The Relics of Saint Methodia of Kimolos

Saint Methodia of Kimolos, after living as a recluse for several years, reposed in the Lord at the age of 47 on October 5, 1908. The day after her repose, it was noticed that her limbs were still flexible. She was then initially buried in the Church of Saint Spyridon on the island of Kimolos.

On August 15th 1946 she was locally recognized as the "patron and guardian of the island and its great benefactor."

By 1962 her monastic cell had fallen into ruin. For this reason a small church was built over the ruins dedicated to the Panagia Eleousa and Venerable Methodia. Her relics were then transferred from the Church of Saint Spyridon to a crypt in the new church.

The Story Behind the Church of Saint Haralambos in Ilision

Church of Saint George in Kochylos

In the village of Kochylos on the island of Andros stands the Church of Saint George, where for many years they celebrate a miracle of Saint Haralambos.

Years ago, sometime in the 1960s, on the eve of the feast of Saint Haralambos, a poor old man appeared to a woman on a rainy evening and asked for hospitality. She put him in her kitchenette, sat him in a chair, served him food to eat and kept him overnight. In the morning the old man was gone. The incident was repeated one or two more times.

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

The Monastery of Christ of the Forest is also known as the Monastery of Transfiguration of Christ and the Monastery of Saint Arsenios of Paros. This is a convent constructed at a distance of 6 km from Parikia, close to the Valley of Butterflies. The katholikon of the monastery is dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Christ, while on the northern side of the courtyard, there is a church dedicated to Saint Arsenios (1800-1877), the patron saint of Paros. In fact, the grave and the skull of the Saint are guarded in this monastery because the Saint reposed here on January 31, 1877, since he was the spiritual father of the nuns of this community.

The Epitaphios of Saint Nicholas in Tinos

Every year on the evening of December 5th, from the Church of Saints Nicholas and Eleutherios in Tinos, a funerary procession takes place for Saint Nicholas on his feast with the kouvouklion and epitaphios, symbolic of the tomb and body of the Saint. From the church they go to Kalamia Beach, where they enter the frigid waters in order to bless them, since Saint Nicholas is the patron of those who travel by sea, and there they says prayers for those who travel by sea and say memorial prayers for those who have drowned. When this is done, they process back to the church while chanting Lamentations in honor of Saint Nicholas.

 

The Veneration of Saint Matrona of Chios in the Islands of the Aegean

Icon of St. Matrona with scenes from her life dating to 1933 and located in the church bearing her name in Ano Vathi, Samos.

Saint Matrona of Chios is not only highly venerated on the island of Chios, but she is very popular in many Aegean islands and their inhabitants have a special reverence for her.

Thus, in Samos and Ikaria, the wonderworking Saint is especially honored and praised, since both Aegean islands neighbor Chios and are adorned with a total of ten sacred churches in her honor. The honor and veneration of Saint Matrona of Chios in Samos and Ikaria has a special interest and important historical extensions. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the people of Samos, following the Genoese, who had occupied the island, were forced to flee to Chios due to pirate raids. Thus in 1475 Samos submitted to the Turks and was abandoned for about a hundred years. The re-colonization of Samos took place in 1572 after the privileges granted to the island by Sultan Suleiman, and only a Christian population settled there. At this time the so-called Chiosamians, ie the people who had their origins in Samos but were living in Chios, returned to Samos and brought with them icons of Saint Matrona. In this way, her veneration and honor was established on the island and sacred churches were erected in her name in Ano Vathi, where an old miraculous icon of the Saint is kept, in Neo Karlovasi, where the churches was erected in 1845 and is decorated with a magnificent wooden iconostasis, in Mytilenious, where the reverence of the inhabitants towards the Saint is memorable, in Palaiochori Kampos Vourlioton, where the church is mentioned in a sigil of Patriarch Cyril from the year 1745 and is decorated with remarkable frescoes in folk style, and in Koumeika. Saint Matrona is also honored in Samos with an aisle named after her in the holy churches of Prophet Elias in Marathokampos, Saint Demetrios in Ydrousas and Saint Anna in Chora, while in several churches of the island there are portable icons of her (Saint Nicholas of Ormou Karlovakou, Saint Spyridon in Vatheos, Dormition of the Theotokos in Chora, Dormition of the Theotokos in Mytilenious, Transfiguration of Savior in Pythagoras). But also in Ikaria after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Giustiniani of Genoa and more specifically the family of the Aragians maintained the sovereignty of the island until 1481, paying the Turks a tribute. However, seeing the power of the Turks increasing threateningly, they left Ikaria and took with them the inhabitants of the island, taking refuge in Chios. Returning later to their island, the Ikarians established the veneration of Saint Matrona and built churches in her name in the villages of Perdiki (1887), Oxe, Maratho, Dafni and Vrakades.

