly life is safe against all temptations and persecutions, and will ultimately
be raised into heaven. The objects of the writer were thus evidently good and
noble, but some of his opinions have been very severely censured by theologians,
and the character of the author has been the subject of lively controversies down
to the present time. Most theologians are of opinion that, if not an impostor,
he was at least a person of a weak understanding, but of a lively and enthusiastic
imagination. Mosheim judges of him most severely, and treats him as a person guilty
of a most unpardonable pious fraud, and whose production is of scarcely any value.
The doctrines, however, are, on the whole, sound; and as to the form in which
they are clothed, it is impossible for us to say what induced him to adopt it.
The book itself is a sort of devotional treatise, and contains many a lesson,
encouragement and warning, which must have been useful to the early Christians,
and have comforted them under the sufferings to which they were exposed in those
times. The high estimation in which the work was held is attested by Irenaeus
(adv. Haeres. iv. 3), Clemens of Alexandria (Strom. i. 29), and Origen. (Explan.
Epist. ad Rom. 16.) According to Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. iii. 3), many indeed
doubted the genuineness of the Pastor, but others had it read in public, and regarded
it as a necessary introduction to Christianity. This latter was the case, according
to Hieronymus (de Script. Eccles. 10), more especially in those countries where
Greek was spoken; but Hieronymus himself is uncertain in his opinion, for sometimes
he calls it a useful book, and sometimes a follish one. (Comment. in Habac. i.
1.) Tertullian (de Pudicit. 10), who had judged it very severely, does not appear
to have made any deep impression upon his readers, for the fact of the Pastor
being declared an apocryphal work by several synods, does not imply any opinion
as to its value or worthlessness, but only shows that they did not regard it as
a canonical work.
One of the main reasons why the Pastor was generally held in such
high esteem was undoubtedly the belief that its author, Hermas, was the same as
the one mentioned by St. Paul, an opinion which has been maintained in modern
times by Dodwell, Wake, and others. But although there is no internal evidence
to prove that the author of the Pastor was a different person, yet the uncertainty
of the early church (see Tertull. l. c.; Euseb. Hist. Eccels. iii. 25 seems to
show that the author himself had given no clue to ascertain the identity, and
perhaps intentionally avoided giving any. Another opinion, which is based on ancient
authorities (Carm. c. Marcionem, iii. in fin.; Muratori, Antiq. Ital. mcd. aevi,
iii.), is that Hermas, the author of the Pastor, was a brother of Pius II., bishop
of Rome, who entered upon his office about the middle of the second century after
Christ. But in the first place, the authorities on which this opinion is founded
are of a very doubtful nature; and secondly, a writer of that time could not have
avoided mentioning some of the heresies which were then spreading, but of which
there is not a trace in the Pastor. Considering, moreover, that the work already
enjoyed considerable reputation in the time of Irenaeus and Clemens of Alexandria,
we must suppose that it was written either in the time of the apostles or soon
after, and that its author was either the person mentioned by St. Paul, or one
who assumed the name of that person for the purpose of acquiring a greater influence
upon the minds of his readers.
The first edition of the Pastor is that by J. Faber, Paris, 1513,
which was afterwards often reprinted. A better edition is that of Cotelier in
his Patres Apostol. Paris, 1672. It is also printed in other collections of the
fathers; but a very good separate edition, together with the Epistle of Barnabas,
appeared at Oxford, 1685, 12mo. (Cave, Hist. Lit. vol. i.; Fabric. Bibl. Graec.
vol. vii.; Mosheim, Comment. de Reb. Christ. ante Constant.; Neander, Kirchengeschichte,
vol. i.)
This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited Nov 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
GORTYS (Ancient city) HERAKLIO
According to tradition and the information of the New Testament (
2 Corinthians , Galatians, 2 Timothy , Titus, and other Epistles of St Paul),
the venerable bishop Titus was of Greek origin. His parents were nobles from Crete.
Soon Titus became the disciple and follower of the Apostle of Nations. He followed
Paul in his ecumenical and missionary journeys. As a matter of fact Apostle Paul
took Titus to Jerusalem to attend the proceedings of the Apostolic Synod. Titus
gained invaluable experience from this Synod. Soon afterwards, around 55-56 AD,
while Paul was preaching at Ephesus, Titus was sent to Corinth to assist the local
church with matters of utmost importance. Having fulfilled his task, he left for
Philippi where he met his master. Titus gave a full account to Paul of his journey
to Corinth. In the fall of the same year, Titus was dispatched to Corinth once
more to conclude his teaching. Apostle Paul was very proud of his pupil. In Corinthians
B' Paul refers to Titus as "partner" and "fellow helper" to his missionary work.
