Saint Gerasimos of Jordan (+ 475)

By John Sanidopoulos

 

Born in Lycia, in the southern part of Asia Minor, into a wealthy family, he bore the name Gregory in the world. He left family, wealth and worldly affairs and became a monk with the name Gerasimos in the desert of the Thebaid in Egypt and later, around 450, came to the banks of the Jordan River in Palestine, where he founded a lavra and became its abbot.

The lavra of Saint Gerasimos was divided into two parts, the cenobium and the cells. The cenobium was for younger monks who trained to be anchorites, while the more advanced anchorites were allowed to live in their cells under very strict conditions. Saint Gerasimos had around seventy anchorites living in their cells.

The Relationship Between St. Gerasimos of Jordan and St. Kyriakos the Anchorite

 

In his Life of Kyriakos, Cyril of Scythopolis informs us that Saint Kyriakos came to the Holy Land at the age of eighteen to become a monk, and was brought to Saint Euthymios, who tonsured him, but because he was still a beardless youth, he was not allowed to remain with him at his lavra. At this point Cyril informs us:

"The holy Gerasimos accepted him and, noting his youth, told him to stay in the cenobium."

A Brief History of the Iconography of Saint Gerasimos of Jordan

Earliest known image of St. Gerasimos in Novgorod from 1125

St. Gerasimos of Jordan was a father of monasticism in the Palestinian desert and reposed in 475 AD. Images of the Saint, however, are not known until the 12th century. The first known image of him is preserved in a mural painting of the slope of the arch of the central apse in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos of Saint Anthony's Monastery in Novgorod dating to 1125. There he is depicted up to his shoulder in a medallion, in his right hand is a cross, the left is turned with his palm outward. This and other early images of the Saint typically only showed his face and upper body and in the context of other Holy Fathers of Palestinian desert. This is how he is also depicted by the iconographer Theodoros Apsevdis in the Monastery of Saint Neophytos in Paphos of Cyprus dating to 1183. Similar also is a wall painting from this time in the Monastery of Saint Theoktistos outside Jerusalem. The reason for the late depiction of the Saint is not known, but some scholars have speculated it may have to do with his brief flirtation with Monophysitism, as described by Cyril of Scythopolis in his Life of Euthymios.

The Relationship Between St. Gerasimos of Jordan and St. Euthymios the Great

By St. Cyril of Scythopolis

Euthymios Delivers Gerasimos from the Influence of a Monophysite

When the news had circulated, as people reported that the great Euthymios had accepted the definition of the faith proclaimed at Chalcedon, all the monks were about to accept it, had they not been prevented by one Theodosius, in appearance a monk but in reality a precursor of Antichrist... Noting Theodosius’ utter shamelessness, the great Euthymios told the fathers not to share in his apostasy and so departed to the utter desert; on hearing of this, many anchorites adopted the same policy. At that time there was a great anchorite of Lycian origin, called Gerasimos, who after succeeding in the monastic life in his own homeland and displaying many combats against the spirits of wickedness had recently left his homeland and was practicing the anchoritic life in the desert by the Jordan. He with the other anchorites had been seduced by the false teaching of Theodosius; but on hearing from almost all the anchorites of the resplendent grace of the great Euthymios he went to him at Rouba, and after staying with him for a considerable time was persuaded to assent to the definition issued by the Synod of Chalcedon and break off his association with Theodosius, as did other anchorites also.

Saint Gerasimos of Jordan and the Lion Jordanes

By St. John Moschos

(Leimonarion, Ch. 107)

About a mile from the holy River of Jordan there is a place which is known as the Lavra of the Holy Abba Gerasimos. When we were there, the residents told us that this Gerasimos was walking one day by the banks of the holy Jordan when he met a lion, roaring mightily with pain in its paw. The point of a reed was deeply embedded in it, causing inflammation and suppuration. When the lion saw the elder, it came to him and showed him the foot, wounded by the point embedded in it, whimpering and begging some healing of him. When the elder saw the lion in such distress, he sat down and, taking the paw, he lanced it. The point was removed, and also much puss. He cleansed the wound well, bound it up and dismissed the beast. But the healed lion would not leave the elder. It followed him like a noble disciple wherever he went. The elder was amazed at the gentle disposition of the beast and, from then on, he began feeding it, throwing it bread and boiled vegetables.

