Saint Spyridon and the Proud Deacon

On the island of Cyprus there was a village called Erytra. This village was not far from the Metropolis of Constantia. Saint Spyridon went there one time to see to some affairs and, while there, went into the church. It was the season of the harvest, the weather was extremely hot and the bishop was very tired from the journey. During the service which was taking place, he told one of the serving deacons to abbreviate one of the prayers. The deacon not only ignored what he had been told to do, but instead he prolonged the prayer, chanting and singing with pride, full of vain glory because he knew he had a good voice.

Saint Spyridon is known for being kind and gentle when dealing with people, but disobedience and pride in oneself were simply not to be tolerated. The bishop became very angry with the deacon and reprimanded him for his disobedience, saying sternly, "Be quiet!"

Cave Church of Saint Spyridon in Rethymnon

On the west side of the imposing Venetian castle of Fortezza in Rethymno, Crete and above the sea is the Cave Church of Saint Spyridon. The church dates back to the late 16th century and is one of the oldest surviving churches in the city of Rethymnon. There are stairs from the main road to the church and inside there is a wood-carved iconostasis.

Saint Spyridon in Zaros: a Vision, a Chapel and a Baptism

There is an absence of churches dedicated to Saint Spyridon in southern Crete, which is why the chapel in his name in the area of Mega Livadi in the village of Zaros of the municipality Faistos we expected to have a special history and a special reason it was built in Pano Riza.

September 14, 1943: The German Bombardment of Kerkyra and Kefallonia (Events Which Inspired the Book and Film "Captain Corelli's Mandolin")

One of the worst moments in the history of Kerkyra (Corfu) was the day of the feast of the Holy Cross on September 14, 1943.

Through various sources we made a historical and emotional effort to present the tragic events of that night (13th-14th) but also of the next day.

In early September, Italians and the people of Kerkyra struck a German ship which was going to disembark soldiers in Benitses. There were dozens dead.

The order of the Headquarters of the Italian Forces stated that the Italian soldiers, after the capitulation of Italy with the Allied Forces, must keep Kerkyra and Kefalonia under Italian occupation.

Miracles of Saint Spyridon During the Greco-Italian War of 1940

 

 

 

In Daphne of Mount Athos there is a Kathisma of the Monastery of Saint Paul dedicated to Saint Spyridon. A 90 year old layman lived there who narrated the following story:

"During the war of 1940 I was the captain on a warship and we were off the coast of Kerkyra. We had run out of ammunition, that is, we were defenseless. We were then attacked by two or three German Stukas [a warplane known for its dive-bombing precision], and having no other hope, we called upon God to help us.

The Miraculous Glass of Saint Spyridon in Jerusalem

The Monastery of Saint Spyridon is located near the Arab market and the Damascus Gate in the Christian quarter of Old Jerusalem. In the monastery there is an icon of the Saint which was miraculously depicted on glass, a stone with the Saint’s footprint and a piece of his shoe which the Bishop of Kerkyra Athanasios offered as a gift to the monastery in 1886. Among other things in the monastery there is also a stone on which Christ stepped when in his twelfth year of age he started teaching in Solomon’s Temple.

Nikolai Gogol and the Miracle of Saint Spyridon

The Venerable Elder Ambrose of Optina, in one of his letters to his spiritual children, mentions a miracle witnessed by the great Russian author Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (1809-1852). N.V. Gogol himself visited Optina Monastery to submit for publication his book on George the Recluse of Zadonsk to Fr. Porphyrius Grigorov, and he told him about a miracle he saw with his own eyes that took place while on a pilgrimage to the island of Kerkyra, where he went to venerate the incorrupt relic of Saint Spyridon.

Commemoration of the Miracle of Saint Spyridon in 1673

On the first Sunday in November the island of Kerkyra commemorates with a procession of his relics the miraculous intervention of Saint Spyridon in saving Kerkyra from a deadly plague, which twice visited the island in the seventeenth century. The history of the procession goes back to 1673. The pestilence was first identified in one of the suburbs and soon spread all over the town; the entire population was gripped by the terror of death. For three nights a light was seen by the local inhabitants on the bell-tower of the Church of Saint Spyridon and the figure of Saint Spyridon, carrying a cross in one hand, appeared driving the pestilence away. The Venetian Governor, at the request of the people of Kerkyra, sanctioned by decree on the 29th of October 1673 that the procession be held every year on the first Sunday in November.