Titus proved one of the best disciples and partners to Paul. The Apostle
entrusted him with the organisation of the Cretan Church and appointed him bishop.
Titus was installed (took office) in Crete between 62-64 AD, i.e. following the
release of Paul from Rome, where he had been brought to stand trial as reactionist.
Although the Gospel had already been delivered to Crete by Cretan missionaries,
yet certain schism matters needed immediate attention. In addition, the organisation
of the Church was deficient. Christian communities suffered internal conflicts
on account of false teaching. Thus, the task of Titus was very delicate and difficult.
In spite of this Titus managed to resolve the conflict and restore peace among
the contending parties. As an instrument of divine justice, Titus distinguished
himself as a paragon of piety and an eradicator of impiety. The influence of St.
Titus was such that a great many heretics and idolaters revoked their heresies
or abandoned their idols to become followers of the Cretan Saint. According to
legend, St. Titus, the agent of Paul, died at Gortyna of Crete at the age of 94,
after many years of service to God. During the fourth century the Church declared
Titus saint and since then his memory is celebrated on August 25. In addition,
he was recognised as patron of Crete.
During the 6th century a wooden roofed basilica was built in his name
at the place were his holy relics had been deposited. However, when Crete was
conquered by the Saracens (Arabs) in 824 AD, the basilica was demolished and since
then it remains in ruins. The saint's skull was salvaged by devout Christians.
Following the recovery of Crete by the Byzantine general Nicephoros Phokas in
961 AD., a stately Metropolitan church was erected in the town of Heraklion (Chandax)
where all holy relics were kept. When the town of Heraklion fell to the Turks
in 1669, the saint's skull was transported to Venice and deposited in the Basilica
of St. Mark. The skull of the saint was returned to Crete following a series of
negotiations with the representatives of the western church which lasted from
1957 to 19G6. On the morning of May 15, 1966 hundreds of devout Christians gathered
at the port of Heraklion to honour the arrival of the holy relics. It was an extraordinary
experience for all Christians. The Church celebrated the event with a stately
joint liturgy at the Cathedral. The memorable Archbishop of Crete, Eugenios, eulogised
the saint's skull as "to dokimwvtero upevr crusivon kai timiwvteron livqwn polutelwvn
qhsaurwvn". Since then the relics have been a blessing for the Church of Crete.
In conclusion, Apostle Titus invites us all to become the disciples
of true teachers and with the grace of God turn fervent missionaries in our land.
In this day and age thrive heresies and false religions. Their teachings have
a charming effect on Cretans, particularly on the young. We only need assimilate
the teachings of Apostle Titus and follow his example in order to avert the danger
of falsehood.
The text is cited November 2003 from the follow URL of The Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of Australia
660 - 740
Theologian, homilist, hymnographer, b. at Damascus
about the middle of the seventh century; d. 4 July, 740 (or 720), on which day
his feast is celebrated in the Greek Church.
At the age of fifteen he repaired to Jerusalem,
entered a monastery, was enrolled amongst the clerics of Theodore, Bishop of Jerusalem,
rose to some distinction, and was finally sent by Theodore in 685 to felicitate
the Emperor, Constantine Pogonatus, on the holding of the Sixth General Council.
His embassy fulfilled, he remained at Constantinople,
received deaconship, again distinguished himself, and was finally appointed to
the metropolitan see of Gortyna, in Crete.
As a preacher, his twenty-two published and twenty-one unpublished
discourses, replete with doctrine, history, unction, Scriptural quotation, poetic
imagination, dignified and harmonious phraseology, and rhetorically divided in
clear and precise fashion, justify his assignment to the front rank of ecclesiastical
orators of the Byzantine epoch. He is principally interesting to us, however,
as for the reason that he is credited with the invention (or at least the introduction
into Greek liturgical services) of the canon, a new form of hymnody of which we
have no intimation before his time. His “Greek Canon”, whose immense
length of 250 strophes has passed into a proverb with the Greeks, has been criticized
for its length, its subtilties, its forced comparisons, it still receives the
tribute of recitation entire on the Thursday of the fifth week of Lent, and the
four parts into which it is divided are also severally assigned to the first four
days of the first week. His hymnographic labours were indeed immense, if we may
credit absolutely all the attributions made to him.
