By Vasilios Demetrios Georgiopoulos
The older people in our village tell us that the icon of Saint Demetrios, located on the northern side of the icon wall in the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos (which was painted with particular skill by the great iconographer and teacher of Photios Kontoglou, Spyridon Mimis Pelekasis), during the days when the people were celebrating the feast of Saint Demetrios, in 1940 on the eve of the Great War, it was continuously "weeping". The people would wipe away the "tears", but it continued to "weep".
Tears would continue running from his eyes for the plight of the Greeks, for the war, for the black occupation, as well as for the fratricidal civil war that soon came. Saint Demetrios wept and the village gathered in the church, kneeling and crying because of it.
This miracle remains unknown to many of us who are younger, but it confirms for us that the saints do not abandon this world but they live with us with much love.
These tears for my village and for us Greeks are very important. They are the tears of the Myrrh-gusher that flowed for all the Romans whom he loved very much, but especially for the residents of Plateos whom he loves very much. For this reason we responded to his love, and after a dream by Kloufetos we built a second church that we may honor him always with great reverence and love.
Many years and blessings!
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos
