A Wondrous Appearance of the Holy New Hieromartyr Philoumenos

 

By Archimandrite Photios Ioakeim

George Raounas from Lefkara, a graduate of the School of Physical Education in Greece (a gymnast), was about 25 years old when he got to know Christ and the Church more deeply, and began to live an intense spiritual life. He especially loved the practice of prayer, frequently attending Services, Vigils and Divine Liturgies and participating regularly in the Immaculate Mysteries.

He married Stella Kakouridis, daughter of the priest Konstantinos Kakouridis from Akaki, a village in our Metropolitan region, with whom he had four children, and now they strive together to experience the life in Christ in their "home church".

Saint Philoumenos Visits an Ailing Woman in the Hospital

In the spring of 2006, Mrs. Maria L. visited the Monastery of Saint Nicholas in Orounta, Cyprus. She entered the temple and began to reverently venerate the icons of the iconostasis.

But when she arrived in front of the icon of Saint Philoumenos, she stopped, looked at it with emotion and began to sob. After a while she told one of the sisters who was in the temple at that time the following:

"Not long ago I had a great adventure with my health. I entered the hospital for some treatments, but the doctors didn't give us any hope for me to live. While I was in this very difficult situation, I saw in a vision a priest, who was wearing an epanokalimavkion, as seen here in the icon.

Saint Philoumenos Intervenes in the Rehabilitation of a Drug Addict

Helen N., who comes from Rhodes, was a drug user for seven years. Even though she had made some attempts at rehab, she kept going back to the same things.

She could not work and her relationship with her family had become very difficult.

In a last ditch effort by her mother to help her, they moved to Athens, where she was admitted to a rehab center. But there she did not cooperate with the experts at all; she shouted, got angry, hit them.

Her mother desperately prayed to Saint Philoumenos, about whom she had heard a lot, and begged him to help her.

The Last Known Photo of Saint Philoumenos Before His Martyrdom

This photo depicts a peaceful Saint Philoumenos in front of Jacob's Well on November 22, 1979, one week before he was brutally martyred in the same area on November 29th. The photo was taken by Constantine Meimaris.

 

 

How the Official Canonization of Saint Philoumenos of Jacob's Well Came About

The decision for the canonization of Fr. Philoumenos was made by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem at the insistence of Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou. Metropolitan Neophytos said the following about this in 2009, after he did a trisagion at the grave of the parents of St. Philoumenos, in their native village of Orunda in Cyprus:

The Nephew of Saint Philoumenos Talks About His Uncle's Martyric Death

(left) Fr. Elpidios, (right) Fr. Philoumenos

On November 29, 1979, the brother of Fr. Elpidios, the holy hieromartyr Philoumenos, was martyred in the shrine of Jacob's Well in Neapolis of the Holy Land. At the same time as when the martyrdom was taking place, Elder Elpidios, while he was in his cell in New Skete [on Mount Athos], saw in a miraculous way his martyrdom and heard him shout to him:

"My brother, they are killing me! My brother, they are killing me! Do not be indignant, to the glory of God!"

Testimony of the Dressing of the Martyred Body of Saint Philoumenos

The testimony of Fr. Sophronios the Agiotaphite, who received the sacred relic of the Holy Martyr Philoumenos (+ 1979) to clothe it and prepare it for burial, is shocking, in that his body remained warm and flexible for five days after his martyrdom.

"They took him to the morgue. He was then autopsied in Tel Aviv and they notified us on November 21. I went with three other Fathers of the Patriarchate and they gave him to us naked. When we asked them where his clothes were, they told us they were in Neapolis. Fortunately, we had taken with us everything we needed to dress him. But you cannot imagine the sight, when he was handed to us in pieces, his face unrecognizable, bearing the marks of martyrdom just as when the Persians slaughtered the Fathers of Saint Savvas and other Monasteries. So today a new martyrdom followed with Fr. Philoumenos.

