Holy New Martyr Christos from Preveza, A Once Forgotten Saint

 

By Spyros Symeon

Saint Christos is one of the holy new martyrs of our Church that bears the name of the Savior and Risen Christ. This name is only found among martyrs since unfortunately it is not given to monks and clergy because it is customary there to give "monastic" names, and unfortunately although many lay people receive it they do not honor it in memory of a Saint but on the feast of the One who on that day is celebrated by all of Christianity.

When I was young I had heard an elder in a small monastery who told us that those who have names that celebrate them on some Despotic Feast should be catechized and urged to move their name day feast to a day in memory of a Saint who bore their name.

The Rediscovery of Saint Athanasios the Demon-Destroyer

 

 

This Sunday, 11 October 2020, at the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Oraiokastro, a municipality in Thessaloniki, the first celebration of a ninth century Saint will take place after many centuries, together with a veneration of his relics, whose memory had entirely been forgotten - Saint Athanasios the Demon-Destroyer and Metropolitan of Trebizond.

The parish priest, Fr. Nicholas Monasterides, has written the following about how this Saint was rediscovered:

Miracles of the 179 Venerable Martyrs of Ntaou Penteli Monastery

Brief History

The Monastery of the Pantokratoros Ntaou Penteli was founded in the 9th century as a men's cenobium. During the first period of its life and activity, the Byzantine period, it was the second largest monastery of the Balkans after Daphne Monastery, with a brotherhood that exceeded over 600 monks.

From 1570 onward, the fathers of the monastery became great spiritual figures of their time. The last of them, 179 in number, were slaughtered by the Turks after a Paschal Divine Liturgy in 1680. The commemoration of the 179 Venerable Martyrs slaughtered by the godless Hagarenes in 1680 is made on the Tuesday of Renewal Week. For centuries the graves of the 179 Venerable Martyrs remained unknown until September of 1965, during renovations of the floor of the main church, when entire remains of monks were found buried.

Saint Eustratios the Wonderworker in the 21st Century: Revelations and Discoveries

In 2002, 88 year old Eustratios Lazaros saw Saint Eustratios the Wonderworker in his dreams twice, even though at the time he didn't know of his existence, during which time the Saint asked Eustratios to build a church in his name, in a specific place on property that belonged to the Church that bordered with his own property, in the village of Lada of Taygetos in Messinia (perhaps because this place looked similar to Olympus in Bithynia, where the Saint lived in asceticism).

His son Vasilios was a builder, and he undertook the complete task to construct the church in 2003, with the help of only two employees. By the grace of the Saint they overcame all obstacles very quickly, and on 9 January 2004 the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated. This was the only church dedicated to the Saint in Greece at the time.

Holy New Hieromartyr Arsenios, Bishop of Beroea

St. Arsenios of Beroea (Feast Day - May 28)

Verses

Arsenios was a great shepherd of Beroea,
Eagerly he died on behalf of his flock.

Saint Arsenios was the Bishop of Beroea in Macedonia around the 15th century. He was a pious and virtuous Bishop who protected his flock in a period of Islamization when under Turkish rule, through his writings and preaching.

For this reason he was taken by the Turks and tortured. At first they would immerse him in a deep pit of water, then a Turk cut off his right hand since with it he wrote to strengthen the faith of the Christians. He was then imprisoned under harsh conditions. Despite his suffering, Bishop Arsenios continued to glorify Christ and counseled the Christians to remain firm in their faith.

