A doctor testifies to the following vision he had of Saint Iakovos Tsalikes:
On the second day of Easter in 1997, the feast of Saint George, I had an accident where I broke my leg. During the days of my hospitalization I read the book which concerned the life of Elder Iakovos [Saint Iakovos Tsalikes], so carefully that I felt that I had visited the Monastery.
At one point I prayed that when I recovered, I could visit the Monastery. Indeed, in the late summer, I visited Venerable David with my family and visited all the places I had read from the book - the church, the hermitage where Elder Iakovos prayed, and his grave, which I venerated.
We were getting ready to leave and I felt that I neglected something, that I forgot something. I remembered that I venerated the grave of Elder Iakovos, but I did not light a candle for him there. I returned to the church, got a candle and lit it on the grave.
After I finished lighting the candle, I turned to move away from the grave and see in front of me a prayer rope. At the time I went to light a candle, the prayer rope was not there. Because it did not belong to me, I took it, lifted it up and started turning it left and right, so that whoever lost it could see it and come to get it.
I had my back to the grave and I heard a voice:
"Do not look for anyone, it is for you."
I turned and saw in front of me Elder Iakovos, whom I had never seen in my life - I only knew him from photos - I saw him alive, at a distance of one meter.
It was three o'clock in the afternoon, I had drunk a lot of coffee, I was not drowsy, and he was smiling at me. I noticed the veins on his face, the moisture in his eyes, smiling at me and I felt that at that moment something unprecedented was happening to me.
After a while I stopped seeing him.
My wife came and told me, "Let's go and leave," because we were going to our next destination, which was Kalamata for the holidays. I told her, "Woman, you will not believe what happened to me," and I told her the incident, holding the prayer rope in my hand.
We left the Monastery without saying anything to anyone. Returning from vacation, I discussed it with a fellow doctor, who was very much of the Church, who contacted the Monastery himself and reported the incident.
Source: From the book Όσιος Ιάκωβος (Τσαλίκης), Ένας σύγχρονος άγιος, Ηγούμενος της Ιεράς Μονής Οσίου Δαυίδ του Γέροντος. Translation by John Sanidopoulos.
On the second day of Easter in 1997, the feast of Saint George, I had an accident where I broke my leg. During the days of my hospitalization I read the book which concerned the life of Elder Iakovos [Saint Iakovos Tsalikes], so carefully that I felt that I had visited the Monastery.
At one point I prayed that when I recovered, I could visit the Monastery. Indeed, in the late summer, I visited Venerable David with my family and visited all the places I had read from the book - the church, the hermitage where Elder Iakovos prayed, and his grave, which I venerated.
We were getting ready to leave and I felt that I neglected something, that I forgot something. I remembered that I venerated the grave of Elder Iakovos, but I did not light a candle for him there. I returned to the church, got a candle and lit it on the grave.
After I finished lighting the candle, I turned to move away from the grave and see in front of me a prayer rope. At the time I went to light a candle, the prayer rope was not there. Because it did not belong to me, I took it, lifted it up and started turning it left and right, so that whoever lost it could see it and come to get it.
I had my back to the grave and I heard a voice:
"Do not look for anyone, it is for you."
I turned and saw in front of me Elder Iakovos, whom I had never seen in my life - I only knew him from photos - I saw him alive, at a distance of one meter.
It was three o'clock in the afternoon, I had drunk a lot of coffee, I was not drowsy, and he was smiling at me. I noticed the veins on his face, the moisture in his eyes, smiling at me and I felt that at that moment something unprecedented was happening to me.
After a while I stopped seeing him.
My wife came and told me, "Let's go and leave," because we were going to our next destination, which was Kalamata for the holidays. I told her, "Woman, you will not believe what happened to me," and I told her the incident, holding the prayer rope in my hand.
We left the Monastery without saying anything to anyone. Returning from vacation, I discussed it with a fellow doctor, who was very much of the Church, who contacted the Monastery himself and reported the incident.
Source: From the book Όσιος Ιάκωβος (Τσαλίκης), Ένας σύγχρονος άγιος, Ηγούμενος της Ιεράς Μονής Οσίου Δαυίδ του Γέροντος. Translation by John Sanidopoulos.