Saint Gerasimos of Jordan Resource Page

St. Gerasimos of Jordan (Feast Day - March 4)

Verses

The beast attended the old man Gerasimos,
Having killed the beast of the passions before the end of his life.
On the fourth Gerasimos departed life. 

 

Synaxarion of Saint Gerasimos of Jordan 

 

Saint Gerasimos of Jordan (+ 475)

Life of Saint Gerasimos of the Jordan 

 

Saint Gerasimos of Jordan and the Lion Jordanes 

 

The Relationship Between St. Gerasimos of Jordan and St. Euthymios the Great

 

The Relationship Between St. Gerasimos of Jordan and St. Kyriakos the Anchorite

  

Saint Gerasimos of Jordan as a Model for our Lives 

 

March: Day 4: Teaching 1: Venerable Gerasimos of Jordan

 

Prologue in Sermons: March 4 

 

Venerable Gerasimos of the Jordan in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 
 

St. Gerasimos of Jordan (Greek Animation) 

 

Saint Gerasimos of Jordan and the Resurrection of a Dead Monk

Recent Miracles of St. Gerasimos of Jordan 

 

The Monastery of Saint Gerasimos of the Jordan 

 

Documentary on Saint Gerasimos of Jordan Monastery 

 

A Brief History of the Iconography of Saint Gerasimos of Jordan 

 

The Feast of Saint Gerasimos of Jordan in the Holy Land (video)

Synaxarion of Saint Gerasimos of Jordan

On the fourth of this month [March], we commemorate our Holy Father Gerasimos of Jordan.

Verses

The beast attended the old man Gerasimos,

Having killed the beast of the passions before the end of his life.

On the fourth Gerasimos departed life.

Venerable Gerasimos lived during the reign of Emperor Constantine, who was nicknamed Pogonatos (668-685),* as Sophronios of Jerusalem, who wrote his life, attests. Since childhood he had fear of God and, after he was dressed in the schema of a Monk, he went to the deepest parts of the desert of the Thebaid.** He reached such a height of virtue and was graced with such intimacy with God, because he had preserved His image and likeness so pure, that he even had authority over wild beasts. A lion used to attend to his needs, and among other things this lion used to graze the donkey which fetched water for the Saint. Once some merchants passed from that place. When they saw the donkey, they stole it. The lion was sleeping and did not sense a thing. Therefore, in the evening he returned to the Saint as usual without having the donkey with him.

Saint Gerasimos of Jordan as a Model for our Lives

St. Gerasimos of Jordan (Feast Day - March 4)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

The venerable Gerasimos was born in saint-bearing Asia Minor, specifically in Lycia, in the seventh century, from devout parents. At one stage in his life, perhaps due to excessive zeal, he was led astray by the Monophysite heresy. The Monophysites did not accept that in the person of Christ the divine and human natures were united without change, without confusion, without separation and without division, but they claimed that the divine nature of Christ absorbed His human nature and therefore Christ only had one nature. However, he quickly understood his error, because he was a man with good intention and a humble mindset. He had the good habit of visiting and being counseled by sanctified people. From a scholarly ascetic named Euthymios he learned the truth concerning the two natures of Christ, and having realized his error he returned to the Church. Then he went to Jordan where he became a monk, and he tasted for several years the sweet honey of quietude. Later, when many monks gathered around him, who asked for his enlightened guidance, he was forced to establish a Coenobitic Monastery.

The Feast of Saint Gerasimos of Jordan in the Holy Land (video)

On Saturday 4/17 March 2012 the Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrated the feast of St. Gerasimos of Jordan in the ancient 5th-century monastery that bears his name in the desert of the Jordan River near the Dead Sea.