Saint Xenia of Kalamata Resource Page

St. Xenia the Great Martyr of Kalamata (Feast Day - May 3)

 

Saint Xenia of Kalamata, the Newly Revealed Martyr

 

Fr. George J. Nasis, the Greek-American Priest to Whom Saint Xenia of Kalamata Revealed Herself

  

Miracles of Saint Xenia of Kalamata

 

The Miraculous Grace of Saint Xenia of Kalamata

 

Three Greek Shrines Dedicated to Saint Xenia of Kalamata

 

A Suffering Woman Who Visited A Psychic: An Astonishing Correspondence

 

Services of Vespers and Matins for Saint Xenia (Greek)

 

Supplication Service to Saint Xenia (Greek)

 

The Rise of the Recent Veneration in Cyprus of Saint Marios the Bishop of Sebaste

Church of Saint Marios in Lythrodontas

Saint Marios is a relatively unknown Saint of the Church, who is referenced in the Small Euchologion published by Apostoliki Diakonia in 1956. It is believed he was the Bishop of Sebaste that attended the First Ecumenical Synod at Nicaea in 325.

Despite being relatively unknown and not included in the synaxaria, there are two recent churches on the island of Cyprus dedicated to him. The first is a church in Lythrodontas of Nicosia consecrated in 2015 and the second is a church along the river Rodanos in Mitsero of Nicosia consecrated in 2017.

Saint Demetrios of Misti-Konaklı near Nigde in Cappadocia

St. Demetrios of Cappadocia (Feast Day - October 26)

Saint Demetrios hailed from Misti–Konakli in Cappadocia (near Nigde), where he lived a holy life and became a habitation of the Holy Spirit. Between 1860 and 1870, the Saint appeared in a dream to an illiterate but pious woman, Eleutheria Elekidou from Misti, revealing that it was the will of God that his relics be exhumed, for his body was incorrupt. She led her husband and all the inhabitants of Misti to a catacomb between the villages of Misti and Limna (Golcuk), where they were gushing fragrant myrrh, and since then are a source of rich blessings and many healings to those who invoke him.

Saint Symeon the Newly-Revealed of Thessaloniki

St. Symeon the Newly-Revealed (Feast Day - July 24)

Our Venerable Father Symeon the Newly-Revealed is only known to us from a Divine Office in his honor which was published in Venice in 1777. The Synaxarion contained in this Office presents a paradoxical case, which is rare but not unknown among the pious. The source for the Synaxarion is a text that no longer exists, but it was written by a hieromonk named Daniel from Kerkyra, who was told about this Saint in a dream which was narrated to him by the Holy New Martyr Anastasios of Paramythia († 7/18/1750), who had previously converted Daniel before his martyrdom from Islam and whom Daniel afterwards honored and revered.

Holy Virgins Maura and Britta of Touraine

Sts. Maura and Britta (Feast Day - January 15);
photo depicts the Church of Saints Maura and Britta in Touraine

In the book Glory of the Confessors (18), Saint Gregory the Bishop of Tours informs us of the following discovery of the tombs of two virgins by a certain man who after a revelation built an oratory to them in their honor, which was blessed by the then Bishop Euphronius of Tours, who was Saint Gregory's maternal cousin and predecessor, succeeding him in 573. He writes:

"Within the territory of Tours there was a small hill that was covered with briers and brambles and wild vines. The hill was so densely entwined in vines that scarcely anyone could climb it. Rumor reported that two virgins who had been dedicated to God were buried in this place. During the vigils before festival days believers often saw a light burning there by the power of God. One brave man trusted in the impulse of his heart and did not fear to approach the place during a dark night. He saw a candle shining with the vast light of a marvelous brightness. After watching it for a long time, he left and told others what he had seen. Then the virgins revealed themselves to one of the local inhabitants in a dream. They explained that they had been buried there and that without a shelter they could not endure any longer the damage from storms. But if this man wished to be of use to them, then he should cut down the thorn-bushes and build a roof over their tombs. When the man awoke, his other concerns overwhelmed him and he forgot what he had seen. On another night the virgins had appeared to him again and horribly threatened him with a menacing scowl that he would migrate from this world during the current year if he did not cover the place. The man was terrified by this dream. He took his axe, chopped down the thicket, and exposed the tombs. He found large drops of candle wax that were fragrant with the scent of nectar, similar to frankincense. He hitched oxen to a wagon, collected stones, and built an oratory during the summer.