H.T. Henry, ed.
Transcribed by: Mark A. Banach
This extract is cited June 2003 from The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent online edition URL below.
St. Cyril led an ascetic life by the end of the third and beginning of the fourth century AD. As Archbishop of Crete, he administered the Church for 25 years. During the Diocletian and Maximian persecutions he suffered torture and was finally executed by sword. Our Church celebrates his memory on July 14 each year.
Bishop of Gortyna, Crete (c 180). Little is known about him except for his authorship of a now lost treatise against the Gnostics.
Feastday 11 April
KEFALLONIA (Island) IONIAN ISLANDS
1508 - 1579
KORINTHOS (Town) PELOPONNISOS
Bishop of Corinth about 170. The date is fixed by the fact that he
wrote to Pope Soter (c. 168 to 176).
Dionysius is only known to use through Eusebius. Eusebius knew a collection
of seven of the “Catholic Letters to the Churches” of Dionysius, together
with a letter to him from Pinytus, Bishop of Cnossus,
and a private letter of spiritual advice to a lady named Chrysophora, who had
written to him. Eusebius first mentions a letter to the Lacedaemonians, teaching
orthodoxy, and enjoining peace and union. A second was to the Athenians, stirring
up their faith exhorting them to live according to the Gospel, since they were
not far from apostasy. To the Nicomedians he wrote against Marcionism. Writing
to Gortyna and the other
dioceses of Crete, he praised
the bishop, Philip, for his aversion to heresy. To the Church of Amastris
in Pontus he wrote at the
instance of Bacchylides and Elpistus, mentioning the bishop's name as Palmas;
he spoke in this letter of marriage and continence, and recommended the charitable
treatment of those who had fallen away into sin or heresy. Writing to the Cnossians,
he recommended their bishop, Pinytus, not to lay the yoke of continence too heavily
on the brethren, but to consider the weakness of most.
But the most important letter is that to the Romans, the only one
from which extracts have been preserved.
John Chapman, ed.
Transcribed by: Christine J. Murray
This extract is cited June 2003 from The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent online edition URL below.
KORINTHOS (Ancient city) PELOPONNISOS
d. 3rd century, feastday: April 16
Codratus (Kodratos), an ancient physician, saint, and martyr, who was born at Corinth in the third century after Christ. His parents, who were Christians and persons of rank and wealth, died while he was quite young. When he was grown up, he applied himself to the study and practice of medicine, and also took every opportunity of endeavouring to convert his fellow-citizens to Christianity. He was put to death, together with several other Christians, about the year 258, at the command of Jason, the governor of Greece at that time; and there is an interesting account of his martyrdom in the Acta Sanctorum, Mart. vol. ii. p. 5. His memory is observed on the 10th of March both by the Roman and Greek Churches.
d. 1st century, feastday: October 4
d.c. 170, feastday: April 8
Dionysius. Bishop of Corinth in the latter half of the second century after Christ, distinguished himself among the prelates of his time by his piety, his eloquence, and the holiness of his life. He not only watched with the greatest care over his own diocese, but shewed a deep interest in the welfare of other communities and provinces, to which he addressed admonitory epistles. He died the death of a martyr, about A. D. 178. None of his numerous epistles is now extant, but a list of them is preserved in Eusebius (H. E. iv. 23) and Hieronymus (de Script. 27), and a few fragments of them are extant in Eusebius (ii. 25, iv. 23). In one of them Dionysius complains that during his lifetime some of his epistles had been interpolated by heretics for the purpose of supporting their own views. (Cave, Hist. Lit. i.)
This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited Oct 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
LESVOS (Island) NORTH AEGEAN
Sts Raphael, Nicholas and Irene suffered martyrdom by the Turks on
the island of Lesvos (also called Mytilene) on April 9 1463 AD, after the fall
of Constantinople. St Raphael was the Abbot of Karyes near the village of Thermi
on the island. St Nicholas was a Deacon at the monastery, and St Irene was the
12-year-old daughter of the major of Thermi. The three saints were at the monastery
with the village teacher and St Irene?s father when the Turks raided it.