Skete of Saint Spyridon on the Island of Halki

The Skete of Saint Spyridon is located in the southeastern part of the island of Halki, at the steep cape that borders the so-called "Tsamlimani" (Pine Shore) of the island, due to the dense pine trees that reach to the shore. It was built in the second half of the 19th century by the anchorite Arsenios.

The monk Arsenios the Ganochorites, born Anastasios in 1840 in Ganochoros of Thrace, lived in an Athonite dependency at the Phanar. In 1862 he decided to come to Halki, to the forested mountains where many ascetics lived around a famous spiritual father, Eustratios. He stayed for five years near him, was ordained a deacon and priest and archimandrite, and became the priest at the trade school of Halki, at the Monastery of Panagia Kamariotissa.

8 Miracles of Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker

Let us examine closely, O blessed Christians, Saint Spyridon's wondrous works; for they are indeed beneficial to the soul and its development, as are the accounts of the lives of all men of God. They enable us not only to avoid vice, but also to advance in virtue. It stands to reason that those who pay attention to these divine acts and supernatural feats, improve their lives, shunning their former vices in pursuit of virtue, becoming more ardent in its performance, each motivated according to his strength, striving to imitate their example. All the biographies of the saints are admirable and edifying to the soul. However, the life and miracles of Saint Spyridon are more inspiring and pleasant to the ear, stimulating both the mind and heart. This life therefore, of our great Father and his awe-inspiring miracles we shall narrate for your love, and we beg all to attend with eagerness and contrition.

Palm Sunday, the Deadly Epidemic of 1630, and the Miracle of Saint Spyridon

Palm Sunday, the great feast of Christianity, in Kerkyra is celebrated together with the commemoration of the miracle of Saint Spyridon, whereby the Saint saved the residents of the island from a deadly epidemic of the plague in 1630.

Every year on this day, after the Divine Liturgy, as a sign of remembrance and in honor of Saint Spyridon, a long procession takes place throughout the old town of Kerkyra, and a prayer of entreaty is read on the spot where stood the old walls of the city and the non-preserved Church of Saint Athanasios the Great.

The Veneration of Saint Spyridon in Cyprus

Monastery of Saint Spyridon in Tremetousia, Cyprus

Before Saint Spyridon became primarily associated with the island of Kerkyra (Corfu), he was first associated with the island of Cyprus. He was born in the Cypriot village of Assia in Mesaoria, where he was raised by devout Christian parents and earned his living as a shepherd. He himself was a humble and simple man, who lived a pious Christian life. After he married and had children, of whom we only know of a daughter named Irene, his wife died and he was ordained to the priesthood and later was elected Bishop of Trimythous (Tremetousia). Irene died soon after this as well while he was attending the First Ecumenical Synod in Nicaea. His pure and holy way of life allowed him to be sanctified by God's grace, by which he was given the power to work many astonishing miracles, earning him the nickname "Wonderworker". In the mid-fourth century Saint Spyridon departed to the Lord in Trimythous.

Saint Irene, Daughter of Saint Spyridon

Saint Irene, Daughter of Saint Spyridon (Feast Day - December 12)

Saint Spyridon was born in the late third century at Assia, a village in the central district of Famagusta. Spyridon married a pious woman, with whom he gave birth to children. Among these children was also Irene. His wife, however, reposed early, and therefore the Saint took the responsibility for the upbringing of their children all by himself. The life of Saint Spyridon was full of tests. The death of his daughter Irene was one of the most painful incidents in his life.

Synaxarion of Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker

On the twelfth of this month [December], we commemorate our Venerable and God-bearing Father Spyridon the Wonderworker.

Verses

Although the wonderworker Spyridon is deceased,

His wonders have still not ceased.

On the twelfth Spyridon departed this life.