St. Gerasimos of Jordan (Greek Animation)

Life of Saint Gerasimos of the Jordan

St. Gerasimos of the Jordan (Feast Day - March 4)

Saint Gerasimos was born in the province of Lycia in the southern part of Asia Minor. His parents were wealthy, prosperous people, and he became a merchant, frequently visiting the Egyptian hermits in his travels (particularly the region known as the Thebaid).

From a very early age St. Gerasimos developed a great love of God and, as he grew older, he found he had little in common with other young people of his own age, who were only interested in having fun. He realized that the world and an attachment to it only brought many needless cares and sufferings, so he yearned to serve God and to be pleasing to Him.

In Egypt he grew in spiritual strength and wisdom, and then he again returned to his native province of Lycia. Later, towards the end of the reign of the holy Emperor Theodosius the Younger (who ruled from 408-450), he went to Palestine, where he settled in the wilderness near the Jordan river. So many men followed him there because of his reputation for virtue that he built a monastery where novices lived in a common house and the proven monks lived in a cluster of little cells. They numbered about seventy.

The monastery was approximately 25 miles from Jerusalem and about 100 yards from the Jordan River. Five days a week each monk was to keep silent in a solitary cell, doing simple handiwork such as weaving mats or baskets out of palm leaves. During these five days no cooked food was eaten; the only food was a small amount of dried bread, roots and water brought from the monastery. On Saturdays and Sundays all the monks went to the monastery to attend the Divine Liturgy and receive Holy Communion. Afterwards they were served cooked food and a little wine at the refectory. The work that had been completed during the week was given to the abbot. On Sunday afternoon each monk departed once again for his solitary cell in the wilderness, taking only a little bread, roots, a vessel of water and palm branches to weave baskets.

Each monk had only a single old robe, a mat on which to sleep and a small vessel for water. Whenever the monks left their cells, the doors were left open so that anyone could enter and take whatever he wished of the monks' few possessions. In this way they prevented any attachment to material possessions. During Great Lent St. Gerasimos ate nothing at all until the radiant day of Pascha. His bodily and spiritual strength was sustained solely by receiving the Holy Mysteries.

The monks of his monastery were fond of recalling how a lion came to greatly love the saint and served him obediently and with great humility. One day, as St. Gerasimos was walking through the Jordan desert, he met a lion. The lion stretched out his paw and St. Gerasimos saw that it was infected and very swollen. The lion gazed pleadingly and meekly at the elder who sat down immediately to inspect the paw. He discovered that a thorn had lodged in the lion's paw and this was the cause of his suffering. The saint carefully removed the thorn, cleansed the wound of all the pus and then wrapped it with a cloth.

From then on the lion faithfully followed the saint like a disciple. St. Gerasimos marveled at the lion's intelligence, meekness and willingness to eat bread and whatever else could be found for him. The lion was given an obedience in the monastery. The monks had a donkey which carried water from the Jordan River for the brethren. The lion was entrusted with the task of accompanying the donkey to the river and guarding it while it grazed on the riverbank.

One day the lion fell asleep in the sun, leaving the donkey to graze peacefully. An Arabian merchant happened to pass by with his caravan of camels and saw the donkey. Thinking the animal was a stray, he tied it to his line of camels and took it with him. The lion awoke and began to search for the donkey, but it was nowhere to be found. The beast returned to the monastery and went immediately to St. Gercsimos who, seeing his dejected expression, thought he had eaten the donkey and asked, "Where is the donkey?" The lion stood in silence, hanging his head in shame. The elder praised the lion for not running away after his evil deed and instructed him to do the work of the donkey from then on. The monks loaded a large barrel on the lion's back, as they had done before with the donkey, and sent him to the river to fetch water. One day a soldier came to the monastery to pray, and seeing the lion carrying the water, took pity on him and gave the monks three gold pieces to buy another donkey. The lion once again resumed his former obedience of guarding the donkey.