These saints were unknown for about 500 years after their martyrdoms
during the Turkish occupation of Lesvos. In 1959 the three saints appeared to
the people on Lesvos in dreams and visions. They guided excavations of their own
graves, called people to repentance, and cured many kinds of diseases. The saints
revealed how they were cruelly tortured at the monastery, calling it a "second
Golgotha" (in the words of St Raphael). St Raphael?s torture ended when his head
was sawn off. St Nicholas died of heart failure when he was being tortured. St
Irene was tortured in front of her father and burnt alive in a clay cask, where
her charred bones were later found. The teacher?s head was cut off and placed
between his legs when he was buried. A great deal of blood was shed at the monastery;
the saints were martyred for the sake of their Christian faith and Fatherland.
Found amongst these excavation was St Raphael?s round metallic Enkopion with a
low relief of Christ Pantocrator on it. Orthodox Bishops wear Enkopions externally
on the breast.
Details of the lives of these saints, and miraculous cures and visions
can be found in a book by Constantine Cavarnos titled "Saints Raphael, Nicholas
and Irene of Lesvos", Modern Orthodox Saints, vol 10. Published in 1994 (second
printing) by the Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, 111 Gilbert
Road Belmont, Massachusetts 02178 USA.
Nun and hermitess. According to tradition, she lived on the island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea before being kidnapped by Arab raiders. They took her to the island of Paros where she escaped and lived thereafter for thirty years as a herrmitess. Discovered one day by a hunter named Simon, she begged him to return when he could with Holy Communion, a plea he fulfilled a year later after which she soon died. It is thought by scholars that the tale of the Holy Communion was based on the similar event in the life of St. Mary of Egypt.
MARATHOKEFALA (Settlement) KOLYMBARI
MEGA DENDRO (Village) ETOLOAKARNANIA
1714 - 24/8/1779
Commemorated August 24
Seventeen centuries after the eminent St. Paul travelled across Greece,
a solitary man of God traversed the sandy country from border to border, sea to
sea, and island to island in a magnificent religious tour de force which stoked
the fires of Christianity and the flickering hopes of a people straining under
the yoke of Turkish oppression and despairing of a return to their ancient culture
after nearly four centuries of brutality. This rare specimen of Hellenic Christianity
was named Kosmas, a man whose devotion to God and country brought about a resurgence
of the Christian spirit of Greece
and anticipated the revolution which was to cleanse this proud country of the
oppressors with which it had too long been infested.
St. Kosmas was not only a priest but a prophet, scholar, patriot,
and miracle-worker as well, and each of these to a degree that merited sainthood.
The beginnings of Kosmas were inauspicious enough; he hailed from a village called
Mega Dendron, Aitolia, where he was born in 1714, the son of a simple weaver whose
wife was extremely devout and who undoubtedly influenced her son in his selection
of a religious career. He was baptised Konstas and attended public schools, thereafter
to be tutored by a family friend, Archdeacon Ananias. After spending some time
as a teacher, Konstas decided to attend a school at the Monastery
of Vatopedi on the Holy Mountain
of Athos, after which he entered the Monastery
of Philotheou where he was tonsured a monk and given the name Kosmas. In rapid
succession he became a deacon and then priest.
Kosmas had made up his mind to do missionary work, and he could think
of no better place to do so than in his homeland, particularly in the remote corners
of the rugged peninsula where the lack of churches and flight from persecution
had dimmed the light of Christianity. He was determined to revitalise the Christian
spirit of every isolated village of Greece
and to bring back to the forlorn the age-old Hellenic pride which the Muslims
had ground into the dust. He prevailed upon Patriarch Seraphim II to give him
a carte blanche to travel wherever he may be needed for whatever period of time
necessary for his mission, and as a preacher at large was given a patriarchal
blessing to carry out his noble purpose without interference and with complete
independence of action. In some of the more remote villages, where no priest had
been seen for years, Kosmas found adults who had not been baptised, a situation
which he remedied and which gave him added impetus in his crusade. When word of
his valiant missionary zeal reached his old monastery, one of his fellow monks
saw fit to make public Kosmas’ prophetic powers. Some of his prophecies
the people of the time could not comprehend, for Kosmas is not only on record
as having predicted that people would be able to converse with each other even
though they were miles apart (the telephone), but he also foresaw in the eighteenth
century that man would devise a means of flying, and while in flight, unleashing
a powerfully destructive force. Over a period of twenty-five years of undiminished
zeal, Kosmas travelled not only throughout Greece
and its beautiful islands, but he even journeyed through neighbouring Albania.
