Holy Venerable Martyrs Theophanes the Elder and Paisios of Messolonghi (+ 1773) - Two Kollyvades Fathers from the Skete of Saint Anna on Mount Athos

Sts. Theophanes and Paisos the Kollyvades (Feast Day - June 8)

Saint Paisios was born in Messolonghi in the early 18th century. We do not have much information about his early years, but at some point he left the world and went to Mount Athos to become a monk, settling at the Skete of Saint Anna. There he lived in asceticism in the Hut of the Prophet Elias under the guidance of Saint Theophanes the Elder. Elder Theophanes was illiterate, but he had a calm and sweet character with a virtuous soul, whereas Paisios was educated and worked as a calligrapher in his hut, copying the works of the Holy Fathers, and having the entire Psalter memorized.

In the year 1754 the main church of the Skete of Saint Anna was demolished and a new one was going to be built that was much larger. The monks of the Skete went throughout the Ottoman Empire in search of donations to accomplish their task, to which they promised their donors in return to memorialize their names and their deceased loved ones at their vigils. The number of names reached over 12,000, and memorials at vigils at that time was traditionally done on Saturdays. However, on Saturdays some monks were occupied with building the church, while others were at Karyes selling their handiwork which was usually done on Saturday by all the monks of Mount Athos. For these reasons, it was the request of the monks to hold these memorial vigils on Sunday instead of Saturday, breaking ecclesiastical tradition. Many monks protested such a move, since Sunday as a day of Resurrection and joy is unfit for memorials, while Saturday is designated as a day of mourning and praying for the dead. Thus in 1755 the Kollyvades controversy began.

The Challenge of the Enlightenment and the "Kollyvades" Fathers

By Protopresbyter George D. Metallinos

In the 18th century, a new adventurous meeting of the Orthodox East and the West took place, which in its basic points is a repetition of the similar process of the 14th century. The successors of the Hesychasts of the declining Byzantium were the Kollyvades Fathers of Mount Athos, while in the place of the "Latin-Greek" Barlaam the Calabrian, that is, the bearer and exponent of the "European" consciousness, stood the most official representatives of the Greek Enlightenment, mainly clergy and monks as before. This was a new phase of our long-standing national division, of the long-running "spiritual dualism" which permanently devours our national flesh. This spiritual crisis is understood - correctly to a point - as a crisis of national identity. It is important, however, that again Mount Athos, a place more sensitive to issues of tradition, becomes the focus of the new conflict, since it has now been accepted (eg. Demetrios Apostolopoulos) that Mount Athos, in the figures of the Kollyvades, not only influenced, but also directed the struggle of the National Center in those truly crucial historical choices.

The Location of the Martyrdom of Saint Parthenios in Didymoteicho

 

Hieromonk Parthenios Partheniades was a member of the Kollyvades movement, and when he was forced to leave Mount Athos he went to the Monastery of the Annunciation in Icarus. In 1798 Parthenios arrived at the island of Patmos, accompanied by several other monks, and established what is today known as the Kathisma of Parthenios. 

 

Needing further resources to complete construction of the monastery, Parthenios went to Thrace to raise the funds. In Didymoteicho, Thrace he served as a priest. Until 1804 the public market had been open on Saturday, but the Turks transferred it to Sunday, moving the Greeks to protest. Parthenios, who was staying at the Monastery of Zoodochos Pege, reacted strongly against this unjust and hypocritical decision of the Turkish governor, by denouncing it publicly in the church, causing the Muslims to take notice. 

 

The Kollyvades Fathers: The Renaissance of Greek Orthodoxy

By Protopresbyter Fr. George D. Metallinos

I dedicate this summary to the Venerable Nikodemos the Hagiorite and Kollyva (+ 07/14/1809).

The appearance of the Kollyvades in the 18th century on the Holy Mountain, and more broadly throughout Greece, marks a dynamic return to the roots of Orthodox tradition and to Orthodox spirituality.

Their "movement", as it is called, was a renaissance, both traditional and progressive; it was patristic and thus genuinely Orthodox.

Saint Gregory the Gravanos of Nisyros (+ 1812)

St. Gregory Gravanos (Feast Day - April 22)

Our Venerable and God-bearing Father Gregory was born on the Aegean island of Nisyros, and was a member of the Kollyvades movement. Having lived in asceticism for many years on Mount Athos, he followed his elder Venerable Nephon (+ 1809) to the islands of Naxos, Samos and Patmos, until they finally settled in Leipsos in the Dodecanese. There they founded an hesychasterion in honor of the Annunciation to the Theotokos in the village of Romani. Due to the threat of pirate invasions, they went to Fournoi and then to Icarus.

