Pages

Pages

June 25, 2019

Saint Methodios of Nivritos


Verses

You put to shame all the methods of the enemy,
With the perfect methods of asceticism Father.
On the twenty-fifth Methodios departed to the city of God.

Venerable Methodios was born in Rethymno on the island of Crete during the Arab occupation (818-961). Not much else is known about his life, except from the time he lived as an ascetic on the mountains of Nivritos with his elder Euthymios. Here he aimed to acquire all the virtues and live a God-pleasing life. At one point he also met Saint Nicholas Kourtaliotis (Sep. 1), who lived as an ascetic on a neighboring mountain (it should be noted that some identify Saint Methodios and Saint Nicholas as being one and the same person, but this theory needs to be examined further).

When Saint Methodios attained old age, he departed to his much-longed for Lord. In the village of Nivritos he is commemorated on June 25th. His relics are kept in Epanosephe Monastery. It is not known who composed his Divine Office, but it must have been someone, perhaps another ascetic, who had little education, based on the grammar.