The Cliffside Cave Chapel of Saint John the Theologian in Naxos

Just outside Chora in Naxos, like an eagle's nest hanging from the steep cliffs, there is a small and picturesque chapel. The pale white touch on the gray of the granite rocks, located north of the Monastery of Saint John Chrysostom from the 17th century, is dedicated to Saint John the Theologian, which is also known as Theologaki by the locals, while it has also been associated with Nikos Kazantzakis.

The Beautiful Chapel of Saint Sozon in Naxos

One night several years ago, the ship of a merchant sank in the sea off southern Naxos. The goods he had on board were oil and wine. In the battle he fought with the waves, he made a vow to God that if he was saved he would build a chapel of oil and wine in the area. Indeed, the adventure had a happy ending and he managed to get to a rocky spot on the coast.

The 10th Century Church of Saint Mamas on the Island of Naxos

The 10th century Church of Saint Mamas is perhaps the oldest church on the island of Naxos. Located in a lush green valley of Potamia stands this Byzantine structure that is believed to have been built over an even older Christian church.

Before the Venetian occupation of the Cyclades, the Church of Saint Mamas served as the Orthodox Cathedral of Naxos. After 1207, when the Venetians conquered the islands, the church was turned into a Catholic chapel.

The Monastery of Panagia Tourliani in Mykonos

According to tradition, the Monastery of Panagia Tourliani was built by fugitive monks from Paros who sought asylum on the island of Mykonos in 1542 AD. The monks took refuge in the upper part of the island, in the small church dedicated to the Entrance of the Theotokos, where the nun Tourli served. The place of their settlement thus became known as Ano Mera.

Also according to tradition, the miraculous icon of the Panagia was found floating on the beach of the island, near the bay of Tourlos (hence the name Tourliani) on the west side of the island, a few kilometers north of Chora in Mykonos and is considered the work of the Evangelist Luke. What has been observed with the icon is that woodworms do not attach to it because it is painted on a plate of chewed wax and mastic from Chios, a mixture invulnerable to insects.

5 Beautiful Chapels on the Greek Islands Dedicated to Saint Kalliopi the Martyr

It is unknown where the Holy Martyr Kalliopi was from, who suffered during persecution of the reign of Emperor Decius (249-251). She was known for her physical and spiritual beauty, produced through her virtue and deep piety. For her faith in Christ she was arrested and led before the pagan eparch for judgment. He immediately observed Kalliopi's beauty, and desired to have her as his own, seeking with promises and flattery to convince her to be with him. But Kalliopi remained indifferent to these and was unshakable in her faith. This enraged the eparch, who saw that his hopes were crushed, and he ordered that she be immediately tortured to death. Thus, having been whipped mercilessly, and having had her breasts cut off, they burned her with lit torches, and poured vinegar and salt on her wounds. In the end, they beheaded her, and thus Saint Kalliopi received the unfading crown of glory, and entered into the joy of her Bridegroom Christ.

 

The Great Miracle at the Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring in Paros in July of 1944

Monastery of Longovarda of the Life-Giving Spring in Paros

On May 14, 1944, an English submarine anchored in the bay of Piso Livadi, Paros, and the soldiers were divided into three groups led by the residents of the island Antonios Delenta, Manolis Gryllakis and Nikolaos Stella. They went up to the village of Tsimpidos (Marpissa) and captured seven German soldiers that were sleeping, killed two radio operators who had just managed to send out a telegram about the raid, and injured the commander of the airport Lieutenant Tampe; communication cables were also found cut. In retaliation, the Germans arrested the young Nikolaos Stella from Leukes at the airport the next morning. Having reasonable suspicions against him, they killed him, hanging him on a tree in a high place to be seen by the surrounding villages for intimidation on May 21st.

Saint Stephen Rescues a Fisherman from an Octopus and a Chapel is Built to Commemorate the Miracle

 

On the Greek island of Syros, at the seaside village of Galissas, there is a cave with a white chapel overlooking the sea dedicated to the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen. In fact, you can say that the chapel is located above the sea, in a location that enhances the beauty of an already beautiful place. Many even say this is one of the most beautiful cave chapels in the world.