Saint Makarios of Corinth Resource Page

St. Makarios Notaras (Feast Day - April 17)

 

Life and Veneration 

 

Synaxarion of Saint Makarios Notaras the Archbishop of Corinth

 

Saint Makarios of Corinth as a Model for our Lives

St. Makarios of Corinth: Author of the Philokalic Revival 

 

Saint Makarios Notaras and Patmos

 

Saint Makarios Notaras, the Wonderworker of Myloi in Samos 

 

Synaxis of All Saints of the Dodecanese 

 

Synaxis of All Saints of the Island of Kefallonia 

 

Synaxis of All Saints of the Metropolis of Hydra, Spetses and Aegina 

 

Synaxis of All Saints of Patmos 

 

 

The Kollyvades Movement 

 

Kollyvades Movement Resource Page 

 

An Image of the Importance of the Kollyvades Movement from an 18th Century French Travelogue Entry 

 

The New Martyrs and Saint Makarios

 

Holy New Martyr Niketas of Nisyros (+ 1732) 

 

Holy New Martyr Polydoros of Cyprus (+ 1794) 

 

Holy New Martyr Theodore of Byzantium (+ 1795) 

 

Holy New Martyr Mark of Chios (+ 1801) 

 

Holy New Martyr Demetrios of Peloponnesos (+ 1803) 

 

A Description of the Martyrdom Preparation of Saint Demetrios of Peloponnesos 

 

 

Miracles and Shrines 

 

Four Astonishing Miracles of Saint Makarios Notaras of Corinth

 

The Wondrous Meeting Between Two Saints Who Were Related: St. Makarios of Corinth and St. Gerasimos of Kefallonia

 

The Chapel of Saint Ioannikios on the Island of Hydra

 

The Kollyvades Movement as it Appears Throughout History and in the Present

By Archimandrite Ephraim, Abbot of Vatopaidi Monastery

Throughout the history of the Church, the Holy Spirit has been endorsing some spiritual figures who not only leave their mark in their times but also become illuminating beacons for the future generations. Therefore, by looking up to them, we “the ones who have reached the end times” are able to sail through the seas of tribulation, of passions and of the devil’s delusions without danger, without “wetting our feet” to reach the port of the “true life”, of dispassion, of Sabbatism and thus accomplish our deliverance. Such personalities were the Three Hierarchs, St Maximus the Confessor, St Symeon the New Theologian, St Gregory Palamas as well as the Fathers of the Kollyvades movement.

Saint Arsenios of Paros Resource Page

St. Arsenios the New of Paros (Feast Day - January 31 & August 18)

Verses

Saint Arsenios you lived such a life,
That now with the Saints you rejoice O Saint.
By his holy intercessions, O God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Saint Arsenios the New of Paros (+ 1877)

Saint George Appears to Saint Arsenios of Paros

The Spiritual Counsels of Elder Daniel to Saint Arsenios of Paros

Saint Arsenios of Paros and the Restoration of the Fallen Woman

Miracles 3 and 4 of Saint Arsenios of Paros

Miracles 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 of Saint Arsenios of Paros 

Miracles 13-17 of Saint Arsenios of Paros

Spiritual Counsels of Saint Arsenios of Paros

The Monastery of Christ of the Forest on the Island of Paros

Church of Saint Arsenios the New in Paros

Saint Arsenios of Paros and the Cave of the Demons

 

Miracle Reported of the Resurrection of a Baby Girl in Belgium

Saint Athanasios Parios the Kollyvas and Teacher of the Nation

By Lambros Skontzos

The Kollyvades Movement of the 18th century was an important historical milestone in our ecclesiastical history, since it played a strong role in the renewal of our Orthodoxy, which suffocated under the interventions of heretical Western Christianity. One of the main figures of this movement was Saint Athanasios Parios. He was a great Saint of our Church and Teacher of the Nation.

Born in 1722 in the village of Kostos on the island of Paros, his father's name was Apostolos Toulos and his mother's name was Kostiani, and they taught him piety and took care to have him educated. He was taught his first lessons in Kostos and then either attended the School at the Monastery of Saint Athanasios in Naousa of Paros or the School of the All Holy Sepulchre in Sifnos.