Saint Kyranna the New Martyr Resource Page

St. Kyranna the New Martyr (Feast Day - January 8 & February 28)

Verses

Lady Kyranna suffered and was tortured,
And was seen to depart to the Lord of lords.

 

Holy New Martyr Kyranna of Thessaloniki (+ 1751) 

 

Holy New Martyr Kyranna as a Model for our Lives

 

The Recent Discovery of the Relics of Saint Kyranna the New Martyr of Ossa  

 

The Church Where the Relics of St. Kyranna Were Discovered 

 

The Translation of the Relics of Saint Kyranna

 

The Oldest Surviving Depiction of the Holy Neomartyr Kyranna of Thessaloniki

 

Testimonies Regarding the Miraculous Discovery of the Sacred Relics of the Holy New Martyr Akylina

Holy New Martyr Akylina of Thessaloniki (+ 1764)

The Holy Ten Martyrs of Crete and the Discovery of their Relics in 1898

The Holy Ten Martyrs of Crete (Feast Day - December 23)

SYNAXARION

On the twenty-third of this month [December], we commemorate the Holy Ten Martyrs who were martyred in Crete.

Verses

The ten cattle of the Arch-shepherd Christ,
Enter beheaded into the fold of the Martyrs.
On the twenty-third ten men from Crete were beheaded.

Saint Demetrius the New of Basarabov (+ 13th cent.)

St. Demetrius of Basarabov (Feast Day - October 27)

Saint Demetrius was born at the beginning of the thirteenth century into a peasant family in the village of Basarabov, situated in the region south of the Danube, which, at that time, belonged to the Kingdom of Bulgaria. From his childhood, Demetrius struggled valiantly for virtue, through fasting and prayer. One day, as he was taking out the cows to pasture, he trod on a nest of birds, hidden in the grass, and crushed the little birds in it. His penitence for what he had done as so great that he decided to go barefoot for three winters and summers.

Holy New Martyrs Isidore and his Two Children, Newly-Revealed in 1953

Sts. Isidore, Irene and George the Newly-Revealed Martyrs
(Feast Day - October 18)

In the spring of 1953, a priest began to appear to the villagers of Vali in Crete while they slept. Among them was a grocer and chanter named Demetrios, who saw in his sleep a priest that told him to go dig at a specific place on the grounds of the old primary school, in order to "remove" him from there. The priest revealed to him that he was a priest and with his two children, Irene and George, was slaughtered by the Saracens, during the initial raids on the island by the Turks (prior to the 1650's). Demetrios asked him what his name was, and the priest said it was Papa-Tsiteris. After writing the name on a shoe carton, he fell asleep again.

Saint Vlasios of Akarnania Has Been Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate

Pantelis Albanis

August 29, 2016

Amen.gr

Joyous bells have been ringing today in Palairos of Aitoloakarnania at the news of the canonization of Saint Vlasios by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. From noontime the faithful began to flock to the Church of Saint Vlasios in Sklavaina, where the Saint was martyred and his tomb can be found, as well as to the Church of Saint Paraskevi in Palairos, where his sacred relics are kept.

Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri Resource Page

St. Ephraim of Nea Makri (Feast Days (January 3 and May 5)

 

Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri, the Wonderworker and Newly-Revealed

 

Venerable Martyr Ephraim of Nea Makri i the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 

  

The House of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri in Trikala Has Collapsed

  

A Vision of the Martyrdom of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri

  

The Dog at the Burial of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri

 

When Metropolitan Iakovos of Attica Asked for a Sign from Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri

  

The Relationship Between Photis Kontoglou and St. Ephraim of Nea Makri

 

The Veneration of Photios Kontoglou for Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri

 

Saint Ephraim of the Sacred Monastery of the Theotokos on Mount Amomon

  

St. Ephraim and the Greek-American Drug Addict

 

