Saints Nektarios and Amphilochios and the Establishment of the Monastery of Saint Menas in Aegina

Saint Nektarios and the Monastery of Saint Menas in Aegina

When Saint Nektarios went to Aegina, while he was researching to find the place where he would build a monastery, he was received in a vision by Saint Dionysios of Zakynthos, who had formerly been Metropolitan of Aegina, and said to him:

"Come, Nektarios, I have been waiting for you for years, to hand over the island to you."

As Saint Nektarios was talking with Saint Dionysios, he saw a soldier further on and asked Saint Dionysios:

"Who is he?"

"This," he said, "is Saint Menas; he lives here and has a monastery in Aegina!"

The Chapel of Saint Ioannikios on the Island of Hydra

Every year, on November 4, our Church celebrates the memory of our Venerable Father Ioannikios the Great of Olympus.

He was born in Bithynia in the year 740 AD, excelled in the Byzantine army, was led into the error of iconoclasm, but repented and returned to the Orthodox faith, climbed Mount Olympus in Bithynia and lived as an ascetic there, as well as in other areas.

He learned and memorized thirty of the Psalms of David and together he sang a prayer of his own, which the Church still preserves, slightly modified: "God is my hope, Christ is my refuge, the Holy Spirit is my shelter."

Monastery of Saint Eupraxia in Hydra

The picturesque island of Hydra, located in the Saronic Gulf, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece.

One of the main and, perhaps, the most interesting sights of the island of Hydra is the Convent of Saint Eupraxia. It is located in an amazingly beautiful place among pines and cypresses on the slope of the islands highest peak, Mount Eros (588 m), at an altitude of about 500 meters above sea level. Nearby is the slightly older Monastery of the Prophet Elias.

The Monastery of Saint Eupraxia was built in 1819, while the katholikon, or central church, was built in 1829. The builder was Fr. Hierotheos Dokos, who named the monastery after the patron saint of his daughter, who bore the name Eupraxia, and from a young age dedicated her life to Christ as a nun.

Church of Saint Anastasios the Persian on the Panagiotopoulos Estate of Salamis

The Panagiotopoulos estate occupies an area of over 40 acres at the western end of the Bay of Paloukia in Salaminos on the Greek island of Salamis. It was acquired by Panagiotis (Takis) Panagiotopoulos, a wealthy man of Piraeus, who served as Mayor of Piraeus (1925-31). He had two children, the great choreographer Maria Hors (1921-2015) wife of the architect Michael Hors, and the chemist and hero of the National Resistance Anastasios (Tasos) Panagiotopoulos (1923-2015).

Synaxis of Panagia Eleftherotria in Salamina

The Church of Panagia Eleftherotria (the Liberator) is located on the hill Patrice on the Saronic island of Salamina. The church was a solemn promise of the island's people for their liberation from the Germans in World War 2. At this hill many were killed because the hill was a minefield.

3 Greek Orthodox Shrines Dedicated to Saints Adrian and Natalia

1. Church of Saints Adrian and Natalia in the village of Drepano in Argos of Nafplio.

Holy New Martyrs Stamatios, John and Nicholas of Spetses (+ 1822)

Sts. Stamatios, John and Nicholas of Spetses (Feast Day - February 3)

Stamatios and John were brothers according to the flesh and merchants, and Nicholas was a business associate, all from the island of Spetses. It was a chaotic time because the Greek revolution had been declared in 1821.

These three along with a group of another four people traveled the Aegean with their load of olive oil. Because of bad weather their boat was stranded on Asia Minor across from Chios, in the area of Tsesme. They went out where they met a Christian to whom they revealed their situation and they gave him money to buy them food and whatever they needed for the return of their small boat. He, however, as another Judas, betrayed them to the aga of the area, and after a short time the aga's men appeared. They killed two from their group as they tried to flee, another two fell into the sea, and the Stamatios, John and Nicholas were seized and led to the pasha of Chios. He, after questioning them, ordered the two brothers, Stamatios (18) and John (22), to be locked in the darkest prison of the castle, while Nicholas would be taken out of the castle and be beheaded.

Saints Theodora the Wonderworker of Thessaloniki and Her Daughter Theopisti

Sts. Theodora and Theopisti (Feast Day - August 3rd)

Verses

Theodora left this perishable life,

Finding an imperishable home in the celestial sphere.

Saint Theodora was born in the village of Paliachora on the island of Aegina in 812. She was the third child of the priest Anthony and his wife Chrysanthi, and at baptism was given the name Agapi. At a young age she was orphaned of a mother and her father gave his children to be raised by relatives. Her brother became a deacon and her sister a nun in a local convent. Agapi's father betrothed her at the age of seven to a virtuous and pious young man named Theodorinos.