Some time later, the Arabian merchant once again passed by the Jordan on his way to sell wheat in Jerusalem. The donkey was still with him. That day, the lion happened to be near the river and as the caravan approached he recognized the donkey. Roaring loudly, he rushed towards him, frightening the merchant and his companions who fled in great terror. The lion grasped the donkey's reins in his teeth, as he had done previously, and led it together with the string of camels to the saint. When he saw the saint he roared joyously at having found the lost donkey. St. Gerasimos smiled gently and told his monks that the lion had been blamed most unfairly. The lion was given the name 'Jordan' and he continued to be a most faithful 'disciple'. He was never absent from the monastery for more than five days at a time.

St. Gerasimus fell asleep in the Lord in the year 475 and was buried by his sorrowing brethren there in his monastery. The lion was not in the monastery at that time. When later he arrived, he began to search for the saint. Father Sabbatios tried to explain why it was that the elder could not be found. “Jordan, our elder has left us orphans; he has departed to the Lord." The lion was not to be comforted; he refused the food that was offered and continued searching for his St. Gerasimos, roaring in great confusion. Fr. Sabbatios and the other monks stroked Jordan gently on the back and pleaded, "The elder has gone to the Lord; he has left us!" No words or explanations could stop the sorrowful roaring of the lion. He kept searching, now in great distress.

Finally Fr. Sabbatios said, "If you do not believe us, then come with us: we will show you the place where the elder rests." Jordan was led to the tomb near the church where St. Gerasimos was buried. Fr. Sabbatios explained to the lion, "We have buried our elder here." Fr. Sabbatios then fell to his knees and with a heavy heart began to weep. The lion now realized what had happened. He gave one last mighty roar, struck his head on the ground and died on the elder's grave.

The lion's love and devotion for St. Gerasimos is an example of the love and obedience the animals had for Adam before his fall into sin and his expulsion from Paradise.

Source

Apolytikion in the First Tone

Thou didst prove to be a citizen of the desert, an angel in the flesh, and a wonderworker, O Gerasimos, our God-bearing Father. By fasting, vigil, and prayer thou didst obtain heavenly gifts, and thou healest the sick and the souls of them that have recourse to thee with faith. Glory to Him that hath given thee strength. Glory to Him that hath crowned thee. Glory to Him that worketh healings for all through thee.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone

As a star resplendent with the light of virtues, thou didst make the wilderness of Jordan radiantly shine with beams of sacred celestial light, O righteous Father, God-bearing Gerasimos.

The Monastery of Saint Gerasimos of the Jordan

The documentary below features life inside the Monastery of Saint Gerasimos of the Jordan which is in the desert near the Jordan River where Christ was baptized by John the Forerunner. It features the elder of the monastery, Chrysostomos, who has made this deserted area into an oasis. Near the Monastery one can also see, according to tradition, either the cave of St. Mary of Egypt or the more recent ascetic who imitated her life of repentance, St. Photini. The relics of St. Gerasimos have not been found, but Fr. Chrysostomos has uncovered many graves of monks outside the Monastery among which he believes will be found his relics.

The Chapel of the Flight Into Egypt inside the Monastery is the traditional location where the Theotokos, St. Joseph and the infant Jesus stopped on their way to Egypt. According to tradition, while the Holy Family stayed overnight in this cave, a thief warned other thieves to not bother them. This is because after the Theotokos bathed the infant Jesus, the wife of the thief washed her sick child with the same water, and immediately the child became well. It is said that the child who was healed grew up to be the thief crucified next to Jesus who was first to enter Paradise.

Outside the Monastery is also buried a nun by the name of Christodouli who lived in a room inside the Monastery and died at the age of 104. She loved animals very much, especialy cats, dogs and goats. Her holiness was revealed at her burial, when she was taken from the church inside the Monastery to where she is buried. The few people in attendance testify that at her burial her grave was surrounded by cats and dogs and on the walls were many birds. These were the animals she fed from her own meager food.

The Monastery has three places where pilgrims can stay to be refreshed for many days. Because of the Arab-Israeli conflict, in recent years few people visit. Fr. Chrysostomos does whatever he can to help the Orthodox and Muslims who live nearby in Jericho financially.

