Saint David of Evia

St. David of Evia (Feast Day - November 1)

Verses 

 

David overcame Goliath with a stone,  
David overcame passions through prayer.  
On the first of November David stood before the throne of God.

 

Venerable David was born at the beginning of the 16th century in the sea-side village of Gardinitza, opposite the island of Evia. His father was a devout and virtuous priest. When David was no more than three years old, Saint John the Baptist appeared to him one night and took him to the nearby church which was dedicated to him. He remained standing there, barefoot, for six days, lost in the vision, in front of the icon of the Forerunner. Nourished from an early age on the principles of obedience to his parents, asceticism and ceaseless prayer, he left his family home at the age of fifteen, in search of a spiritual father. He found him in the person of the Hieromonk Akakios, who was well-known in the villages of the region for his virtuous life and powerful preaching.

Saint Meletios the New of Mount Myoupolis (+ 1105)

St. Meletios the New (Feast Day - September 1)

Verses

The law of the Lord, Meletios studied,

Thus planting a tree, which bore the fruits of the virtues.

Meletios departed, at the entrance of the year.

Saint Meletios the New was born in 1035 in the village of Moutalaski of Cappadocia. His parents were very pious and virtuous and they were named John and Sophia. He had little ability as a student, but through ardent prayer he received the gift of understanding Holy Scripture, which he contemplated throughout his life and mastered.

At a young age he longed to join the monastic ranks, so he left his homeland and went to Constantinople where he became a monk. Desiring to go on pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem, he set off first for Thessaloniki, where a heavenly sign rather led him to Thebes at the Monastery of Saint George. There Meletios attracted many believers and monks by his holy way of life to live near him, and he served there as abbot.

However, Meletios continued to long to worship in the Holy Places, so he departed first for Jerusalem. He endured trials and tribulations in Jerusalem and came near martyrdom at the hands of the Muslim occupiers. From there he left for Rome, where he venerated the tombs of the Holy Apostles, then returned to his monastery in Thebes to the joy of his disciples.

Meletios wore a single garment of horsehair and ate no more than his body needed to serve the brethren, for whom he was an example of zeal in prayer. Throughout the night, after little rest, he kept vigil with tears flowing from his eyes. His exploits provoked the hatred of the devil who hurled numerous temptations at him. There he acquired the gift of working miracles and prophecy for the benefit of the brethren, and so the people sought him in ever-increasing numbers.

Synaxis of the Three Saints of Ypati

Ypati is a village and a former municipality in Phthiotis, Greece. The three Saints of Ypati are:

1. Holy Apostle Herodian, founder of the Church of Ypati, and who was martyred in Ypati (see Mar. 28 and Nov. 10).

2. Hieromartyr Gregory, Bishop of New Patras, who was slain during the Divine Liturgy in the Sacred Church of Saint Nicholas in Ypati, on the eve of the Akathist Hymn in the year 1711 (see the Sunday between Mar. 18 and 24).

3. Saint Athanasios, founder of the Monastery of Great Meteoron (see Apr. 20).

Holy New Martyr Christodoulos of Kassandra (+ 1777)

St. Christodoulos of Kassandra (Feast Day - July 27)

Verses

Christodoulos carried a cross to his hanging,

Firmly enduring as a great servant of Christ.

Christodoulos was a native of the village of Valta in the area of Kassandra, Greece. As a young boy he went to Thesaaloniki where he became an apprentice to a tailor who worked with wool. While in Thessaloniki, Christodoulos often took trips with his fellow tailors. On one such trip to the island of Chios he bought a large unpainted crucifix. This he made a gift to the Church of Saint Athanasios in Thessaloniki because of his friendship with the sacristan of the church.

Holy New Martyr John of Serres (+ c. 1480)

St. John of Serres (Feast Day - May 12)

The Holy New Martyr John came from a wealthy family of Serres and was born and raised in Serres in the latter half of the fifteenth century.