This Saint flourished during the years of the reigns of the emperors Constantine the Great (306-337) and Constantius (337-361) his son. According to intelligence he was a simple man, and according to his heart he was humble. Thus from his youth he was a shepherd of sheep. Then he received a wife into lawful marriage. After the death of his spouse he became a Bishop. This Saint was given such grace to work miracles and healings, through his simplicity and purity, that due to his numerous miracles that he worked, he received the nickname Wonderworker. For in a time of drought he brought down rain through his prayers. And because this rain became too much, he prevented it from excessively falling. When the sellers of wheat contemplated making people go hungry, the Saint vanquished their plans. For through his prayers the granaries that stored the wheat fell. He changed a snake into gold, and after this gold ceased the misfortune of a poor man, the gold became a snake once again. He also calmed the current of a river. To a prostitute who dared to approach him he revealed her sins, and by this he persuaded her to repent and confess. He was present at Nicaea during the First Ecumenical Synod which gathered together in the year 325, and by the power of the Holy Spirit he silenced the heretical Arians, who took pride in their external wisdom and eloquence. He raised his daughter from the dead, in order for her to reveal where she hid a valuable vessel that belonged to a woman. He liberated Emperor Constantius from a calamity he suffered from. He raised from the dead a child of a certain woman, after which she died from her sudden joy upon receiving her resurrected son back. When the fire from the lamp extinguished due to lack of oil, he made it gush forth with oil. He healed the Deacon who had no voice, by which the Saint had previously punished him. For he was ordered to say a prayer abbreviated due to the extreme heat, but out of his pride he prolonged it.

The Fascinating History of the Relics of Saint Spyridon

By John Sanidopoulos

Saint Spyridon reposed in the Lord in the year 348 in his native Cyprus. It was observed soon after that his revered relics remained incorrupt and became a source of many miracles, to the glory of God. For three hundred years after his repose, his sacred relics remained in Cyprus, and in the seventh century, according to his biographer Bishop Theodore of Paphos in 655, they were placed in a church in Trimythous of Cyprus.

Due to the Arabic raids on Cyprus, the sacred relics of Saint Spyridon were transferred to Constantinople at the end of the seventh century, probably in the year 691 by order of Emperor Justinian II (685-695, 705–711). In Constantinople the relics were kept in a female monastery, according to testimony from a twelfth century manuscript (Cod. Paris. Gr. 1594), next to the male Monastery of Christ Philanthropos, probably in the Convent of the Panagia Kecharitomene, which were both founded in the eleventh century by Irene Dukas, wife of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (1081–1118), and were separated by a wall.

The Healing of a Young Boy from a Deadly Illness in 1861 by St. Spyridon

A certain lad named John Pallios, the only son of Spyridon and Katherine Vrikos, were Orthodox Christians residing for many years in Barletta, a town in central Italy. Early in November 1861, when John was eight years of age, he was stricken by a severe case of typhoid fever which grew progressively worse over seventeen days, defying all medical treatment. 

Saint Spyridon Heals a Quadriplegic Woman in 1855

Hieromonk Gregory Valmes records a miracle of Saint Spyridon in a pamphlet he published in 1856. It reads as follows:

A woman by the name of Vasilo from Zagora, Epirus, the daughter of Constantine Simos and Christina Kyritse from the village of Vounou of Chemara, on the 13th day of July, in the year 1853 decided to go on a two-mile hike with several other women of the village, to gather firewood. Indigenous to this area is a wood that burns easily and it is used by the Greeks of Epirus because of its high resin content. Vasilo returned on the 16th of that month. Fatigued as she was from the trip and the heavy weight she had carried on her back, she sat down to eat her supper. Thus doing, she perspired profusely, so she bathed her feet and hands in cold water. Yet, the task was not completed when her left leg and arm stiffened, causing her unbearable pain. The pitiful woman grieved over this occurrence.

Many were her attempts during the next two years to find relief or escape from this condition. All treatments failed. Driven by terrible grief and despair, she resorted to a certain Turkish hodja for treatment. She spent a great deal of money, but to no avail; for she was deceived by him and remained in her incurable illness.

While leading this type of lamentable life, she obtained a separation from her husband with his consent and that of the Church. She had become a burden on herself, and for her relatives and friends, who by now had grown weary of taking care of a quadriplegic woman who was unable to attend to her personal needs. Thereafter, she gave herself over to mourning, tears and repentance. With a contrite heart, she implored the all-merciful God and His saints to forgive her sins and relive her of this crippling disease.

In December of 1855, she beheld in her sleep a cleric, who stepped on her withered foot, saying, "Do not write to thy brother in Kerkyra, as thou hast planned, but go in person." She was astonished by this, and out of curiosity asked, "Who mightest thou be?" The cleric answered, "I am the Saint thou hast besought many times." She was awakened by this vision and terrified. Vasilo related it to those in her house. They all agreed that she must do all those things she was ordered to do in the vision.

