The Monastery of Panagia Agrilion in Sami of Kefallonia, Which Hosted Saint Kosmas Aitolos in 1777 and Lord Byron in 1823

The Monastery of Panagia Agrilion is just 3 km east of Sami, on a green hill with an altitude of 180 m and in a magnificent location with a wonderful view.

The Monastery was founded by two shepherds who encountered a miraculous icon of the Panagia, known today as Panagia Agriliotissa, at this location in 1722. Iakovos and Symeon then decided to lead a monastic life and were the first residents of the Monastery they established. The primary feast of the Monastery is celebrated on August 15th, in honor of the Dormition of the Theotokos.

The Miracle with the Lilies of the Panagia Gravalliotissa in Pastra, Kefallonia

Near the southeastern villages of Demoutsanata and Pastra on the island of Kefallonia, there is a strange phenomenon in the village church that takes place annually.

In the courtyard of the Church of the Dormition, there are various flower beds, where the women of the village plant parthenocrine bulbs (Virgin's Lily). This is done on March 25th, which is the Feast of the Annunciation.

When the Feast of the Ascension comes around in May or June, the lilies begin to bloom, so they are cut and placed in bouquets in front of the holy and miraculous icon of the Panagia Gravalliotissa. In a few days the lilies dry up, according to the laws of nature.

The Snakes of the Panagia Have Made Their Appearance in Kefallonia (2022)

Just as every year, from the feast of the Transfiguration of Christ till the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, or from August 6th to the 15th, snakes appear in a wondrous manner in two villages of Kefallonia with chapels dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, in Markopoulo and Arginia, that appear to worship among the pilgrims who flock to these chapels, and venerate of their own accord the icon of the Panagia. Many noted miracles are associated with these snakes.

Saint Prokopios and the Young Antonis from Kerkyra

Icon of St. Prokopios in the village of Agios Prokopios, Kerkyra

Antonis Koskinas from the village of Kouramades in Kerkyra was a child when his parents sent him in winter to the village of Varypotades, where there was a mill, to grind a bag of corn. It was quite a distance for his age. He went on foot but was too late because he was giving his turn to the others. He was last and the night overtook him.

His mother was worried about her child and taking a lantern went to look for him. She was afraid that while crossing a ravine with trees she would be attacked by jackals, who hid there and attacked passers-by at night.

The Cave Church of Saint Pelagia Near Feloti Bay in Kythera

Slightly hidden along the impressive rocky coastline near beautiful Feloti Bay of southwest Kythera, is the Cave Church of Saint Pelagia.

The path towards the cave starts to the left of the fisherman’s cottage, just before you descend to the bay. After only about 200 metres, the church, with its small bell tower, becomes visible. The door latches are easy to open and inside you walk down the steps into the church that was built in the 17th century or earlier. Bishop Nektarios Beneres mentions this cave church in his list of churches in 1697, and though there is nothing written of it before this time, some believe it is at least a few centuries older than this date. The iconostasis is simply designed, decorated with only a few nautical symbols. Inside the cave you hear water dripping into beautiful old ceramic pots. There is high humidity in the cave because it is close to the sea, so the icons are only brought in for Saint Pelagia’s feast day celebration on May 4th, when locals gather the evening before for a solemn Great Vespers.

Agionisi - A Holy Island Off the Coast of Igoumenitsa With the Ruins of the Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring

Surrounded by the sea is a dot of land immersed in trees and vegetation. This island is known as Agionisi (Holy Island), which is off the coast of Igoumenitsa, a coastal city in northwestern Greece.

There, in the old days, it is unknown when, there was a whole monastic complex, but now only the Church of the Life-Giving Spring (Zoodochos Pege) is there and some stone ruins, testifying to the presence of a habitation which left its traces and was not completely lost.

The Custom of the Distribution of a Piece of Watermelon in Kerkyra Every February 11th

Although watermelon today is known to Greeks as the king of the summer fruits, it is traditionally known as a winter fruit (heimoniko), due to the fact that it has a thick rind and can be preserved until Christmas, or even until Great Lent. On the island of Kerkyra, it is a custom to distribute a piece of watermelon on the feast of Saint Blaise, which is February 11th, at the Metropolitan Church of the island after the Divine Liturgy.

On February 11th in Kerkyra, the Empress Theodora is primarily celebrated, whose relic came to Kerkyra from Constantinople, shortly after the fall of Constantinople, together with the relic of Saint Spyridon. The litany of the relic of Saint Theodora, who ratified the decisions of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod in 787 and restored the Holy Icons in 843, is kept in the Metropolitan Church of Kerkyra which is dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos Spilaiotissa and Saint Theodora.