His prodigious feats in the name of the Lord included the founding
of over, 200 schools, charitable institutions, and small churches in rural areas
where itinerant priests could conduct the sacred liturgies as often as possible.
Wherever he preached he had a habit of planting a cross, as a result of which
his crosses dotted the countryside and served as reminders to passersby that somebody
cared what happened to them and that God had not forsaken them.
St. Kosmas had trod on Muslim toes, and in the area of Ioannina
he was arrested on spurious charges of conspiracy, found guilty, and hanged on
24 August 1779. On 21 April 1961 he was canonised a Saint by the Church -- although
he had been revered as one since his death in ceremonies presided over by the
late Patriarch Athenagoras who had always admired the gallant Kosmas.
METSOVO (Small town) IOANNINA
The two hundred years of constant attack by the Saracens, the Vikings, and the
Magyars, bringing in turn the Crusades, the fourth of which in 1204 so weakened
the Byzantine Empire that finally in 1453 the Ottoman Turks ran roughshod over
a once invincible Christian Empire. Pope Urban II's earnest dram of a unified
Christendom died with the Byzantine Empire, but he had the consolation of drawing
from the last of the crusades the unity of those who had been converted in prior
years. For the next two centuries the only thing that stood between European Christianity
and the Ottoman hordes was the weakened Byzantine Empire but for whom the light
of Jesus Christ would have been considerably dimmed, if not extinguished.
The brief life story of a humble layman of invincible Christian spirit
typifies the character of a small nation whose remarkable religious endurance
is surpassed only by their glorious history. This young's man name is known to
us as Nicholas the Neomartyr, who was born in the late sixteenth century in Metsov,
Epiros, Greece, at a time when more than two centuries of Ottoman oppression had
scarred the identity of the Greeks and to some extent their unswerving faith.
When his Christian parents had died, Nicholas found himself removed
from his village to be apprenticed as a baker in the employ of a wily Turk who
managed to draw the impressionable youth away from Christianity and live as a
Muslim. As he grew to manhood, however, he not only abandoned his employer but
returned to his home town and to Christianity. In abject penitence he sought out
the village priest to whom he confessed his despair in having so shabbily denied
the Savior, offering no excuse for his defection but pleading for the Lord's forgiveness.
A few hours with the kindly priest, whom he visited daily, brought the young man
the conviction that he had been forgiven, and he went about his way with more
than enough Christian spirit in his heart to make up for the lost years in Trikkala.
Nicholas turned t woodcutting, a labor in the great outdoors which
he much preferred to the baker's oven and which he developed to far greater profit.
He was thus engaged when he happened to meet his former employer who began to
ply him with questions which Nicholas answered in all honesty. Realizing that
he could take advantage of this turn of events, the crafty Turk offered to keep
secret the return of Nicholas to Christianity, which was grievous offense to the
Muslims, in exchange for a free supply of wood to meet the needs of the baker's
ovens. It was a small price to pay for one's live, the woodcutter was advised.
Aside from resenting the blackmailing attempt by his former employer,
Nicholas deplored the idea of sharing with his enemy an extorted secret which
was little better than disavowing the Messiah all over again. Making no bargain,
the young Christian made straight for his parish priest who was so concerned for
the safety of the woodcutter that he was advised to run away into obscurity. When
Nicholas was further advised that his staying meant sure death, unless under torture
he returned to Islam, he stated that if he were put to trial, he would die before
he would reject Christ.
The inevitable happened when Nicholas was seized on charges of treason,
among other things, and when the atrocities had run their course with no change
in the mutilated prisoner's heart, he was put to death by fire on 16 May 1617
when but twenty-six years old. The mortal remains of this loyal servant of the
Lord were recovered by a roofer who walled up the relics in a house he was helping
to build so there would be no further vilification of his memory.
