The Chapel of Saint Mnason in Tamasos of Cyprus

The humble Chapel of Saint Mnason is located opposite the well-known Monastery of Saint Herakleidos on the west side of the hill, a little further down from the famous necropolis of ancient Tamasos, which borders the Cypriot village of Politiko. Unfortunately, we lack evidence or testimonies about when this beloved little chapel was built or the Monastery that we know functioned there (only the ruins of some cells and other buildings that extend to the east and west of the chapel testify that there functioned a large monastery in the past).

Saint Kyriakos of Evrychou and the Child With Brain Cancer

In Larnaka there was a child who was the son of a teacher who suffered with brain cancer, and one night he saw in a dream a revered elderly man who told him:

"What is wrong, my child, that you are in pain and suffering?"

The child replied to him:

"My head."

The elderly man who appeared to him said:

Synaxarion for the Holy Thirteen Venerable Martyrs and Confessors of the Monastery of Kantara

 

 On the 19th of this month [May], we commemorate the Holy Thirteen Venerable Martyrs and Confessors of the Monastery of Kantara in Cyprus, John, Konon, Jeremiah, Markos, Kyrillos, Theoktistos, Baranabas, Maximos, Theognostos, Joseph, Gennadios, Gerasimos and Germanos, who in the year 1231 under the Latins had their end by fire.

Verses

Revered assembly, Champion Fathers,
You contested radiantly, against the Latin-minded.
On the nineteenth, the thirteen went to heaven together.

In 1228, when Cyprus was subject to the Latins, and the Orthodox were in many ways deprived of their faith, two God-bearing ascetics, John and Konon, came to Cyprus from Pamphylia in Asia Minor, and having first entered the Monastery of Machairas, they then settled in the abandoned Monastery of Mount Pentadaktylos called the Theotokos of Kantara, where they struggled in asceticism and piety and all means of philanthropy. With them there joined nine other monks - Jeremiah, Markos, Kyrillos, Theoktistos, Barnabas, Maximos, Theognostos, Joseph and Germanos.

Saint Theophanes the Myrrhgusher, Bishop of Solea in Cyprus (+ 1550)

St. Theophanes of Solea (Feast Day - May 17)

 Verses

Blessed Theophanes longed for his Bridegroom,
departing from this world empty of glory.
The Monastery of the Forerunner rejoices and is glad,
having you venerable one as a divine protector.
On the seventeenth Theophanes united with God.

Saint Theophanes lived in Cyprus during the Venetian occupation (1489-1571). We do not have information about his parents, his origins and his education. The information we have is little, but important, because it is handed down by a contemporary of the Saint and an eyewitness of the exhumation of his Holy Relic, Stefano Lusignan (1537–1590), a Dominican monk and vicar of the Latin Archdiocese of Cyprus, in his work "The Chorography of the Island of Cyprus". This work, which is considered an important source of information on the medieval history of Cyprus, was published first in Italian (1573) and then in French (1580). The second edition, which is more elaborate, completes the first.

Saint Polybios, Bishop of Rhinocorura (the disciple and biographer of Saint Epiphanios of Salamis)

 

 

Saint Polybios probably came from Phoenicia (Lebanon). Information about his life comes from the Life of Saint Epiphanios of Salamis (Constantia), to whom he was a disciple and biographer. He became a monk from a young age, and "he was pious man and perfect in temperance", according to his biography. While Epiphanios was still in Phoenicia, and when he was a simple monk, the bishops of Palestine gathered in a Synod and decided to ordain him a bishop. So they sent to him the monk Polybios, to inform them how Epiphanios was doing in his monastery in the area of Spanhydrion, but was told not to inform him of his election, so that he could have an excuse to escape. But Saint Epiphanios recognized from divine revelation the truth, called on Polybios to remain with his brotherhood, and thus left the bishops to investigate the worthiness of another bishop.

