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September 17, 2021

Saint Anastasios the Weaver and the Healing of the Paralyzed Turk in 1918


The following is the testimony of Michael Christodoulos, of a miracle that took place in Cyprus:

"In 1918 I was seven years old. My father, who was the commissioner of the church [of Saint Anastasios the Wonderworker and Weaver, in the now occupied Peristeronopigi, in the province of Famagusta], always took me with him when Saint Anastasios celebrated [on September 17].

On September 16, after dinner, I was with other children outside the old church, among those who had come for the festival. Then they brought in a big cart a paralyzed Turk from Anglisides [a community of the province of Larnaca].

The Turks who accompanied him wanted to put him in the church [to stay overnight and be healed]. We children and some others protested and shouted not to put the Turk in the church.

Despite our protests, the Turks, together with Papa-Therapos and my father, took him out of his bed and locked him in all night. The next morning I was very curious to go again with my father to see what happened to the Turk.

When we went, we found the other commissioners and the lamp-lighter. We opened the church and I saw the Turk walking and going out towards his sheets, which had been left out the night before.

This Turk, after his healing, gave Saint Anastasios a huge olive tree, the largest in Cyprus, which at that time had 40 pillars for support. As a commissioner, I later went with Papa-Therapos and we rented it.

The olive grove was later bought by a man from Anglisides who came from England. This olive, as far as I know, existed in Anglisides until recently."