Saint Haralambos and the Twelve Year Plague of Crete in the 19th Century

In Crete the plague is likened to an ugly old woman. The folklorist Nikolaos Politis describes her as follows: "She is a blind woman, running through the cities from house to house and killing those she touches, but because as a blind woman she touches the walls of the houses, she is unable to touch those in the middle of the rooms."

In 1817 an endemic took place in Crete that lasted for 12 years. It is believed the plague was brought by 22 Egyptian soldiers. Many families took refuge in the countryside (caves and elsewhere) to avoid being infected. Other times the sick resorted to the caves to prevent the transmission of the disease.

The Story Behind the Church of Saint Haralambos in Ilision

Church of Saint George in Kochylos

In the village of Kochylos on the island of Andros stands the Church of Saint George, where for many years they celebrate a miracle of Saint Haralambos.

Years ago, sometime in the 1960s, on the eve of the feast of Saint Haralambos, a poor old man appeared to a woman on a rainy evening and asked for hospitality. She put him in her kitchenette, sat him in a chair, served him food to eat and kept him overnight. In the morning the old man was gone. The incident was repeated one or two more times.

Saint Haralambos and the Plague of 1753 in Trypi

 

The village of Trypi is 9 km to the west of Sparta and belongs to the municipality of Mystras, in the southern Peloponnese. There, next to the Church of the Holy Trinity, is a shrine dedicated to Saint Haralambos, which is accompanied by a marble cross, at the base of which is the following inscription:

ΘΕΟΣ ΥΨΙΣΤΟΣ
ΑΓΙΩ ΧΑΡΑΛΑΜΠΩ
ΕΠΑΤΑΞΕΝ ΕΝΘΑΔΕ
ΕΤΕΙ 1753
ΠΑΝΩΛΗΝ
ΧΩΡΟΥΣΑΝ ΤΡΥΠΗΝ
ΜΟΡΦΗ ΓΡΑΙΑΣ
ΕΠΙΤΑΓΗ ΠΡΟΓΟΝΩΝ
ΤΗΝ ΔΕ ΑΝΑΤΙΘΕΜΕΝ
ΕΥΓΝΩΜΟΝΟΥΝΤΕΣ

Saint Haralambos and his "Deal" with the Nazi Concentration Camp Survivor Metropolitan Dionysios of Trikkis and Stagon

Metropolitan Dionysios of Trikkis and Stagon

Metropolitan Dionysios Haralambous of Trikkis and Stagon (1907-1970), during World War 2, served as preacher of the Holy Metropolis of Methymna on the island of Lesvos (1940-1942) and was abbot of the Holy Monastery of Leimonos, and in August 1942 was arrested by German occupiers on charges of helping and treating British soldiers. The Germans tortured him without mercy for four days and then condemned him to ten years imprisonment. 

 

In the first phase he was sent to Thessaloniki to "Pavlos Melas" camp and then for three years in the German camps Stone and Bernau, where he was horribly tortured and arrived many times on the verge of death. With the intervention of the Mother of God, he was saved. After the end of the war, he continued his ministry in Mytilene, Nafpaktos, Karpenisi and also organized in Cyprus the "Apostle Barnabas" School for Priests. Dionysios also worked hard on the law to recognize Meteora as a sacred site. He became Metropolitan of Trikkis and Stagon in 1959.

The Veneration of Saint Haralambos in Arta

The Establishment of the Festival of Saint Haralambos in Arta

The memoirs of the abbot of the Monastery of Kato Panagia, Konstantios Platonos, which are found in the book Pidalio written in 1896, say the following:

"In the year of our salvation 1768, they began to celebrate the memory of the most-glorious Hieromartyr and Wonderworker Haralambos in the church of Arta. The reason for this as I heard it from old and faithful Christians is as follows. That same year and on that day it rained so much with hail and deep darkness, that they thought that this day the people would perish, and the hail lasted until the 5th of January, for a period of about a week, causing great destruction of many trees, fruits and animals. And in memory of this calamity and other miracles, those who invoke his holy name celebrate him until now in 1869, on February 10th."

According to the existing historical data, the Metropolitan of Arta then was Paisios.