Synaxis of the Panagia the Dakryroousa (Tear-flowing) in Kefallonia

Our Church honors the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos the Dakryroousa (Tear-flowing) on January 31st. The icon of the Panagia the Dakryroousa, also known as Koroniotissa, is kept in the Panagia Koroniotissa Monastery of Lixouri on the island of Kefallonia. On this day the Panagia saved the monastery from the mighty earthquake of 1867.

In January 1867 a deadly earthquake leveled much of Paliki and caused severe damage in Kefallonia.

The official report registers 2642 destroyed houses throughout Kefallonia, 2946 houses with damage and 244 dead. The total damage was estimated at 15 million drachmas, and no neighboring island was damaged.

The Cave Chapel of Saint Stylianos in Kerkyra

Below the village of Afionas, in the northern part of the island of Kerkyra is one of the most remote and inaccessible beaches of Kerkyra, Porto Timoni. To reach Porto Timoni you take one of the two paths that start from the village and reach the destination with two beaches.

On the road to the end of the peninsula that leads to the beach is the Chapel of Saint Stylianos, carved into a cave, which houses the icon of Saint Stylianos.

A Village in Kerkyra Dedicated to the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew

One of the largest and most beautiful villages of Kerkyra is called Agios Mattheos, known locally as "Ai Mathias", where there is a parish church with an imposing bell tower dedicated to the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, which was the place of worship of the first inhabitants of the village.

The Veneration of the Panagia Myrtidiotissa on the Island of Kythera

Kythera, an island between the Peloponnese and Crete, is famous for its spiritual heritage. There are shrines in sheltered places, small chapels in caves and picturesque churches that reveal the religious tradition of the locals. The relationship of the locals with the Panagia, who has been protecting the island and its inhabitants as a guardian for centuries, also played an important role in this.

The miraculous icon of Panagia Myrtidiotissa is kept in the Monastery of Myrtidia in Kythera, and is the most important treasure of the island.

September 14, 1943: The German Bombardment of Kerkyra and Kefallonia (Events Which Inspired the Book and Film "Captain Corelli's Mandolin")

One of the worst moments in the history of Kerkyra (Corfu) was the day of the feast of the Holy Cross on September 14, 1943.

Through various sources we made a historical and emotional effort to present the tragic events of that night (13th-14th) but also of the next day.

In early September, Italians and the people of Kerkyra struck a German ship which was going to disembark soldiers in Benitses. There were dozens dead.

The order of the Headquarters of the Italian Forces stated that the Italian soldiers, after the capitulation of Italy with the Allied Forces, must keep Kerkyra and Kefalonia under Italian occupation.

The Snakes of the Panagia Have Made Their Appearance in Kefallonia (2021)

Photo from 8/7/21 in Agrinia

 

Just as every year, from the feast of the Transfiguration of Christ till the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, or from August 6th to the 15th, snakes appear in a wondrous manner in two villages of Kefallonia with chapels dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, in Markopoulo and Arginia, that appear to worship among the pilgrims who flock to these chapels, and venerate of their own accord the icon of the Panagia. Many noted miracles are associated with these snakes.

Protopresbyter Spyridon Statiris (+ May 2, 2021)

Protopresbyter Spyridon Statiris was born on 28 March 1934 in Messonghi on the Greek island of Kerkyra, to the poor and pious parents John (a fisherman by trade) and Demetroula. At the age of 14 young Spyro was orphaned of his father and became the protector and provider for his mother who was almost blind and unable to work as well as his elderly aunt Irene. Before he died, his father told him: "My child, leave the sea and follow the Church." As he did not own any property, not even their own house, Spyro, in order to make a living, sold fish to the nearby villages, which he carried on his head in a basket. This was probably the cause of the strong migraines which afflicted him until the age of 60.

Due to poverty, deprivation and hardship, at the age of 17 he fell ill with tuberculosis and was hospitalized twice at the Sotiria Hospital of Athens.

Orphanhood, sickness and poverty built in him humility and very strong trust in God the Father and love for our Christ, our Panagia and the Saints of our Church. Indeed, in his life God sent many Good Samaritans, who supported him in many ways, in every moment of his life.

The Makeshift Coffin of the Holy Hieromartyr Patriarch Gregory V

In the Church of the Entrance of the Theotokos in Domato of Leivathos in Kefallonia is kept the makeshift coffin which was built inside the ship of the Kefallonian Nicholas Sklavos. In this coffin was placed the relic of Patriarch Gregory V, whose body was retrieved from the waters of the Bosporus on April 14, 1821. 