In order to be built, only two walls were needed, to the right and to the left, since the rock cave itself provides both the floor and the ceiling.

What a Greek Bishop Did When an Epidemic of Cholera Ravaged a Community in 1854

In the Greek scientific journal Mnemon (Μνήμων) 14 (1992, pp. 49-69) there is an informative article by Christos Loukos titled "Epidemic and Community. Cholera in Ermoupolis, Syros (1854)." The article examines the problems faced by the community of Ermoupolis on the Greek island of Syros when it faced an epidemic of cholera in 1854. In this article we also read about the stance taken by the local ecclesiastical community. Loukos writes:

The Second Finding of the Holy Icon of the Panagia Evangelistria in Tinos on December 18, 1842

The Church of the Panagia Evangelistria on the island of Tinos was built over the location where the wonderworking icon of the Panagia was discovered on January 30, 1823 after she revealed the location to the nun Saint Pelagia. This is considered the first finding of the icon.

A 17th Century Recluse Named Maximos on the Island of Delos

Mount Cynthus on Delos

By Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708)

(A Voyage Into The Levant, published in 1741)

At the foot of Mount Cynthus, we were shown a small lodge, where lived some years ago an ascetick,* as the Greeks call them: his name was Maximus, he was a caloyer of Monte-Santo,** and he returned thither to confine himself in dismal solitude, far from any new object to disturb his repose; for the Myconiots,*** who go daily to Delos to cut wood, to fish, or to hunt, gave him too frequent distractions. He dwelt some time at Stapodia, a base rock beyond Mycone,**** but he was fain to quit it, on account of the scarcity of water to drink. This humble zealous recluse was going to Salonica, to preach publicly against the Mahometan religion, and thereby merit martyrdom; but his ghostly father dissuaded him from it, representing to him, that the Turks would doubtless wreak their rage upon the other caloyers, that were less in love with being impaled than he was.

Notes:

* Ascetic.

** "Caloyer of Monte-Santo" is translated as "monk of the Holy Mountain," meaning Mount Athos.

*** Residents of Mykonos.

**** Mykonos.

Church of Saint Sampson the Innkeeper in Pyrgos of Santorini

This is an old church, but the internal and external embellishment of the church dates to 2003. It is one of two churches in Santorini dedicated to Saint Sampson, and one of seven dedicated to the Saint in all of Greece. The church is located near the Elementary School on the eastern side of the village, along a narrow path. It also celebrates on August 27th, when locals bake Phanouropita in honor of Saint Phanourios.

3 Greek Orthodox Shrines Dedicated to Saint Nikephoros the Leper

1. Church of Saint Nikephoros the Leper in the village of Emporio on the island of Santorini.

It was consecrated on June 21, 2014 and is the first church dedicated to Saint Nikephoros the Leper.

4 Greek Orthodox Shrines Dedicated to Saint Symeon the Stylite

1. Church of Saint Symeon the Stylite in the village of Monolithos on the island of Santorini (still under construction).

The Cave of Saint Timothy in Kea

The Cave of Saint Timothy is a hollow in shale rock, 7-8 meters deep, in which Saint Timothy (Aug. 16) lived during the summer months in asceticism and reposed in peace in 1590. According to the local tradition, there is the inexplicable phenomenon of water appearing inside the cave only in the summer months. Next to the cave is a church dedicated to the Saint, the foundations of which were established on July 13, 1993, and it was consecrated on July 13, 1999.

Saint Timothy the Bishop of Euripos and Founder of Penteli Monastery (+ 1590)

St. Timothy the Bishop of Euripos (Feast Day - August 16)

Our Holy Father Timothy was born in 1510 at Kalamos of Attica, and according to tradition his father was an educated priest who passed on this education to his son. At a young age he had a spiritual relationship with the Bishop of Orion in Evia, who saw his deep faith and rare spiritual gifts, and thus sponsored him to study in Athens. Having completed his studies, Timothy returned to his spiritual father in Orion, who tonsured him a monk, then ordained him a deacon and a presbyter. In 1553 the Bishop of Orion reposed and Timothy was elected to replace him. Then in 1555 he was elevated to become Metropolitan of Euripos, which was centered in Chalkida.