Saint Haralambos Saves Preveza and Arta from Cholera in 1848

Saint Haralambos is the patron saint of the cities of Preveza, Pyrgos, Ilia, Kea and Filiatra. The Saint is credited with a saving intervention in 1848, when a plague befell the local population of Preveza. Then the Saint's skull was transported from the Monastery of Saint Stephen in Meteora to Preveza, where he was placed for veneration and miraculously prevented the continuation of the plague. Panagiotis Aravantinos notes: "In 1848 the plague of cholera visited Amphilochia which caused not a little destruction over the course of two months in the city of Arta and in the regions of Kampos and Vrysis." The miraculous intervention of Saint Haralambos eradicated the deadly disease of cholera in Arta and the surrounding areas.

The Relics of Saint Haralambos in Arta

The relics of the Saint have healing powers. He is the pre-eminent protector from plagues.

Metropolitan Seraphim Xenopoulos in his essay mentions that in Arta there are relics of Saint Haralambos in the Holy Monastery of Rovelistis, in the parish Church of Saint George, as well as in the outskirts of Arta such as in the parish of Kostakia (Monastery of Nikopolis) and in the Metochion of Iveron Monastery - Panagia Portaitissa. However, a relic of Saint Haralambos also exists in the Holy Monastery of Kato Panagia. Our research on the way the monastery acquired this particular relic led us to an ecclesiastical figure unknown to Artinians, the Metropolitan of Triki and Stagi, Cherubim Anninos. 

 

This blessed Metropolitan was born in Lixouri, Kefallonia in 1890. On November 29, 1908, he became a monk in the Holy Monastery of Docheiariou, Mount Athos. He was ordained a deacon on January 30, 1909 by the Metropolitan of Karpathos and Kasos Nilos. Then he came to Arta, where he was numbered among the brotherhood of Kato Panagia (no. 55 / 3/19/1911 document of the Holy Monastery of Kato Panagia). He studied at the seminary of Arta and was ordained an presbyter (1934) by the then Metropolitan of Arta Spyridon. He was then elected Metropolitan of Paronaxia (1935) and later (1945) he was transferred to the Metropolis of Triki and Stagi. He probably transferred a piece of the relic to the Monastery of Kato Panagia, as well as to his particular homeland, Lixouri. He died in Trikala on March 8, 1952. 

The Turkish Boatman and the Holy Icon of Saint Haralambos

The Cathedral of Saint Haralambos is located in Varvasi of Chios. It was built in 1927 by persecuted refugees from Asia Minor who came to Chios after the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922 and lived in the Varvasi area of the city of Chios.

Due to its rough construction it suffered severe damage in the earthquakes of 1949 and so in 1967 it was demolished and rebuilt from scratch.

The Paralyzed Man Who Was Kicked Out of the House of Saint Haralambos

Metochion of Saint Haralambos in Thessaloniki

 

Father Leontios Anastasiadis, commonly known as Papaleontios, was a formerly married hieromonk, a neptic and wonderworker, from Moutalaski, Caesarea. After long pastoral activity from Cappadocia to Adrianople, he arrived in Thessaloniki during the exchange of populations with his family, where he took over as pastor of the Church of Saint Haralambos, a Metochion of the Holy Monastery of Simonopetra. He died at the age of 82, in 1932, having left a reputation as a saint and wonderworking priest, with great pastoral and philanthropic activity in Thessaloniki.

Saint Haralambos and the Outbreak of Scarlet Fever in the 1930's

Around 1930 in the village of Avra in Kalambaka, an infectious disease called scarlet fever struck. More than fifty children died. Some households lost two or three children at once. When one child died, there was no time to bury them when another child got sick and died. Shovels would be left at cemeteries in order to expedite the digging of graves. In an act of desperation, the faithful took recourse to Saint Haralambos, who is widely known for banishing infectious diseases and plagues. They sought help from the nearby Monastery of Saint Stephen at Meteora, and monks there brought to their village the wonderworking skull of Saint Haralambos. As the monks came bearing the sacred skull, the bells rang and all the people went out to greet the Saint. A Sanctification of the Waters ceremony took place and a procession brought the skull to every part of the village. Immediately after this, death became suppressed and the disease was banished by the grace of the Saint. From that day forward not a single child in the village died again from scarlet fever.

The Truth About the Miracle of Saint Haralambos in Filiatra in 1944

By John Sanidopoulos

In 2010 I posted an article on the miracle attributed to Saint Haralambos in Filiatra on July 19, 1944 when he appeared to the German commander and prevented a massacre of the residents of the city. When I did so, I looked for historical corroboration of the event, or at least something close to it, that was not ecclesiastical in origin. I was also a bit troubled by certain contradictions in the accounts from various Orthodox sources. For example, in some accounts it said it took place in 1943 while in others it said it took place in 1944, and in some sources the name of the commander is given as Kontaou while others call him Kunster. As for any historical corroboration, none were to be found, not even close. This surprised me, because the German occupation of Greece is pretty well documented, and I expected to at least find a photo of the German commander, who was said to visit Filiatra annually for the feast of Saint Haralambos. Even more surprising, this only took place in 1944, so surely in 2010 someone must have been alive to corroborate the narrative of the events as they have been handed down to us.