A man named Melandros bought the house after beholding a shaft of
light beaming on the spot wherein the remains of Nicholas lay. Melandros had a
brother who was monk at the fabulous Monastery of Barlaam at Meteora to whom he
brought the precious remains he dug out of the walled area. Since then many miracles
have been attributed to Nicholas of Metsovo, who to this day abides in the spiritual
bastion of Barlaam, whose only access is by basket pulled aloft to dizzying heights
by hands daily clasped in prayer.
The text cited October 2004 from the URL below
MONI AGIAS MARKELIS (Monastery) CHIOS
Young maid from Chios who followed the evanglical rules to the letter. When she refused her fathers desire she was martyred. On her island there is a chuch dedicated to her, and many miracles are said to have happened in her name.
Orthodox nameday: 22/7
MONI ESFIGMENOU (Monastery) AGION OROS
MONI KAPSA (Monastery) MAKRYS GIALOS
The visitor to the southeastern Crete will come across an impressive
monastic complex, the Holy Monastery of Timou Prodromou Kapsa, which nests in
the middle of grey-red rocks. The monastery was built either in the thirteenth
or the fourteenth century. It was the hermitage of ascetic and God-bearing Father
Ioseph Gerontogiannis. His real name was Ioannis (John) Vintsentzos.
Hosios Ioseph was born at the village of Lithines, Siteia, in particular
at the chapel or Kapsa in 1799, when his parents, Emmauel and Zambia Vintsentzos,
had gone there to pay their respects to St. John the Baptist. The Saint was baptised
a few years later in the same chapel and was given the name Ioannis. Ioannis was
an astute and clever man. Since no schools were allowed to function during the
Turkish occupation, he was educated by clerics. In addition, he had an extensive
knowledge of the Orthodox service and was soon to become an assistant chanter
and eloquent participant in debates concerning Church matters. At the same time
he occupied himself with the family property; he worked in his fathers fields
and tended the family's flock of sheep in the area of Kapsa, Siteia. As soon as
he reached adulthood, he married a pious young maiden from his village. The young
woman was so beautiful that she attracted the attention of the Turks. To protect
their daughter from the Turks, they would hide her in remote caves of southern
Crete, and ultimately find a man for her who would be able to protect her. This
man was Ioannis Vintsentzos. Their marriage was officiated at the Monastery of
St. John the Baptist, which was in ruins.
The surname Gerontogiannis or Gerontakis was attributed to the Saint
by the family of his wife Ioannis and his wife lived happily at the village of
Lithines and devoted themselves to the upbringing of their children. Ioannis enjoyed
the respect of his fellow men because of his hospitality, generosity and philanthropy.
On Easter Friday (4-5 April) 1841 Ioannis fell in deep sleep and all efforts to
wake him up failed. Forty-three hours later Ioannis woke up to find his family
and a number of friends at his bed side He then related to them his experience
during his short hibernation. He said that he had been taken up to heaven where
he saw and heard things wonderful which cannot be put into words. Later Ioannis
shared his experience with the bishop of Ierapetra and with the local commander.
Taking his vision as a sign from God, Ioannis decided to leave his
family and village and devote himself completely to God. As a place of practice,
he chose his birthplace, where he was also baptised and got married. He was ordained
monk and named Ioseph (Joseph). He practices abstinence and penance. At the same
time, he refurbished two cells of the local monastery to accommodate visitors,
while he lived in a cave located over the monastery, on a steep slope in the gorge
of Pervolakia. He lived there for 17 years. During that time novice, monks and
laymen consulted him while he also found time for the complete refurbishment of
the monastery. The fame of Hosios Ioseph attracted numerous people in the area
who wished to receive his blessing and advice. Owing to his fame and virtuous
life he received an invitation by the head of the Monastery of Agia Sophia (Holy
Wisdom) at Armenous, which was almost in ruins from Turkish attacks? Hosios Ioseph
took over the reconstruction of the monastic complex. He rebuilt it entirely from
the ruins. The reconstruction work lasted five years (1866-1870). In 1870, the
Saint returned to his hermitage where he died four years later, August 6, 1874,
at the age of 75. On May 7, 1982 there was a panegyric removal of the Saint's
relics following an all night devotions in a vigil celebrated by the Metropolite
of Ierapythis and Siteias Kyros Filotheos and by Bishop Methodios Petrakis, clerics
and a large congregation. The relics were placed in silver shrines and deposited
in the church along with the Saint's skull.