Saint Athanasios Parios Resource Page

St. Athanasios of Paros (Feast Day - June 24)

Saint Athanasios Parios (1722-1813)

Saint Athanasios Parios the Kollyvas and Teacher of the Nation

The Spiritual Counsels of Elder Daniel to Saint Arsenios of Paros

The Political Vision of Athanasios Parios and His Disputes With Koraes

Kollyvades Movement Resource Page

The Church of Saint Athanasios Parios in Kostos of Paros

The Great Sanctification and Small Sanctification of the Waters According to St. Athanasios of Paros

Man and his True Life (St. Athanasios Parios)

Saint Athanasios Parios on Philosophy

Human Beings Are Neither Born Free Nor Equal (St. Athanasios of Paros)

Book Review: "Christian Apology" by St. Athanasios Parios

 

Saint Gregory Palamas and the Heavenly Synod

The Miracle of St. Paraskevi in 1442 on the Island of Chios

The Great Miracle of St. Spyridon on August 11, 1716

The Miracle of the Holy Forerunner John in Chios in 1740

Four Astonishing Miracles of Saint Makarios Notaras of Corinth

Holy New Martyr Mark of Chios (+ 1801)

Holy New Martyr George of Ephesus (+ 1801)

Holy New Martyr Demetrios of Chios (+ 1802)

Neophytos Kavsokalyvites (1689-1784), Initiator of the Kollyvades Movement

By John Sanidopoulos

Neophytos Kavsokalyvites (1689-1784) was a Greek monk and ecclesiastical writer, who initiated the movement known as the Kollyvades Movement. He was born in Patras when it was under Venetian occupation and where the economic and social situation was very bad, with increased taxes, and with the brutalities and abuses of Turkish officers. In Patras there was a Jewish community who were active commercially. In time these Jews married Greeks, thus becoming Christianized. It was to such a family that Neophytos was born, which is why he is often referred to as "Neophytos of the Jews". Neophytos was educated in the schools of Constantinople, Patmos and Ioannina, having as teachers Gerasimos Byzantios in Patmos and the wise Eugenios Voulgaris in Ioannina, where he specialized in rhetoric, logic, grammar, science and theology. He became a monk at the Skete of the Holy Trinity, known as Kavsokalyva, on the Holy Mountain of Athos after his studies in Constantinople, arriving at Mount Athos in 1723. Whether he arrived there as a Deacon or became a Deacon there is not known, though it is probably the latter. He was at Patmos from 1739 to 1744, then after studying in Ioannina he returned to Mount Athos.

Kollyvades Movement Resource Page

Holy Kollyvades Fathers (Feast Day - Bright Saturday)

Verses

Rejoice thou Kollyvades of Athos,
Now the Bride of Christ, the Church, rejoices.

+++

The Kollyvades sowed the knowledge of God,
Reaping a bounteous sheaf of life.

+++

Let us rest on this Bright Day,
Crowning the Kollyvades as workers of light.

 

About 

 

Feast of the Synaxis of the Holy Kollyvades Fathers 

 

The "Kollyvades" Fathers of the Holy Mountain 

 

The Kollyvades Movement and its Significance 

 

The Kollyvades Movement and the Spiritual Regeneration of Orthodoxy

 

The Kollyvades Fathers: Reformers Through Tradition (Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Mani) 

 

The Challenge of the Enlightenment and the "Kollyvades" Fathers 

 

The Kollyvades Fathers: The Renaissance of Greek Orthodoxy 

 

The Kollyvades Movement as it Appears Throughout History and in the Present 

 

"The Philokalia": A Challenge To Western Culture 

 

Athonite Neo-Hesychast Fathers (1 of 3) 

 

Athonite Neo-Hesychast Fathers (2 of 3) 

 

Athonite Neo-Hesychast Fathers (3 of 3) 

 

An Image of the Importance of the Kollyvades Movement from an 18th Century French Travelogue Entry 

 

 

Figures 

 

Neophytos Kavsokalyvites (1689-1784), Initiator of the Kollyvades Movement 

 

America as a Theological Problem During the (Neo)Hellenic Enlightenment 

 

Holy Venerable Martyrs Theophanes the Elder and Paisios of Messolonghi (+ 1773) - Two Kollyvades Fathers from the Skete of Saint Anna on Mount Athos 

 

Saint Gregory the Gravanos of Nisyros (+ 1812) 

 

Saint Athanasios Parios Resource Page 

 