Commemoration of the Deliverance of Zakynthos from the Plague by Saint Haralambos in 1728

Following the fall of various Venetian-occupied cities and forts in mainland Greece and the fall of Crete in 1669, Zakynthos became a key port for Venetian trade from and towards the Levant and Constantinople - where the Ottoman Turkish authorities lagged western Europe in disease prevention and control. Additionally, Zakynthos was only a short distance from the Peloponnese where again the Ottoman Turkish authorities were lax in enacting policies to prevent disease and building appropriate infrastructure to improve sanitary conditions and the health of the inhabitants of the area. Consequently, many merchants and sailors entered and exited the port of Zakynthos from Ottoman Turkish controlled ports - these merchants and sailors were sometimes unwilling to undergo the increasingly strict measures Zakynthos enacted to avoid plague, pestilence, cholera and other disease outbreaks. Therefore, the people of Zakynthos were at significant risk of being impacted by the plague, pestilence and other disease epidemics.

The Relics of Saint Haralambos the Wonderworker

1. The largest portion of the skull of St. Haralambos is found in the Monastery of Saint Stephen at Meteora. We do not have much information how they came to acquire it, except that it was given to them by Prince Vladislav II of Wallachia (allegedly given in either 1398, 1412 or 1413, although Vladislav II reigned 1447-1456). How the Wallachians came to acquire it is not known, but two dependencies were also given to the Monastery in Wallachia.

A Historic Athonite Icon of Saint Haralambos in the Hut of Saint Akakios

By Monk Patapios of Kavsokalyva

One of the sacred treasures of the Hut of Saint Akakios, which belongs to the Skete of the Holy Trinity of Kavsokalyva, is the historic portable icon which bears the inscription "Saint Haralambos the Rapid Helper", the work of an Athonite factory from the mid-18th century.

St. Haralambos and the Earthquake That Struck Pyrgos, Elis in 1996

By Angeliki Gialypsos

I don't know if the last miracle of Saint Haralambos in Pyrgos, Elis has become known, which took place during the powerful earthquake of 1996.

At the time of the earthquake, noontime, children were playing in the courtyard of the Church of Saint Haralambos. One of the children saw a priest with a long beard making two movements with his hands, as if cutting something in the air.

The Healing of Elder Iakovos Tsalikes by St. Haralambos

Elder Iakovos Tsalikes (+ 1991) related the following:

When I was a small child, I suffered such a severe cold, that I was bound in bed with great shortness of breath and terrible pain on the left side of my chest.

There was no doctor in the village, and our only refuge was God and His Saints. We had in our home a small silver icon of St. Haralambos, it was wonderworking, over 600 years old, and we had brought it from Asia Minor as a paternal family heirloom.

Synaxarion of Saint Haralambos the Hieromartyr and Wonderworker

On the tenth of this month [February], we commemorate the Holy Hieromartyr Haralambos the Wonderworker.

Verses

Through the sword, Haralambos, you were deemed worthy

Of the brightness and joy of the Martyrs.

On the tenth, Haralambos, you were decapitated at the neck.

Saint Haralambos Resource Page

Verses

Through the sword, Haralambos, you were deemed worthy

Of the brightness and joy of the Martyrs.

On the tenth, Haralambos, you were decapitated at the neck.

 

Synaxarion of Saint Haralambos the Hieromartyr and Wonderworker   

 

Life of the Holy Hieromartyr Haralambos of Magnesia the Wonderworker 

 

Saint Haralambos as a Model for our Lives

 

February: Day 10: Holy Hieromartyr Haralambos

 

The Relics of Saint Haralambos the Wonderworker 

 

8 Modern Miracles Of Saint Haralambos 

 

Miracles of the Skull of Saint Haralambos 

 

The Incorrupt Left Hand of Saint Haralambos 

 

Commemoration of the Deliverance of Zakynthos from the Plague by Saint Haralambos in 1728

 

Saint Haralambos and the Plague of 1753 in Trypi  

 

Saint Haralambos and the Twelve Year Plague of Crete in the 19th Century

 

Saint Haralambos and the Outbreak of Scarlet Fever in the 1930's 

 

"Hands up. Knives down. Tonight there was a miracle of Saint Haralambos at the Polyclinic!"

