July 30, 2021

How Saint George Karslides Once Celebrated the Feast of the Prophet Elijah


During the years of the Bulgarian occupation (1941-1944), mother Argyro lived in the monastery near the Elder George Karslides and took care of him. One night, around 2:20 a.m., a loud noise was heard as if the wall of the church had fallen. She was afraid that the Bulgarians might come to kill the Elder, but she saw that the church was locked. She went out into the courtyard, but the Elder was nowhere to be found. She went to the corner of the fence and there she saw approaching something flying in the air wearing black.

When she approached and went down to the courtyard, she realized that it was the Elder. He was bathed in light and had a strong sweet fragrance on him. As soon as he saw her, he scolded her for being out in the night. "But I was afraid that perhaps something bad happened to you," she replied. "No, no, the Prophet Elijah came with the Honorable Forerunner and they took me to liturgize up at Prophet Elijah," he told her simply. However, he did not want to reveal to anyone until his death what he saw that night. This miraculous event was preserved, because mother Argyro told it to Kyriaki Konstantinidou's mother.