Related posts:

St. Gerasimos of Jordan Monastery (Documentary)

Recent Miracles of St. Gerasimos of Jordan

Recent Miracles of St. Gerasimos of Jordan

Saint Gerasimos of Jordan (Feast Day - March 4)

St. Gerasimos of Jordan worked many miracles while alive and continues to the present day to work many miracles for Orthodox Christians. While alive he lived a strict ascetic life with little food and drink, he was able to read people's thoughts, foretell the future, pray unceasingly, raise the dead, and as is well known his purity was like that of Adam in Paradise and so walked with wild beasts as if they were his best friends. So speedy does his aid come from beyond the grave that over the centuries he has taken on the nickname of "Saint Express".

Archimandrite Chrysostomos, the abbot of St. Gerasimos Monastery in Jordan, relates the following recent miracles of St. Gerasimos:

1. The Twelve Year Old Boy With A High Fever

About twenty years ago Deacon Eirinaios of the monastery at Sinai came here from Jerusalem. He had with him a twelve year old boy from Crete that was a student at the Zion school. It was Saturday evening, I was very tired, and I was kneading, because I didn't have prosphoro for the Sunday Liturgy. Suddenly the boy began to get a very high fever, he had a terrible headache and was in unbearable pain. I didn't know what to do. I didn't have a vehicle, except a moped, so I could not take him to the doctor and I was thus in a hopeless situation. I prayed to the Saint to make the child well. Around 11:00PM the deacon and the child fell asleep. I was beyond tired, had the breads in the oven, I was thinking about the Liturgy the next morning, and I pleaded fervently to the Saint to make the sick child well. At one point the deacon heard a knock at the door. He got up, looked around, but nobody was there. He came and found me and we went together to their room. I told him it must have been the Saint. I didn't have time to finish what I was saying when the child awoke and said: "Elder, I'm all wet! An old man spilled a bucket of water on me!" We took off his t-shirt and dried him off with the towel. In five minutes he fell asleep peacefully, without a fever, and in the morning he was perfectly well.

2. The Saint Brings Fruit To Those Who Came To Venerate Him

One time there was a group from Greece, in the region of Macedonia, that came to the Holy Land with a bishop who was named Dionysios. He had come with students from the Theological School. They notified us from Jericho that they were coming and asked if I could prepare them fava (because I normally make fava for visitors).

When they entered the monastery I told the bishop: "My Master, please forgive me but I do not have fruit to eat after your fava." Not long after that a soldier came in with a case of oranges and says: "Abba, take these oranges." I wondered who it was, because he left immediately and I went to see from what regiment he was from. I went outside, I looked over there, I looked over here, nothing. The soldier was out of sight. I called over a laborer and asked him where the soldier went. Confused he said that no soldier had entered the monastery. "How didn't he enter?" I told him. "Here are the oranges." The laborer was scared stiff and said: "No one entered. I was right here, at the door. No one came, I did not even see a jeep." I came back in and told the bishop that the Arab had told me that he saw no one enter. Everyone was confused because they all saw him with their eyes. They all went outside, a minute passed, and they saw no one. Even if he had come in a car, it still would not have had time to be beyond our sight. The Saint came to our aid and brought us fruit.

3. The Miraculous Discovery of Water for the Monastery

The well in the court of the monastery had very little water. And still it was not enough for the needs of the monastery. So I decided to dig in a nearby area where I had heard there was water in the old days. Three of us were digging - Samir, an Arab that I have had here since he was a child, a temporary worker, and myself. Though we dug twenty-three meters deep, we did not find even a drop of water. I remember it was afternoon. I was very tired and disappointed and sat down under a wild tree, to rest a bit. Then I said: "My Saint Gerasimos, it appears you do not want us to find water. If we do not find it today I will close up the well." We were working in the traditional manner. We would dig with the hoe and the pickaxe and we would clear it out with the shovel to go down. At that time the two workers were digging down and I was emptying the buckets. They yelled for me: "Abba, come down because we have found gravel." They had only found sand rocks. I got up right away. I went down the well, took the pickaxe, and began to dig myself. I dug and I dug and I dug until I went down half a meter and noticed the gravel was wet. At one and a half meters we found water. I absolutely believe this was a miracle of the Saint. If I did not pray to him and continue the shoveling, I would have absolutely closed the hole up the next day. The Jews forbid a person to dig a well or build anything without a license, which is why I always have problems. A greater miracle of the Saint was that the water was clean and sweet. In our region, because of our close proximity to the Dead Sea, not only are the waters bitter, but salty as well because of the sulphur, and it smells like eggs.