Saint Kosmas the Aitolos Resource Page 

 

Saint Makarios of Corinth Resource Page 

 

Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite Resource Page 

 

Saint Nikephoros of Chios (+ 1821) 

 

Saint Nephon the New Cenobiarch (1736-1809) 

 

Holy New Hieromartyr Parthenios Partheniades (+ 1805) 

 

Saint Cyril the New of Paros (+ 1833) 

 

Saint Paisius Velichkovsky: A Great Hesychast Father 

 

The Holy Kollyvades Agapios (+ 1844) and Porphyrios (+ 1852) the Ascetics of Santorini 

 

Saint Arsenios of Paros Resource Page 

 

Saint Parthenios of Chios (+ 1883) 

 

Saint Nektarios the Wonderworker Resource Page 

 

Saint Nicholas Planas Resource Page 

 

Saint Savvas of Kalymnos Resource Page 

 

Alexandros Papadiamantis and Neo-Barlaamism

The Kollyvades Movement and its Significance

The great teachers of the Church and of the Greek nation, Makarios Notaras, Nikodemos the Hagiorite and Athanasios of Paros, who lived and worked in the 18th and early 19th centuries, form a new trinity of shining lights of the Church, like the Three Hierarchs of the Church in the past, relatively speaking of course and bearing in mind the historical circumstances they lived through with their similarities and differences. To these three must be added Neophytos of Kavsokalyva, who started the movement, although he was not as important or active as the other three would later become, thus earning their place in the Communion of Saints. They were nicknamed "Kollyvades" by their opponents on the Holy Mountain because they objected to the transfer of the memorial services (involving kollyva) from Saturday to Sunday in defiance of tradition, rightly judging that services for the dead are incompatible with the resurrectional and festal nature of Sunday.

Saint Arsenios the New of Paros (+ 1877)

St. Arsenios the New of Paros (Feast Day - January 31)

Saint Arsenios was born on January 31, 1800 in Ioannina, Epirus of pious Orthodox parents. In holy Baptism he was given the name Athanasios. His parents died when he was quite young. He was only nine years old when he made his way to Kydonia, Asia Minor, where he was received by Hieromonk Gregory Saraphis and enrolled in his school. His humility and piety endeared him to Fr. Gregory and also to the other teachers. The boy remained at the school for five years, surpassing the other students in learning and in virtue.

Saint Nephon the New Cenobiarch (1736-1809)

St. Nephon the New Cenobiarch (Feast Day - December 28)

By Aresteides G. Theodoropoulos

December 28th 2009 completed with the grace of the All-Good God 200 years from the venerable dormition of a worthy spiritual personality of the Philokalic Renaissance movement, who shone forth as a new cenobiarch, becoming an example of austere asceticism and ceaseless prayer, meekness, discernment, philanthropy and humility.

The Venerable God-bearer Nephon, who was given the title Cenobiarch, contributed to the growth of monasticism with the founding of hesychasteria and monasteries on the islands of the Aegean, struggling together with other Kollyvades fathers for the preservation of the spirit of Orthodoxy, the spiritual regeneration of the people and the return to the ancient ecclesiastical tradition.

Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite Resource Page

St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite (Feast Day - July 14)

About

Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite (1749-1809)

Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite, the Perennial Teacher of our Orthodox Faith

Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite as a Model for our Lives

St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite: The Model of Genuine Greek Orthodox Spirituality

The "Kollyvades" Fathers of the Holy Mountain


Shrines and Relics

The House of St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite in Naxos

The Chapel of Saint Ioannikios on the Island of Hydra

The Cell of St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite in Kapsala

The Inkpot of St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

The Church of St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite in Karyes

George Lampakis and the Skull of St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite in 1901

Relic of St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite Stolen

Relic of St. Nikodemos Miraculously Returned

A Second Resurrection at the Monastery of St. Nikodemos in Goumenissa

3rd Anniversary of the Miraculous Return of the Relic of St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite


About His Writings

"The Philokalia": A Challenge To Western Culture

Approaching the Panagia on a Daily Basis According to Saint Paisios

The Theotokos as a Teacher of Asceticism and Noetic Prayer

The Three Ways the Theotokos Magnified the Lord

The Apostle Peter and the Noetic Mount Tabor

Adaptations of Roman Catholic Texts for Orthodox Readers by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite


Writings

Why Jesus Came Into the World

The High Priesthood of Zechariah is Vital to the Liturgical Calendar of the Church