With burning faith, this unfortunate woman was resolved to make the journey. Vasilo was brought to the shores of Epirus in a large basket tied to a horse. In this manner, she was taken to Kerkyra where all were horror-stricken as they beheld her hopeless and incurable condition. She was transported from the shore to the Church of Saint Spyridon in a cart. Once there, she was placed on a chair and brought before the relics of the wonderworking Spyridon. There, she fell with inconsolable tears upon the Saint, imploring him unceasingly to intercede before the all-merciful and almighty God to grant her forgiveness of sins, eternal salvation for her soul and physical health.

Great is the Lord in His saints! The fervent tears of faith and the intercessions of our Saint and patron moved divine pity. Therefore, during the second vigil that she made lying near the relics of the Saint, at about midnight, she attained the health for which she longed. At that moment, Vasilo called the parish priest and proclaimed with tears of joy the miracle of Saint Spyridon. Afterward, she confessed with true repentance and compunction. At dawn, she walked unassisted before the Royal Gates and received the Immaculate Mysteries. Safe and healthy, she returned to her homeland. She glorified God and was acclaiming to all the great boldness the wonderworking Spyridon possessed before God.

From The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church: December. Holy Apostles Convent (Buena Vista, CO) 2003. pp. 542-543.

Saint Spyridon as a Model for our Lives

St. Spyridon the Wonderworker (Feast Day - December 12)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

In a previous article we discussed Saint Katherine who was wise and of the world, having studied nearly all the sciences of her day. Presently we will deal with Saint Spyridon, who was a private man and uneducated, according to human knowledge, yet both are found among the chorus of saints. With the sacramental life and asceticism they purified their vessel and reached the experience of true love. Human education is useful insofar as it helps in finding the truth and the path that leads to eternal salvation. The great Saint of Romiosini, Kosmas Aitolos, built schools for people to learn to read Holy Scripture, as he said, as well as the lives and writings of the Saints. But it must be said that books are useful and necessary until one acquires God. Saint Symeon the New Theologian tells us: "Acquire God, then you will have no need of books." Besides, what will one do with human knowledge, when they hold the knowledge of God!

Saint Spyridon knew God, because from childhood he learned to communicate with Him through prayer. So he became truly wise and this was clear to everyone, especially during critical and decisive moments in his life. At the First Ecumenical Synod he preached the consubstantiality of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, in his own unique way, and he overcame Arius. He acquired the gift of wonderworking due to the purity of his heart and his great love towards God and man. He was made worthy to speak with his dead daughter, to ask her where she hid the jewelry entrusted to her by her neighbor, and she responded to him from the grave. He didn't have money to give to a certain poor farmer who was in distress due to the drought, which caused him and his family to go hungry, so he thought to give a gold object to pay off his lenders so he can obtain wheat. But as a Bishop he was more poor than he was, which is why he resorted to a miracle. A certain snake was circulating outside his house so he changed it into gold and gave it to him. Most importantly, however, was that when he was liturgizing he would see Holy Angels coliturgizing with him. These wondrous events raise doubts among unbelievers, but impression and awe among believers. But we must not remain in wonder, but proceed to the cause of the events. We should look to see how he acquired these gifts and move on to imitate his pious life.

The Bishop of Tremithus was guileless and simple. He experienced the words of the Apostle to the Nations: "That being enriched in all things, you may abound unto all simplicity, which worketh through us thanksgiving to God" (2 Cor. 9:11). He had true compassion in his heart which fit the entire world. Precisely because he was rich in his heart, he did not measure perishable and false wealth at all. He was very poor materially and not a lover of money in the least. Very characteristic is the incident with Emperor Constantius, which allows us to unfold the splendor of his sanctified soul and his utter disdain for material goods. When he healed the Emperor of an incurable disease, the Emperor wanted to reward him and give him gifts of great worth, but the Saint refused everything. Of course after much perseverance he got a little money for the poor of his District and, humble as he was, he rushed to return to his flock, avoiding the glories and honors towards his person. This is the ethos of the Saints. He did not want to exploit his acquaintance with the Emperor and the gratitude felt by this higher Ruler towards him, in order to extort money or glory, which is common in our days. He wasn't avaricious and ambitious, but a lover of God and lover of man. He built palaces and castles in the hearts of people and saved money in the bank of heaven. Our society has a need for such people, for they are the salt which preserves it from rot and decay. They are the true consolation of the people of God, their cane and their support.

Saint Spyridon, humble shepherd of Tremithus, bishop and pastor of reasonable sheep, pray for Kerkyra, which holds your incorruptible Holy Relic, and for Cyprus, the much-tortured island that gave you birth. Even for Turkish-trodden Tremithus, your Diocese, "wasted by misery, rescue them through your intercessions".