4. The Appearance of the Saint in His Church

About twelve years ago the abbot went to Greece. At the monastery there was a Romanian nun named Maria, an Arab named Asam who was then a young child, and next door in a cave the Abbess Christodouli. Every night they would hear the door of the Church of Saint Gerasimos open and close. Maria would go to see who it was, but saw no one. The same with Asam, who would then return to the monastery, because he would see no one.

When Fr. Chrysostomos returned to the monastery, they asked him: "Elder, who opens and closes the door to the church every night?"

He responded: "It is Saint Gerasimos, who else could it be?"

Saint Gerasimos is the protector of his monastery, especially when its protector is not present. It should also be noted that many smell a peculiar beautiful aroma in the church that cannot be described.

5. The Healing of a Young Student in Cyprus

D.S. from Larnaka, Cyprus relates the following:

My son George, fifteen years old, had a severe health problem. For five or six months continuously, every day, he would faint. We went to many doctors and spent a lot of money, and suffered a lot, until we heard about Saint Gerasimos from Abbot Chrysostomos. We spoke together, and after a Supplication to the Saint, my child was healed. He is functioning normally now. And even though from young childhood I had a heart problem, the next test showed that I was in absolutely perfect health, to the last detail.

6. Saint Gerasimos Confesses a Couple

A couple related the following story:

A few years ago we came to the monastery of the Saint and stayed there for a few days. One evening we asked the abbot if we could confess to him, if he had time. The abbot said that he could not because he had a lot of work to do. After a little while we climbed the stairs and entered the Church of Saint Gerasimos. We saw the abbot there again. When he saw us, he told us with much love: "Come my children, so I could confess you."

When the confession was over, we went down to the courtyard. After a bit the abbot passed near us and we thanked him, because he set aside his errands and was tired and still did us the favor and took on the burden of confessing us.

Then he, with confusion, said: "What are you talking about, my children? I confessed you? I haven't confessed anyone today. I had told you I didn't have time and I was tired."

We were speechless. We understood that the person who confessed us was none other than Saint Gerasimos. He appeared in the form of the abbot, in order to not suspect anything. We glorify God and thank Him! We further thank His great Saint, Saint Gerasimos, who gave us the great honor to confess us.

7. Saint Gerasimos Blesses A Priest

A clergyman related the following:

One day I was at the Monastery of Saint Gerasimos and was sitting in the outer court. At one point the abbot walked in front of me and blessed me. A little while later he again passed and I thanked him for giving me a blessing a little while before when he walked in front of me.

The abbot then told me: "Father, a little while ago I was not here, nor did I pass in front of you."

Then I responded saying that it must have been another clergyman that was staying at the monastery. He then told me that the only people wearing a rason (cassock) in the monastery were the two of us. We then understood that it was Saint Gerasimos that took the form of the abbot and walked around his monastery.

Source

See also the following miracles of St. Gerasimos (in Greek) here and here.


Apolytikion in the First Tone
Thou didst prove to be a citizen of the desert, an angel in the flesh, and a wonderworker, O Gerasimos, our God-bearing Father. By fasting, vigil, and prayer thou didst obtain heavenly gifts, and thou healest the sick and the souls of them that have recourse to thee with faith. Glory to Him that hath given thee strength. Glory to Him that hath crowned thee. Glory to Him that worketh healings for all through thee.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
As a star resplendent with the light of virtues, thou didst make the wilderness of Jordan radiantly shine with beams of sacred celestial light, O righteous Father, God-bearing Gerasimos.

Documentary on Saint Gerasimos of Jordan Monastery

See also here.