Saints Barnabas and Hilarion the Wonderworkers

Sts. Barnabas and Hilarion (Feast Day - October 21)

Unfortunately, we know very little about Saints Barnabas and Hilarion. Leontios Machairas in his Chronicle, as well as Kyprianos in his History rank the Saints among the 300 so-called Alamanni, who went to Cyprus after the Second Crusade and practiced asceticism in various places. However, this opinion, with that given to us both by tradition and by the synaxarion of the Saints, conflicts. There it explicitly mentions that the Saints came from Cappadocia and even lived in the years of the reign of Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-456 AD). Both Saints were from noble families and served in the emperor's army, in which they were distinguished for their stature, their bravery and their whole life in general.

The Life of Saint Hilarion the Great (St. Dimitri of Rostov)

 The Twenty-Ninth Day of the Month of October
The Life of Our Venerable Father
Hilarion the Great

By St. Dimitri of Rostov

The venerable Hilarion was born in the village of Tabatha, which is in Palestine near the city of Gaza. Hilarion was like a rose blossoming among thorns, for although his parents were pagans, he emitted the fragrance which is Christ. His father and mother sent him to study in Alexandria, and there he acquired not only the knowledge which the Hellenes seek and which is easily mastered, but spiritual wisdom as well. He believed in our Lord Jesus Christ, received Holy Baptism, and went frequently to church where he gave heed to teaching that served to instruct and to enlighten him. As he exercised himself in the virtues, his heart began to burn with love for God, and he considered how he might serve the Lord.

Saint Epiktetos the Wonderworker

St. Epiktetos the Wonderworker (Feast Day - October 12)

Saint Epiktetos was one of the 300 Alamanni Saints who came to Cyprus in the 12th century. These were Greeks who lived in Germany and participated in the Second Crusade (1147–1149), yet instead of fighting the Muslims to retake the Holy Land, they went to Jerusalem, venerated the holy places, and went off to live in asceticism in the area of the Jordan. Due to threats from the Muslims and the Catholics, they decided together to leave the Holy Land and go to Cyprus, where they would live separately in asceticism upon their arrival. On their way their ship encountered a storm that nearly was destroyed, but they made it through and landed in Paphos of Cyprus, from which they all bid farewell to each other.

Holy New Hieromartyr Haralambos Michailides of Louroujina in Cyprus (+ 1924)

St. Haralambos of Louroujina (Feast Day - September 24)

The difficult living conditions of the years of Ottoman rule contributed to the fact that many Greek residents of Cyprus converted to Islam in order to survive. In many cases this accession was fictitious and the neophyte Muslims, while declaring publicly faith in Muhammad, secretly remained Christians.

Unfortunately, over time the descendants of many of the Islamized were Turkified and lost permanently their Hellenism. However, many Linobambaki Christians, as the Crypto-Christians were called in Cyprus, resembling a fabric that has two sides, one of linen and one of cotton, continued to experience the tragic situations created by their dual religious status, until the first years of British rule, when the free exercise of the religious rights of the inhabitants was allowed and many identified themselves as Christians. Faced with this development, the Turkish minority of the island reacted and sought to assimilate the Linobambaki by establishing schools and building mosques in the Crypto-Christian villages.

Saint Anastasios the Weaver and the Healing of the Paralyzed Turk in 1918

The following is the testimony of Michael Christodoulos, of a miracle that took place in Cyprus:

"In 1918 I was seven years old. My father, who was the commissioner of the church [of Saint Anastasios the Wonderworker and Weaver, in the now occupied Peristeronopigi, in the province of Famagusta], always took me with him when Saint Anastasios celebrated [on September 17].

On September 16, after dinner, I was with other children outside the old church, among those who had come for the festival. Then they brought in a big cart a paralyzed Turk from Anglisides [a community of the province of Larnaca].

The Turks who accompanied him wanted to put him in the church [to stay overnight and be healed]. We children and some others protested and shouted not to put the Turk in the church.