St. Nikodemos Explains How We Came to Celebrate Christmas on December 25th

Following in the Footsteps of Christ Who Suffered For You

St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite on Inappropriate Ways To Celebrate Pascha

We Ought To Rejoice in the Resurrection Joy of the Theotokos

The House of Lazarus (Christocentric Experiences of a Hermit)

Meditation on the Parable of the Prodigal Son (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite)

Meditation On Pentecost by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite (1 of 3)

Meditation On Pentecost by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite (2 of 3)

Meditation On Pentecost by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite (3 of 3)

An Introduction to the Lives of the Saints (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite) - Part 1 of 4

The Six Apostolic Synods Mentioned in the Book of Acts

"I am a Wall, and My Breasts Like Towers": The Theotokos as Protectress of Constantinople

Encomium to the All-Great Archangels Michael and Gabriel (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite)

Service for the Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas of Myra (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite)

On our Enslavement to and Liberation from Physical Pleasure (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite)

Four Arguments to Free a Sinner From Despair (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite)

On Giving Thanks to God For All Things (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite)

The Bright Feast and Glorious Celebration of Saint Symeon the New Theologian (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite) 

Synaxarion of Saint Augustine of Hippo

The Most Beneficial Tale of the Holy Martyr Meirax

The Beneficial Tale of Metrios the Farmer

An Apologia For the Exile of St. Athanasius By Constantine the Great

The Blasphemous Doctrines of Origen

St. Nikodemos on the Prophecies of St. Andrew the Fool for Christ

St. Markella of Chios According to St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite On Vampirism

The Prerogatives of Sunday, the Lord's Day

Who Can Receive Holy Communion Every Sunday?

What are the Criteria for an Ecumenical Synod?

Should Icons Be Blessed or Anointed?

St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite on the Authenticity of the Authorship of Dionysius the Areopagite

Encomium to our Venerable and God-bearing Father Symeon the New Theologian (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite) - 1 of 9

 
New Martyrs

Holy New Martyr Anthony of Athens (+ 1774)

Saint Cyril the New of Paros (+ 1833)

St. Kyrillos the New of Paros (Feast Day - July 11)

By Monk Moses the Athonite

Venerable Cyril the New was born in Marpissa of Paros in 1748 and had the surname of Papadopoulos. As a young man he went to Mount Athos and became a student at the Athoniada School of Vatopaidi. His teacher was his fellow countryman Saint Athanasios Parios (June 24), "from whom he copied and applied fiery zeal and unstoppable indefatigable action for the glory of the Almighty."

Saint Paisius Velichkovsky: A Great Hesychast Father

Presented here is a lecture in eight parts on the great neptic and hesychast Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (1722-1794), by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos.

Saint Paisius Velichkovsky: A Great Hesychast Father (1 of 8)

Saint Paisius Velichkovsky: A Great Hesychast Father (2 of 8)

Saint Paisius Velichkovsky: A Great Hesychast Father (3 of 8)

Saint Paisius Velichkovsky: A Great Hesychast Father (4 of 8)

Saint Nektarios and the Neo-Philokalic Movement

By Protopresbyter Harilaos E. Papageorgiou

After the period of national decline and slavery, as a fruit of the living consciousness of the Christian faithful and in harmony with the phenomenon of the Neomartyrs, there was a period of regeneration. The beginnings of the Neo-Philokalic movement of the elders of the 20th century is found in the Kollyvades movement that developed in the late 18th century and extended until the beginning of the last century. With this refreshing movement, Orthodox spirituality averted the risk of becoming fit for a museum, and the value of experience emerged, with popular piety and the importance of worship for the monastic life.

The Holy Kollyvades Agapios (+ 1844) and Porphyrios (+ 1852) the Ascetics of Santorini

Sts. Agapios and Porphyrios of Thera

By Archimandrite Nektarios Pettas

The founders of the steep Hermitage at the edge of Mesa Mountain (or Mesa Vouno) in Santorini (or Thera), between the bays of Perissa and Kamari, are the venerable Kollyvades Agapios and Porphyrios.

In 1822 the ragged monk from Mount Athos, Agapios Metaxas, arrived in Santorini, having been born in Constantinople. He became an evangelist on the island with his pure and unpretentious preaching. Initially he lived as an ascetic in a cave of Monolithos. This hermitage was immediately converted into a spiritual spring where those who thirsted for an authentic word and prayer would go.