 

The Patriarch had just been hanged by the Turks at the entrance to the Patriarchate in Constantinople on April 10, 1821. After his body had been left hanging for three days, three impious Jewish men gave the Turks money and took the body, dragging it throughout the city screaming "This is the King of the Christians", and cast it into the Bosporus. 

 

The Veneration of Saint Anastasios the Persian in Zakynthos

By Dionysis Flemotomos

In Zakynthos, the name Anastasios celebrates on January 22, the day of the commemoration of Saint Anastasios the Persian, and not at Easter, as usually happens in the rest of Greece. This is also one of our many peculiarities, for which, as we have written other times, a special, local holiday calendar needs to be published, so that foreigners can wish us without mistakes and the necessary corrections from us, the "Many Years".

The church of this not so well-known Martyr and Saint existed in the center of the city and at the beginning of the street which led to the old hospital. It was built at the end of the 17th century by the Cretan refugee and Archpriest Stephanos Paladas, who, along with many other compatriots, found refuge on our island, after the fall of Candia. Later this temple, according to information of our various historians, came under the ownership of John Katramis, Martinegou, A. Modinou and P. Tzanne and, unfortunately, was burned down by the earthquake catastrophe of August 1953. Today, there is a street with the name of the Saint of the church, to commemorate its existence, since the older residents post-earthquake also called the area "Agios Anastasis", but today no one remembers it.

The Veneration of Saint Dionysios in Zakynthos

 

By Dionysis Flemotomos

The memory of Saint Dionysios, as everyone knows, is celebrated on December 17. It is, as it is typically called, the feast of "our Saint", without any other elaboration.

Veneration and Honor

Much could be said about his veneration and the honor bestowed on him by his fellow-natives, and endless disagreements were created, especially by the fanatical theologians, since the Saint often substitutes even God in the conscience of Zakynthians. Thus the expression "I do not believe in gods and religions, but I believe in the Saint" is an additional example of local uniqueness and shows the bond of all the inhabitants of the island with the "native" Saint, who lived on their soil and understands them like nobody else. In fact, he is completely theirs and that is why they supplicate him as: "Agios mou Kormaki" (my Holy Body) which is a beautiful expression emphasizing his physical presence among them, or the more humane: "Agios mou Sigouros" (my Saint Sigouros), invoking his surname.

A Clear Photo of the Cross on the Forehead of the Snakes of the Panagia in Kefallonia

For years people have asked me for a clear photo of the reported cross on the forehead of the Snakes of the Panagia, which the faithful have observed for decades but for which until now a clear photo never really existed. On August 13, 2020 a clear photo emerged to show the famous cross on the forehead of the snakes. This photo was taken at the Chapel of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Markopoulo, one of the two villages, with Agrinia, of Kefallonia where the snakes make their annual appearance from August 6th to the 15th, and which has become famous throughout the world as a miracle, with many other miracles accompanying the event. This year only two snakes made their appearance in Markopoulo, though it is an improvement from last year where only one appeared for the season; this photo is one of the two snakes from this year, as can be seen by the date and time stamp on the photo.

The Snakes of the Panagia Have Made Their Appearance in Kefallonia (2020)

Just as every year, from the feast of the Transfiguration of Christ till the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, or from August 6th to the 15th, snakes appear in a wondrous manner in two villages of Kefallonia with chapels dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, in Markopoulo and Arginia, that appear to worship among the pilgrims who flock to these chapels, and venerate of their own accord the icon of the Panagia. Many noted miracles are associated with these snakes.

For more information: Panagia Fidousa (Snakes of the Panagia) Resource Page

Saint Barbara and the Miraculous Deliverance from a Smallpox Epidemic on the Island of Lefkada in 1922

Every year on the Third Sunday of May in the parish of Panagia of the Stranger (Παναγίας των Ξένων) and specifically in the Chapel of Saint Paraskevi, commemoration is made of the miraculous deliverance of the residents of the island of Lefkada from an epidemic of smallpox in 1922, through the intervention of the Holy and Glorious Great Martyr Barbara, which was established by a royal decree on July 8, 1940. It was during this epidemic that the Monastery of Saint George in Marantochori was turned into a place of quarantine for the sick. In fact, this resulted in the destruction of the precious frescoes of the temple, as they were whitewashed in an attempt to disinfect them. A procession takes place in honor of Saint Barbara on this day throughout the streets of Lefkada beginning from the Chapel of Saint Paraskevi.