The Holy Monastery of Zoodochos Pege in Poros

History of the Monastery

The old historical Holy Monastery of Zoodochos Pege of Poros is located 4km east of the main city of Poros island and is built on the slope of a pine forest.

It was founded in 1720 by the Archbishop of Athens Iakovos II who, after suffering from lithiasis, was miraculously cured after drinking from the holy water springing near the Holy Monastery.

In 1733 the Patriarch of Constantinople Paisios II recognized it as a Monastery under the Patriarch's jurisdiction. This act gave it a lot of privileges.

Later on, in 1798, Patriarch Gregory V, with a sigillion (officially sealed document), which is safely kept in the guest quarters (archondariki) of the Holy Monastery, ratified Patriarch Paisios II's document related to the privileges of the Monastery.

In 1814, a group of monks from Mount Athos, called "Kollyvades", took refuge in this Monastery. A few years later, these monks founded the Zoodochos Pege Monastery at Longovarda on the island of Paros.

Saint Dionysios as Archbishop of Aegina (1577-1578)

By John Sanidopoulos

In the summer of 1577 Abbot Daniel left Zakynthos in order to travel to the Holy Land and worship at the Tomb of Christ. On the way he arrived in Athens from Zakynthos and met with the virtuous and wise Archbishop Nikanor. The Archbishop was drawn to Daniel's piety, simplicity, innate humility, and excellent theological grounding - he was adorned with a whole array of priestly gifts and virtues. For this reason the Archbishop wanted to ordain him as Archbishop of Aegina, Hydra, Poros and Angistria. During this time this area was under the auspices of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and depended on the Metropolis of Athens, not functioning on its own. Daniel at first refused this proposal declaring that he did not have the required strength to undertake such a high and demanding office. Eventually however Nikanor succeeded in persuading him.

Soon after receiving confirmation from Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremiah II, Archbishop Nikanor ordained Daniel in the Church of Panagia Gorgoepikoou (later named St. Eleutherios, next to the Cathedral of Athens). At the ordination the Archbishop gave Daniel the name Dionysios, in honor of St. Dionysios the Areopagite, Patron Saint of Athens.

Following the invasions of Barbarossa and the ensuing slaughter of its inhabitants in 1537, Aegina was almost entirely deserted. The few Aeginites who survived the slaughter or the captivity of slavery had taken refuge to the mountains in Paleochora. Over the next forty years a few intrepid settlers came and settled on the island from neighboring areas. By the time St. Dionysios arrived, Aegina was going through a small renaissance. From 1537 until 1577 the Archbishop's throne in Aegina had been empty, and Dionysios was found to be a worthy Hierarch of the reborn Aegina.

Saint Dionysios served Aegina from the end of 1577 until the end of 1578. He came to love the island and its people. He attended to every need of the inhabitants, and supported them in their recovery and struggles. At the Metropolis in Paleochora of Aegina, the stone throne can still be seen, just outside the entrance of the church, where after the Divine Liturgy Dionysios would distribute the antidron to his devout congregation. Just beside the residence of the Archbishop, St. Dionysios settled in a Cell which also can still be seen.

After a year in Aegina serving his sacred goal and guiding his spiritual flock, St. Dionysios longed for the monastic life and solitude he loved in the Strofades and Anafonitria. Panos Kalligas gives us a clear explanation:

"The Archbishop, in Aegina, was virtually without a real congregation. It really existed only in name. And so he felt he was inadequately carrying out his ecclesiastical obligations. For an Archbishop as conscientious and direct in character as he was, he must truly have suffered during his time on the throne there, from 1577 until 1578. To the great sadness of the Aeginites he relinquished it, returning to Zakynthos and settled once more in the Monastery of Anafonitria."

Returning to Zakynthos, St. Dionysios never had the chance to worship in the Holy Land, realizing his new responsibilites and duties as a Hierarch of the Church. Today he is considered the Patron of the island of Aegina and the hospital of the island is named in his honor. His feast is celebrated everywhere on December 17th.

The Miracle of Saint Andrew at Spetses in 1898

In the Church of Saint Andrew the First-Called in Spetses there is a silver ship hanging from the ceiling, which testifies to a naval miracle of St. Andrew that happened on November 30th of 1898. The following story is related to us by Peter D. Argyri.

It was the dawn of St. Andrew's on November 30, 1898. Most homes on the island of Spetses were lit by oil lamps. Housewives were getting ready for church to celebrate the feast.

Outside there was a bitter cold, as a storm had swept through the night before. Despite the bitter cold, at eight in the morning the church was crowded with the faithful.