Source: Ekklesiastiki Paremvasi, "ΑΓΙΟΣ ΣΠΥΡΙΔΩΝ", December 1997. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Saint Spyridon and the Restoration of a Demonized Woman

On Palm Sunday in the year when the memorable Nikephoros Theotokes (c.a. 1760), the luminary of the Church, taught in Kerkyra, recounting the diverse miracles of Saint Spyridon and commending his listeners to his protection, the following took place. Two weeks later, as he was speaking to a crowd of eyewitnesses to the Saint's miracles, the holy and grace-filled relics passed by in a procession. A certain possessed woman who foamed at the mouth and gnashed her teeth was brought forward. Even though she was bound hand and foot, two or three men were scarce able to restrain her violent behavior. Her face was disfigured and did not resemble that of a human. Her voice was altered and changeable, for at times she snorted like an ox, or barked like a dog, or even cried like a baby. Now they laid her on the ground, three times, so that each time the relics of the wonderworker Spyridon would pass over her (thrice to signify the Holy Trinity which the righteous one preached at the First Ecumenical Synod). Straightway - O the wonder! - the woman came to her senses, ceased wailing and spoke like a human being, no longer making strange noises. Therefore, they immediately untied her. She rose by herself and with tears in her eyes fell at the feet of the Saint, venerating and thanking the blessed one.

From The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church: December; Holy Apostles Convent (Buena Vista, CO) 2003 pp. 540-541.

Saint Spyridon Resource Page

St. Spyridon (Feast Day - December 12)

 

Verses

Although the wonderworker Spyridon is deceased,

His wonders have still not ceased.

On the twelfth Spyridon departed this life. 

 

About the Saint

  

Synaxarion of Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker

  

Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker of Trimythous

  

Early Christian Histories of Saint Spyridon

 

Saint Spyridon as a Model for our Lives

 

December: Day 12: Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Trimythous

 

Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 

 

Saint Spyridon: Protector of the Poor, Father of Orphans, Teacher of Sinners

 

Encomiastic Discourse on Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Trimythous, the Wonderworker (Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Mani) 

 

Saint Irene, Daughter of Saint Spyridon

 

Saint Triphyllios, Bishop of Leukosia and Disciple of Saint Spyridon

 

 

His Relics 

  

The Fascinating History of the Relics of Saint Spyridon

  

The Right Hand of Saint Spyridon

  

Photographs of the Right Hand of St. Spyridon in Russia

  

Elder Paisios on the Incorrupt Relics of St. Spyridon

 

 

His Miracles 

  

8 Miracles of Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker

 

Saint Spyridon and the Proud Deacon

  

The First Recorded Miracle of St. Spyridon in Kerkyra

 

Two Miracles of St. Athanasius the Great in Kerkyra

  

Palm Sunday, the Deadly Epidemic of 1630, and the Miracle of Saint Spyridon

 

Commemoration of the Miracle of Saint Spyridon in 1673

 

The Great Miracle of St. Spyridon on August 11, 1716

 

Remembering the Miracle of Saint Spyridon in 1718

 

Saint Spyridon and the Restoration of a Demonized Woman

  

Saint Spyridon Heals a Quadriplegic Woman in 1855

 

The Healing of a Young Boy from a Deadly Illness in 1861 by St. Spyridon

 

Nikolai Gogol and the Miracle of Saint Spyridon

 

Miracles of Saint Spyridon During the Greco-Italian War of 1940

 

Saint Spyridon Saves His Island In 1940

 

September 14, 1943: The German Bombardment of Kerkyra and Kefallonia (Events Which Inspired the Book and Film "Captain Corelli's Mandolin")

    

Saint Spyridon Caters For His Feast

 

The Miraculous Glass of Saint Spyridon in Jerusalem

 

Testimony of a Miraculous Appearance of Saint Spyridon to a Couple in Athens in 1994

  

A Recent Vision of Saint Spyridon To A Child

 

Cretan Artist Attributes Rescue in Car Accident to Miracle of St. Spyridon

  

 

His Veneration and Shrines 

  

The Veneration of Saint Spyridon in Cyprus

 

St. Kosmas Aitolos and the Church of St. Spyridon in Vuno, Albania

  

Skete of Saint Spyridon on the Island of Halki

 

Saint Spyridon in Zaros: a Vision, a Chapel and a Baptism

  

Cave Church of Saint Spyridon in Rethymnon