The faithful people of Siteia and all active Christians of the Lassithi
county take pride in the fact heir homeland is the place of such an eminent personality
of the Church. Hosios Ioseph, a paragon of married and celibate life, blesses
all those who resort to him and are pure in heart or come in penance. The Saint
is commemorated on August 6.
from The Orthodox Messenger, v. 9(7/8)
published bi-monthly by the SA Central Youth
PO Box 269, GLENELG SA 5045 AUSTRALIA
The text is cited November 2003 from The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
WebPage
MONI ODIGITRIAS (Monastery) MIRES
Sts Eutychlos and Eutychlanos Cassiane were brothers of Cretan origin. While young they chose the ascetic life and established themselves in a remote and dry place in southern Crete. Soon Eutychios was appointed Bishop of Gortyn. He was persecuted for being very active and an uncompromising Christian. Later he, his brother and sister were exiled from the hometown. During the exile, they lived in a cave for the rest of their lives. The cave today is referred to by their names. To honour their memory, St. Ioannis the "Xenos" built a Church there. Today their relics are kept at the monastery of Odegetria. We celebrate their memory on August 17 each year.
MONI TIMIOU PRODROMOU SERON (Monastery) SERRES
1258 - 1333
NIKOPOLIS (Archaeological site) EPIRUS
NISSYROS (Island) DODEKANISSOS
When eighteenth century Greeks were under the rule and religious sway of the Turks, Nikitas died trying to bring his family back to Christianity. His father, out of expediency, had the family embrace Islam when he was a young boy on the island of Nisyros. At 14 years of age, he ran away from the new family home on Rhodes to the island of Chios. He was taken in and educated in Christianity by the monks. In just three years, he became one of the more spiritual monks there. Driven by the need to reconvert his family, he returned to Rhodes. When he could not pay the head tax imposed on Christians, he was found out to be Mehmet, his Muslim name, and consequently tried for rejecting Islam. When he refused to deny Jesus Christ, he was beheaded.
OSSA (Village) THESSALONIKI
Born at Ossa
The darkest chapter in Greek history was the 400 years of oppression
under muslim Turkish rule. Even so this period had a brighter side in that it
provided a proving ground for Christianity out of which emerged heroes and heroines,
some of whom have been Sainted. One of these was a girl name Kyranna of Thessaloniki,
a city which was under complete domination of Turkey when Kyranna was born in
1731.
A practice of the conquerors was to seize a boy from his Christian
family and take him with others to a spiritual and military training area where
they would be brainwashed and raised as muslims. The youngsters grew up to be
known as Janissaries, as pitiless and cruel as their teachers, all sworn to die
for allah in what they considered a holy cause. An encounter with one of the Janissaries
was to prove the undoing of Kyranna and lead to her ultimate sacrifice for Jesus
Christ.
Reared in a devout Christian family of Thessaloniki, Kyranna attained
womanhood with a reputation for piety which was belied by her extreme beauty.
It did not seem to the casual onlooker that a woman of such breathtaking beauty
could be such a devout church-goer, more concerned for how she looked to God than
how she appeared to those about her. Her hand was sought by a good number of young
Greek males, but she was also the choice of a young Janissary who made his intentions
known after meeting her while carrying out his duties as a tax collector.
The youthful tax collector had the appealing good looks and bearing
of his Greek ancestry, but Kyranna rejected the suitor with the flat statement
that she would never love a muslim, let alone marry one! Thus denied, the spurned
lover vowed she would be his or no one else's and in a jealous rage brought false
charges against Kyranna, who was promptly hauled before the magistrate in a mockery
of what passed for justice in those days.
St Kyranna was accused of having accepted a proposal of marriage,
together with a promise to become a muslim convert, and then having withdrawn
her solemn vow. The denial of these false charges was of no avail, and the presiding
official condemned her to prison, there to reflect on her affront and perhaps
change her mind. A week of horror in a squalid jail could not force St Kyranna
to change her mind, and she was then subjected to tortures too inhuman to describe.
The young man visited her in jail to find her hanging on the torture rack and
observed a heavenly light shining on her bruised and battered body. She fell asleep
in the Lord on February 28th 1751 AD at the age of 20, and the site of her burial
place has since been the scene of many miracles.