In the prime of his youth, his courage to appear in public as equal to the Turkish occupiers with a splendid appearance, caused the envy of the Turks, who went to the authorities. His accusers claimed that John publicly insulted the faith of Muhammad, refusing to follow him despite his initial promise. The authorities ordered, after this serious complaint, that John be arrested and brought to court, which forthwith happened. The judge, after considering the matter, at first tried with promises of positions to lure him to change his faith, and they would have gained much if by his example others imitated him, but all their attempts failed, since John, in response to the proposal, publicly confessed his faith in Christ.

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.

Synaxis of All Saints of Demetriados

All Saints of Demetriados (Feast Day - Sunday of the Samaritan Woman)

The feast of the Synaxis of All Saints of Demetriados was established in 1970 by the late Metropolitan Elias of Demetriados, and its celebration was renewed once more in 1994 with the blessing of the late Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece. From that time the Saints who lived, taught, strived and were martyred in the region of Demetriados are annually honored on the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman.

Holy Six Virgin Martyrs of Geroplatonos in Halkidiki (+ 1854)

Holy Six Virgin Martyrs of Geroplatonos in Halkidiki (Feast Day - First Sunday of May)

In April of 1854 the Greek Revolution manifested in Halkidiki led by Captain Tsamis Karatasos. In Kavrolaka 65 Turks were killed while only 1 Greek from Vlachomichali was killed. Despite this success, the Revolution failed and on April 22nd thirty Greek notables of Polygyros were massacred. Destruction and further massacres extended throughout Halkidiki. When the Turks arrived in Geroplatonos, they destroyed the Church of Saint Demetrios, which is why in that church today all the icons date to 1858.

Also in Geroplatanos, seven girls were locked inside the mill of Tsamis. The Turks surrounded them and asked them to change their religion. Six remained steadfast and confessed their faith in Christ. The Turks had these six burned alive. According to sources, the seventh girl, though she married a Turk, lived and died as a Christian. Traces of the fire can still be seen in the mill today.

Holy Martyr Irene of Hellas

St. Irene of Greece (Feast Day - April 16)

Verses

You lived peacefully, Martyr Irene,

Yet you did not die peacefully, but by the sword.

The holy Martyr Irene of Hellas* lived during the reign of Decius (249-251). She was a contemporary of SS. Charissa, Nike, Galina, Kallisa (Kallida), Nounechia, Vasilissa, and Theodora who were martyred with the holy Leonidas at Corinth.

It was the Paschal season when Irene was glorifying God with others in their own oratory. The godless magistrate was informed of their congregation. Hence, Irene was arrested and cast into prison. Later, when Irene was removed from her cell, her tongue was cut out and her teeth were uprooted. Finally, the blessed woman, having quaffed a cup of bitter and bloody trials, was beheaded. She then ascended into the heavens bearing her crown of martyrdom.

* The name Hellas and Hellenes, by which the Greeks call their country and themselves, originally designated a small district in Ftiotis. In New Testament times, Hellas or Greece was considered the southern portion of Greece, as distinguished from Macedonia [Acts 20:2]. In popular usage, it could also designate the Roman province officially known as Achaia.

From The Lives of the Holy Women Martyrs, Holy Apostles Convent, Bueno Vista, CO, 1991, pp. 136-37.

Saint Leontios of Vlacherna in Arcadia (+ 18th century)

St. Leontios of Vlacherna (Feast Day - Bright Wednesday)

We do not have much information on the life of Saint Leontios. The main sources are the few biographical accounts in the Codex of the Sacred Monastery of the Honorable Forerunner in Gortynia and Codex 163 of the Public Library of the School of Dimitsana. Many other things have been preserved through the oral tradition of the region.

Saint Leontios lived before 1770 A.D. (perhaps between 1650 - 1750). He came from the village of Stemnitsa in Gortynia and his surname was Pasomenos. As for his parents, the exact date of his birth, his childhood and his youth, we do not know anything. His monastic tonsuring probably took place in one of the many monasteries that flourished at that time in the area of Stemnitsa.

Information about his life becomes more specific when the Saint began his ascetic path to the top of Mount Kastania, which is perhaps the ancient mountain Cnacalus referred to by Pausanias, with an altitude of 1,200 meters, directly opposite the village of Vlacherna. The area of Vlacherna and the caves that adorn the surrounding mountains was a place of asceticism for anchorites.