Holy Hieromartyr Philoumenos of Cyprus, Who Was Martyred at Jacob's Well in 1979

Icon of Saint Philoumenos (Michalis Koullepos, 1999).
In the church of the Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas, Orounda.

Childhood Years – Departure for the Monastery

Saint Philoumenos was born on October 15th, 1913 in the parish of Saint Savvas in Nicosia. His parentage originated from the village of Orounda, a village of the Nicosia district in Cyprus. The Saint’s parents were George and Magdalene Hassapis.

Philoumenos of Jacob’s Well: The Birth of a Contemporary Ritual Murder Myth

“Philoumenos of Jacob’s Well: The Birth of a Contemporary Ritual Murder Myth”

By David Gurevich and Yisca Harani

Israel Studies

Volume 22, Number 2, Summer 2017

pp. 26-54

Abstract

In 1979, the Orthodox monk Philoumenos Hasapis was violently murdered in Jacob’s Well Church in Nablus. His death was described as a ritual murder performed by a fanatical Jewish-Israeli group. Philoumenos was later sanctified by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The story gained publicity among Orthodox Christian communities around the world and was accredited by various NGOs and scholars. However, the factual basis of the event dismissed any ritualistic motives or collective accusations for the murder. The development patterns of the popular narrative are assessed against the backdrop of similar accusations levied against medieval Jewish communities in Europe, as well as contemporary framing of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in the media. The conclusions suggest reasons for the wide publicity that the narrative received, based on the cultural context of its target audience, the interests of the Orthodox Church, and the role of political actors involved.

Saint Philoumenos the New Resource Page

St. Philoumenos of Jacob's Well (Feast Day - November 29)

Verses

Philoumenos, being befriended by Christ
Was arrayed in the radiant porphyry of martyrdom.
Philoumenos was recently slaughtered violently
As the friend of God by the Well of Jacob.

 

Saint Philoumenos the New Hieromartyr of Jacob's Well (+ 1979) 

 

Holy Hieromartyr Philoumenos of Cyprus, Who Was Martyred at Jacob's Well in 1979 

 

Official Glorification of Hieromartyr Philoumenos of Jacob's Well  

 

Synaxarion of Hieromartyr Philoumenos of Jacob's Well

 

The Last Known Photo of Saint Philoumenos Before His Martyrdom

 

The Nephew of Saint Philoumenos Talks About His Uncle's Martyric Death

 

Testimony of the Dressing of the Martyred Body of Saint Philoumenos

 

Saint Philoumenos of Jacob's Well According to William Dalrymple

 

Philoumenos of Jacob’s Well: The Birth of a Contemporary Ritual Murder Myth 

 

How the Official Canonization of Saint Philoumenos of Jacob's Well Came About

 

A Wondrous Appearance of the Holy New Hieromartyr Philoumenos

 

An Appearance of the Holy New Martyr Philoumenos in a Hospital in England

 

Saint Philoumenos Intervenes in the Rehabilitation of a Drug Addict

 

Saint Philoumenos Visits an Ailing Woman in the Hospital

 

Elder Elpidios of New Skete, Brother of St. Philoumenos the Hieromartyr 

 

Fr. Justin, Successor of St. Philoumenos, Speaks from Jacob's Well 

 

The Holy Monastery of Jacob's Well in Samaria 

 

Greek Orthodox Monasteries of the Holy Land (Documentary) 

 

Synaxis of All Saints of Cyprus

Four Holy Elders Who Reposed on December 2nd

 

Today is major day for Orthodox Christians, as we remember four contemporary Holy Elders and Spiritual Pillars of our time that reposed on December 2nd. In the order of the photo above, they are:

 

1. Elder Porphyrios Kausokalyvites (1906 - 1991)

  

2. Elder Ambrose of Dadiou (1914 - 2006)

  

3. Elder Cleopa Ilie of Romania (1912 - 1998)

  

4. Elder Elpidios Neosketiotes (1913 - 1983)

  

Eternal be their Memory! May we all be in their prayers!