Miracles of Saints Reginos and Orestes in Fasoula of Cyprus (Part 2)

...continued from part one.

4. Healing of a Malignant Tumor

The priest of the community of Fasoula, Fr. John Papamarkidis, had a tumor in his side, and the doctor informed him they would watch it because it was cancer. The priest, however, entrusted the treatment to the miraculous Saints of his community. Every day, as he himself told me, he went and begged Saints Reginos and Orestes to heal him. And indeed, in fifteen days that tangle disappeared and he was completely healed.

5. Healing of a Paralytic

Little Christakis Panagiotou from Fasoula was paralyzed in the lower extremities and could not walk. One day his mother took the little Christakis and she stood in the church of the Saints and said to her fellow villager the priest John to do a supplicatory canon for the healing of little Christakis, which he did. Then he went down to his tomb and he took the stones, which the villagers call cheeses, and rubbed his little feet with them, and - O the miracle! -, the young one began to walk. The parents of the child, out of gratitude, renamed the little one from Christakis to Reginos, the name of the Saint.

Miracles of Saints Reginos and Orestes in Fasoula of Cyprus (Part 1)

By Presbyter Haralambos Neophytos

When I was serving the community of Fasoula [a village in the Limassol District of Cyprus] as a regular pastor and I had contacts with the residents of the village, I was told various miracles of Saints Reginos and Orestes, who had been martyred in their village, in the time of the great persecution of the early fourth century.

As I began to find out these miracles they started to be forgotten and it is sad, because they are not recorded somewhere and over time they will be forgotten. So I decided with my poor strength to try and gather the miracles of the Saints of Fasoula to preserve them and in order to be taught.

The miracles of the Saints strengthen and rekindle our faith in God. Miracles are the result of the fervent faith of people, and should exist and be studied by Christians, in order to imitate the Christian life and the piety of our Saints.

Saint Leontios, Bishop of Neapolis (+ 668)

St. Leontios of Neapolis (Feast Day - June 18)

Saint Leontios was born around 590 in the Cypriot city of Neapolis, which today is called Limassol. At some point he became the Bishop of Neapolis.

We do not know much about his life, and what we do know is of little certainty, but he is primarily known for what he wrote.

He wrote the Life of John the Merciful, which was commissioned by Archbishop Arkadios of Constantia. Some believe that Leontios knew Saint John the Merciful (+ 619) personally and had met him in his younger years in Alexandria. Whether this is true or not, we know that he gathered the details of his life when he went on a pilgrimage to Alexandria to venerate the relics of Saints Cyrus and John.

Synaxis of the Holy Five Bishops of Chytroi (Kythrea)

Chytroi (Kythrea) is a region in Northern Cyprus. The Diocese of Chytroi was established in the fourth century. The city thrived because of the great source of water, Kefalovrysos, part of which was transported, by way of an aqueduct, to Salamis, the capital of Cyprus. The rest of the water irrigated the area, making it a source of wealth. The first Bishop of Chytroi was Saint Pappos. We know very little about the Diocese of Chytroi. In the town of Kythrea, the successor to Chytroi, five bishops - Pappos (24 October), Athanasios (17 May), Photinos (2 August), Spyridon (19 September) and Demetrianos (6 November) - were honored as Saints. On the 17th of May, the Synaxis of all five of them together is celebrated, which was established in 2018 by Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus.

Translation of the Sacred Relics of the Holy New Martyr George of Cyprus

Translation of the Relics of St. George of Cyprus (Feast Day - April 13)

The Holy New Martyr George was originally from Cyprus and later moved to work in Ptolemais in Palestine, which today is known as Acre. There he was martyred as a Christian by the Turks in 1752 by being shot and stabbed multiple times. The Christians of that city then buried his relic with honors, and for three nights a pillar of light shined over his grave. To commemorate this miracle, the Christians of Ptolemais would gather every Friday night at his grave for decades and offer prayers, candles and incense, and many miracles were reported to have taken place, according to his biography by Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite. His feast day was established for April 23rd.