 

Miracle of Saint Haralambos in Filiatra (1944) 

 

The Truth About the Miracle of Saint Haralambos in Filiatra in 1944

 

Saint Haralambos and his "Deal" with the Nazi Concentration Camp Survivor Metropolitan Dionysios of Trikkis and Stagon

 

The Veneration of Saint Haralambos in Arta 

 

A Historic Athonite Icon of Saint Haralambos in the Hut of Saint Akakios 

 

Miracle of St. Haralambos at the Polyclinic of Athens

 

The Story Behind the Church of Saint Haralambos in Ilision

 

The Paralyzed Man Who Was Kicked Out of the House of Saint Haralambos

  

The Turkish Boatman and the Holy Icon of Saint Haralambos   

 

Saint Haralambos, Patron Saint of Pyrgos in Ilia 

 

When St. Arsenios of Cappadocia Saw St. Haralambos in the Holy Water 

 

The Metropolitan Who Was Granted an Extension of Life from Saint Haralambos

 

The Healing of Elder Iakovos Tsalikes by St. Haralambos 

 

St. Haralambos and the Earthquake That Struck Pyrgos, Elis in 1996 

 

Saint Haralambos and the Demon Possessed 

 

St. Haralambos and the Sacrifice of the Bull 

 

Saint Haralambos Celebrated In Bulgaria

Life of the Holy Hieromartyr Haralambos of Magnesia the Wonderworker

On the 10th of the month (of February), we keep the Memory of the Blessed Hieromartyr Haralambos, of Saints Porphyrios and Baptus, the tormentors of Saint Haralambos, and of the Three Holy Women of Magnesia, who on beholding his martyrdom believed in Christ and were beheaded.

By Hieromonk Makarios of Simonopetra

The holy, glorious Martyr Haralambos lived at the time of the Emperor Septimus Severus (194-211) in the city of Magnesia on the River Meander near Ephesus.* He was 107 years old and had ministered as priest to the Christians of the city for many years, devotedly instructing them in the way of truth and preaching Christ to all, regardless of the threats of the pagans.

The Incorrupt Left Hand of Saint Haralambos

"If it please Thy goodness to ask a gift of Thee, I beseech Thy majesty and dominon to grant this favor: to whomsoever should find or possess a portion of my relics, and in whichsoever land he may be celebrating the memory of my martyrdom, may he never suffer from hunger or plague or pestilence or an untimely death or destruction from an evil man, or injury to crops. I pray that he may be firm in peace, salvation of soul, and health of body. I entreat that he enjoy plenty of wheat, oil, and wine, together with an abundance of livestock and other good and useful possessions...."

- Final Prayer of St. Haralambos

When St. Arsenios of Cappadocia Saw St. Haralambos in the Holy Water

"Once, on Saint Haralambos' day," Prodromos (St. Arsenios' chanter) used to say, "we went to the Panagia (in Kantsi) for an all-night vigil. When we got to Matins, Hatzefendis (this is what they called St. Arsenios) left the sanctuary so we could chant together. While we were chanting at the same lectern, I suddenly saw a white-haired old man at the lectern opposite, bent and supporting himself on a staff, and I started to tremble in awe. When Hatzefendis saw me trembling, he asked:

'Are you cold?'

Saint Haralambos as a Model for our Lives

Holy Hieromartyr Haralambos of Magnesia (Feast Day - February 10)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Haralambos came from Magnesia in Asia Minor. Born in the late first century he was martyred at the age of 113. When persecution broke out against the Christians during the reign of Septimius Severus, certain spiritual children of Saint Haralambos tried to persuade him to escape, so as not to be caught. He, of course, refused, because it is impossible for a good shepherd to abandon his flock in time of danger and because he was ready at every moment to give his confession and be martyred. He was arrested and tortured inhumanly, but faced the horrific torture with admirable bravery, after boldly confessing his faith. Several soldiers, among those ordered to torture the elder priest, seeing him endure inhumane torture with such bravery, but also with incredible tranquility, as well as the wonders that came about due to his prayers, believed in Christ and confessed Him as their Lord and God. The prefect was alarmed by the change in the group and ordered that he be set free. Later, the same Severus, unable to endure the boldness and the bravery of the elder, ordered for his beheading.