St. Ephraim of Nea Makri and the Atheist

 

An Astonishing Miracle of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri Towards an Army Officer who was Nearly Dead

 

Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri and the Suicidal Young Woman

 

Saint Ephraim of Nea Makria and the Dying Woman

  

3 Miracles of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri

 

A Man Builds a Church Honoring St. Ephraim of Nea Makri for Healing His Nephew  

 

"The Saint Heard Your Prayer" - A Miracle of Saints Raphael and Ephraim of Nea Makri

 

A Tour of the Monastery of Saint Ephraim in Nea Makri

 

Greek Fires Continue to Rage, Monasteries Are Threatened

  

An Icon of Saint Ephraim Preserved in the Fires of Nea Makri

 

Turmoil In Kalymnos Over "Sacred" Slipper

  

The Woman From Kalymnos With the "Sacred" Slipper Reveals Her Intentions

 

Official Glorification Sought For St. Ephraim of Nea Makri

 

Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri Officially Included Among the Saints of the Orthodox Church

 

St. Ephraim's First Official Celebration At Nea Makri (video)

 

The Wondrous Unknown Story Behind the Procedure for the Canonization of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri

 

Russian Orthodox Officially Glorify St. Ephraim of Nea Makri a Saint

 

The Veneration of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri in Romania

  

The Myrrhgushing Icon of St. Ephraim the New in Romania

 

The Confession of Aliki Vougiouklaki at the Monastery of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri

 

The Prophetic Gift of Eldress Makaria of Nea Makri

 

Saint Ephraim "Breathed Into My Shoulder Where There is an Artery"
 

The Relics of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri in Canada

 

The File for the Canonization of Eldress Makaria of Mount Amomon Has Been Submitted

 

An Icon of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri at the General Hospital of Kalymnos is Exuding Myrrh    

Holy Hieromartyr Jacob of Hamatoura

St. Jacob of Hamatoura (Feast Day - October 13 and July 3)

The rock-cut Hamatoura Monastery in Kousba, Lebanon is a Greek Orthodox Monastery, belonging to the Patriarchate of Antioch, and its one of the oldest in the country. The Monastery is dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, the Mother of God, but it is more widely know as Hamatoura Monastery, which is the name of the mountain the Monastery is built in.

Late in the 13th century, at the Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos on Hamatoura, Saint Jacob began his ascetic life. Later, when the Monastery was destroyed by the Mamelukes,* he reestablished monasticism along the perimeter of the ruined Monastery. In time, he rebuilt the Monastery, regenerating and giving renewed vigor to monastic life in the area. His spiritual briskness, vivacity, and popularity among believers drew the attention of the Mamelukes who set their minds to stop his enthusiasm and determination and force him to convert to Islam. He adamantly refused their relentless pressures.

Saint Haralambos the Newly-Revealed of Crete (+ 1788)

Venerable Harlambos of Kalyviani (Feast Day - August 23)

Saint Haralambos was born in the village of Dafnes in the province of Temenous in Heraklion, Crete on August 3, 1723 and had three brothers. Since early childhood he showed signs of purity and devotion to the Church and his friends and relatives noticed that, as a child, he would retreat to a cave, during rest hours, and pray to God.

His burning desire for asceticism and conscious devotion to the commandments made him worthy of visions of the Virgin Mary. His visions led him in 1763, at the age of forty, to the Monastery of Panagia Kalyviani dedicated to the Holy Virgin where he became her faithful servant. When he reached the Monastery, near the Turkish occupied village of Kalyvia, he met a number of monks who were not dressed in the traditional black cassock for fear of the Turkish Janissaries. They were Cryptochristians and passed off as poor men.