As the priest was in procession with the Holy Gifts during the Great Entrance, all eyes turned towards the door. A bunch of bearded, shabby, soggy, disheveled men came in led by their captain. They approached the icon of St. Andrew and knelt together, first the captain followed by his crew. At one point even the priest stopped chanting to watch.

Their faces seemed wild, cold and pale. The salt of the sea or possibly some great agony carved deep wrinkles in their foreheads. Their hair was glued to their heads mixed with the blood from their wounds. Their clothes were ragged, and from the holes in their pants and shirt one could distinguish wounds that had been covered with dried blood.

The captain, after crossing himself and resting his head on the floor, pinned his eyes upon the icon of the Saint. His eyes were filled with tears and he trembled all over. With a quick movement of his hand to his bosom he pulled out a pouch so full that it was about to break from all the coins, and he placed it before the icon of St. Andrew. The sailors did the same, kneeling and kissing the icon with reverence.

When the priest said: "With the fear of God, faith and love, draw near", the captain with all his sailors approached and with a loud voice said to the priest:

"Commune us all, my Father, though we have never fasted."

Papa George looked into the eyes of the captain and said:

"The sick and the traveler have no sin, my child." So he offered them Holy Communion, saying: "The servant of God..."

"Captain John", he said.

"...John", said the priest, "in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit", and he communed him. He did the same to all the sailors, who also kissed with reverence the Holy Chalice and the hand of the priest.

When the time came for the priest to distribute the antidron and the captain approached, the priest told him:

"Captain, you would give me great joy if you came with your crew to my home so I can offer you some coffee. I celebrate today."

"Thank you, my Father. I will come with joy, since we havn't seen our home for fifteen months now."

Soon everyone filled the house of the priest and the priest's wife took care of them all. Upon discussion the captain began to chronicle how his ship landed on the island.

"We set off from Malta with my friends here 35 days ago. On our way we came upon inclement weather. My ship is forty yards with two masts and they received several shots by the wild waves, but that which happened for three days and three nights I have never encountered in my life. The waves even covered the masts. At one point a huge wave cut the mast like a cucumber and it was swallowed by the sea. The waves were hitting us like balls, from the left and the right, as we tried to hold the ship. Some were wounded, others traumatized, and would moan and beg the Panagia and Saint Nicholas to help us.

Last night as night came, lightning and thunder and furious wind whistled against the ropes as if they were sirens, and we couldn't even see our noses. 'Courage, my lads, courage that we may endure' I yelled. 'It is a shower and it will pass.' We did not know whether we were in the sea or on the ship. The ship was taking in water. To the right a hole had opened. 'Help, Saint Nicholas!' I hopelessly yelled.

In a moment, a huge wave grabbed me and threw me to the corner. It broke my ribs and I was barely able to discern through the bright lightning a certain monk, just like you Papa George with the black cassock, holding the wheel. I do not remember anything else, my Father. But that monk was the same as St. Andrew whom we celebrate today."

Then a middle-aged sailor said:

"After, my Father, we heard in the mayhem the voice of the captain tell us: 'Crash, crash children....' No one responded. We only said to ourselves that the captain had gone crazy. And we shouted to him: 'Have you gone crazy, Captain? Where can we crash in the sea?' He said again: 'Crash in the front!' We obeyed and crashed. Silence spread around us as if everything became calm, and we thought a miracle happened. 'Captain, Captain!' we cried as we searched for him among the wreckage. We finally found him wedged between some planks. He couldn't remember anything."

The priest did the sign of the cross, and said to them:

"Saint Andrew saved you, my children. And you who were night and day at sea amidst many dangers must have Christ within you."

The captain sighed deeply, and as he sipped his coffee and lit his pipe, he said:

"They took me, my Father, and lay me on a blanket. We had no light, pitch darkness, and we waited for God to bring the dawn of day, since we imagined to be at some port. When we began to distinguish the white houses on your island, a good child came by at the beach, and having asked him what place this was, he said it was Spetses and the feast of St. Andrew. It was him that grabbed the wheel and gave orders to my sailors.

We had left Malta and went to Crete and after to Chios. But who would have imagined that weather, the Saint, would bring us to your island. With the coins we left at the icon of the Saint, help the orphans, the widows and the poor. It was fifteen months of fares. Money I can gain again, but my life and that of my sailors never. I will return to your island and hang, by his grace, a silver ship, similar to mine."

The priest blessed them, and all got up to leave, wishing them good travels, and they left towards the ship, to continue along what was set for their fate.

Source: περιοδικό ''Νεανικοί Προβληματισμοί''Ιουλιος-Αύγουστος 1997. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.