Holy Martyrs Didymos, Nemesios and Potamios

Sts. Didymos, Nemesios and Potamios (Feast Day - February 20)

 

Nothing is known of these three Holy Martyrs except that they were martyred for their faith in Christ on the island of Cyprus at different times, according to Archimandrite Kyprianos (later Archbishop of Cyprus) in his Ιστορία χρονολογική της νήσου Κύπρου (Venice, 1788). The Roman Martyrology also lists them as Martyrs of Cypus to be commemorated on February 20th. However, Hippolyte Delehaye says they could have been from Alexandria.

 

 

Elder Gabriel the Agiovarnavitis (+ December 5, 2013) - Part 2 of 2

 

 

...continued from part one. 

 

The Elder Flew Like a Helicopter

On the eve of the sad event with the two sister nuns of the Hermitage of Saint Basil, which was granted to Elder Gabriel by Metropolitan Nikephoros of Kykkos, in order to house his female sisterhood, and which cost the life of the late sister Vasileia, a spiritual daughter of the Elder saw the following vision:

She saw the Elder flying, as if he was on a helicopter, and awestruck she said to him:

"Elder, come and get me, so we can fly together."

However, he replied to her:

"I can't right now. I have to go to my two daughters that need me and, in fact, one of them I will take permanently with me."

Elder Gabriel the Agiovarnavitis (+ December 5, 2013) - Part 1 of 2

 

Elder Gabriel Siokouros, the man of God, came from Lysi of Cyprus. As a layman, as a Hieromonk and as Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Barnabas after the invasion of the Turks, he was a man of prayer, sacrifice and love. His desire and longing was to offer everything to the Church, to help all people, especially young people and to lead them to the Church, to Christ. He served in Missions and Philanthropy with all his soul. He was a fighter who gave it his everything

Returning from Mount Athos in 1974 where he had remained for two years in order to perfect the art of Iconography, and before leaving for his Monastery in Cyprus, he learned of the Turkish invasion. Unable to return to his homeland and to his favorite Monastery of the Apostle Barnabas, because they had been occupied and destroyed by the Turks, he remained in Greece for several years. He settled in Nafplio, in the Monastery of Saint Demetrios of Karakalas and served there as a Priest.

Venerable Avvakum of Fterikoudi, the Wonderworking Saint Who Heals the Deaf

 

St. Avvakum the Wonderworker (Feast Day - December 2)

 

Venerable Avvakum was most likely a local Saint of Pitsilia, but according to his synaxarion, he was one of the "Three Hundred" refugees from Palestine who came and landed in Cyprus after the Arab persecutions when they conquered Palestine and Syria. Avvakum, who appears to have been a monk or ascetic in the Jordan Desert, sought refuge in the mountains of Cyprus. After touring the mountains of the Solea area, he finally ended up on Mount Kalamithia, near the villages of Kalamithasa (which does not exist today) and Fterikoudi.

Miracles of Saint Theosebios of Arsinoe

 

 

By St. Neophytos the Recluse

The deaf man and another who was blind

Some time later, two people were walking along the road, one of whom was deaf and was holding the hand of the other, who was blind. The blind man heard wonderful hymn-singing and joyful, melodic voices and said to the deaf man: "If only you could hear the melodic hymns that I can, brother. And I wish I could see the form of the wonderful singers." The latter said he could just about hear, very faintly, some of the singing. They left the road and made their way to the place where the sound was coming from. As they were walking along, the ears of the deaf man opened completely and he could hear clearly the sublime and wonderful melody. When they got to the Church of Saint Theosebios, they didn’t see any singer, because it was angels who were praising God and, with this miracle, they made manifest the Saint. This is how the deaf man could hear plainly and the blind man was able to see again clearly. Astonished at this strange miracle, they worshiped and praised God and reverenced His servant Saint Theosebios.