Fr George Poulos, ed., Holy Cross Orthodox Press
St. Andrew, the Apostle, son of Jonah, or John, was born in Bethsaida
of Galilee. He was brother of Simon Peter. Both were fishermen, and at the beginning
of Our Lord's public life occupied the same house at Capharnaum. From the fourth
Gospel we learn that Andrew was a disciple of the Baptist, whose testimony first
led him and John the Evangelist to follow Jesus. Andrew at once recognized Jesus
as the Messias, and hastened to introduce Him to his brother, Peter. Thenceforth
the two brothers were disciples of Christ. On a subsequent occasion, prior to
the final call to the apostolate, they were called to a closer companionship,
and then they left all things to follow Jesus.
Finally Andrew was chosen to be one of the Twelve; and in the various
lists of Apostles given in the New Testament he is always numbered among the first
four. Like the majority of the Twelve, Andrew is not named in the Acts except
in the list of the Apostles, where the order of the first four is Peter, John,
James, Andrew; nor have the Epistles or the Apocalypse any mention of him. As
one of the Twelve, Andrew was admitted to the closest familiarity with Our Lord
during His public life; he was present at the Last Supper; beheld the risen Lord;
witnessed the Ascension; shared in the graces and gifts of the first Pentecost,
and helped, amid threats and persecution, to establish the Faith in Palestine.
When the Apostles went forth to preach to the Nations, Andrew seems
to have taken an important part, but unfortunately we have no certainty as to
the extent or place of his labours. It is generally agreed that he was crucified
by order of the Roman Governor, Aegeas or Aegeates, at Patrae
in Achaia, and that he was
bound, not nailed, to the cross, in order to prolong his sufferings. The cross
on which he suffered is commonly held to have been the decussate cross, now known
as St. Andrew's, though the evidence for this view seems to be no older than the
fourteenth century. His martyrdom took place during the reign of Nero, on 30 November,
A.D. 60); and both the Latin and Greek Churches keep 30 November as his feast.
St. Andrew's relics were translated from Patrae
to Constantinople, and deposited
in the church of the Apostles there, about A.D. 357. When Constantinople
was taken by the French, in the beginning of the thirteenth century, Cardinal
Peter of Capua brought the relics to Italy and placed them in the cathedral of
Amalfi, where most of them still remain. St. Andrew is honoured as their chief
patron by Russia and Scotland.
J. Macrory, ed.
Transcribed by: Christine J. Murray
This extract is cited June 2003 from The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent online edition URL below.
PITHIO (Small town) DIDYMOTICHO
SAMOTHRAKI (Island) MAKEDONIA EAST & THRACE
SKOPELOS (Small town) NORTH SPORADES
THESSALONIKI (Town) MAKEDONIA CENTRAL
280 - 305
Feastday: October 26
d.c. 304, feastday: October 8 (Catholic). Martyr. He was executed at Thessalonika under Emperor Diocletian, although the account of his martyrdom is considered dubious in its details.
d. 1st century, feastday: August 4
d. fourth century, feastday: November 9
Bishop of Gaza in Palestine, b. at Thessalonica about 347; d. at Gaza, 26 February, 420. After five years in the Egyptian desert of Scete he lived five years in a cave near the Jordan. In spite of his impaired health, he frequently visited the scene of the Resurrection. Here he met the Asiatic Mark, at a later date a deacon of his church and his biographer. To effect the sale of the property still owned by Porphyrius in his native city, Mark set out for Thessalonica and, upon his return, the proceeds were distributed among the monasteries of Egypt and among the necessitous in and around Jerusalem. In 392 Porphyrius was ordained to the priesthood, and the relic of the Holy Cross was intrusted to his care. In 395 he became Bishop of Gaza, a stronghold of paganism, with an insignificant Christian community. The attitude of the pagan population was hostile so that the bishop appealed to the emperor for protection and pleaded repeatedly for the destruction of pagan temples. He finally obtained an imperial rescript ordering the destruction of pagan sanctuaries at Gaza. A Christian church was erected on the site of the temple of Marnas. In 415 Porphyrius attended the Council of Diospolis. The "Vita S. Porphyrii" of Mark the Deacon, formerly known only in a Latin translation, was published in 1874 by M. Haupt in its original Greek text; a new edition was issued in 1895 by the Bonn Philological Society.
N.A. Weber, ed.
Transcribed by: Kenneth M. Caldwell
This text is cited July 2004 from The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent online edition URL below.
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