As soon as the Saint established himself in the Monastery he took an active role in promoting the free practice of faith, uncompromising to his principles in spite of the threats from Janissaries. At that time, the lush and fertile valley of Messara was in the hands of the Turks. The Orthodox Christians were deprived not only of spiritual but also of corporeal nourishment. The presence of Venerable Haralambos soothed the pain, he alleviated the grief of the Christians in the area, and his intervention was very effective. Gradually the Christians acquired more and more concessions by the Turks.

Among his many miracles in life, he performed one for the wife of the Muslim Aga of Kalyvia, with the result that all the members of her family were baptized Christians.

Haralambos served here for 25 years until he fell asleep in the Lord on August 23, 1788 at the age of 65. Six months before his repose, Haralambos had asked another monk named Anthony to be his successor as abbot.

In 1957 Saint Haralambos "made his appearance and revealed himself" to Metropolitan Timothy of Gortynos and Arcadia, who came to the throne in 1956 and would become later Archbishop of Crete. This took place when the courtyard of the Monastery was being fixed next to the old church, and a grave was found from which a fragrance poured out and relics were discovered. Saint Haralambos then began to appear to many people in the village of Dafnes revealing details of his life. Metropolitan Timothy built a church in honor of Saint Haralambos, upon the request of the Saint, and it was consecrated by Metropolitan Makarios of Gortynos and Arcadia on 9/29/2012. Metropolitan Timothy commissioned a Service to be composed for Saint Haralambos by Monk Gerasimos Mikragiannanites, and he himself wrote a dismissal hymn in his honor.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone

Let us praise the venerable Haralambos, and let all the faithful with gladness and longing embrace his honorable relics. For he lived brilliantly the perfection of virtue and received the grace to work wonders. And he ever intercedes for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion in the Third Tone

In the latter days Venerable One, you revealed yourself to mankind, and showed forth your grace, which was hidden to all, wherefore we sing to you, as a godly-minded friend of the Lord, and we celebrate your revered memory. Grant us your entreaties and your aid Father Haralambos.

Megalynarion

The faithful reverently celebrate, Venerable Haralambos, your holy memory. And with longing we ask for the grace of your relics, and the forgiveness of our offenses.

All Saints of Panagia Kalyviani Monastery

Holy New Martyr Christos from Preveza (+ 1668)

St. Christos from Preveza (Feast Day - August 5)

By His Eminence Metropolitan Meletios

of Nikopolis and Preveza

The martyrs are: "the glory of Christ, the foundation of the Church, the perfection of the Gospel, and the spilling of their blood produced the body of faithful" (Troparion to Martyrs).

This is why every country and city rejoices and boasts in the "wealth" of its martyrs, their own offspring. And they honor them: with icons, feasts, artoklasies, the dedication of temples in their honor, in accordance with the doctrines and teachings of our Church (see the Synodikon of Orthodoxy).

Regarding these things, Preveza was feeling impoverished until 1971. Then, in a random manner, the esteemed Great Hymnographer of the Church of Christ, Monk Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis, informed the Metropolitan at that time, the late Stylianos of Nikopolis, of much desired news: that a codex from the Monastery of Great Lavra in the Holy Mountain was discovered with a narration of a previously unknown neomartyr named Christos from Preveza. The wise Monk then inquired of the Hierarch if this Christos was duly honored in his homeland.

Without losing time, this martyr-loving Hierarch made the appropriate action, which resulted in a document dated 25 March 1972 from the late former abbot Kallistratos of Great Lavra, who sent an exact copy of the martyrdom of Saint Christos, as it was recorded and preserved in the codex known as "The Grammatika".

This documents records the following first-hand information:

Saint Leo of Methoni

St. Leo of Methoni (Feast Day - May 12)

Saint Leo of Methoni was born in Calabria of Italy and it is said that he "possessed only one garment and was barefoot, fasting and keeping vigils."

During a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, being overwhelmed by his ascetic lifestyle, he died at sea once Methoni could be seen, which from the fourth century was an obligatory stop for travelers to and from the Holy Land. Then the sailors buried his lifeless body on the beach of Methoni.