During the Occupation [of Greece by the Germans in World War II], Fr. Georgios Ayiopavlitis was a gardener and he was inducted into the Resistance. Together with other monks, he assisted Allied escapees, but was betrayed by a Romanian [For most of WWII, Romania was an ally of Germany]. He Read more…
Georgios Martzelos Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite was one of the greatest figures on Mount Athos in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born on Naxos in 1749, and his baptismal name was Nikolaos. He received his elementary education on his native island, going on to the Evangelical Read more…
Monk Chariton of Karoulia The monastery was founded in 980 by the Iberian noble and distinguished general John Thornic, who essentially enlarged and renamed the old monastery of Clementos granted to him by the emperor Basil II. Of this earlier monastery’s only part of the katholikon seems to have Read more…
Elder Aimilianos Simonopetritis † None of us would doubt that prayer is, indeed, a fundamental necessity for any soul. It is the tree of life which nourishes people and renders them incorruptible, because it allows them to enter into communion with the eternal and incorruptible God. Just as there Read more…
Moving on now to more theological issues, one day I asked the Elder whether God Himself really had to be crucified in order for us to be saved. Wasn’t there another way? ‘Of course’, he said, ‘only the Lord knows these things. However it seems as if there was no Read more…
Watch Now “Athos is the motherland of orthodox monasticism in the world!”: In this part of his interview to Pemptousia, Archimandrite Damascene talks about his experience of his visits to Athos, the Holy Mountain. Source: pemptousia.com
Let me now mention some other teachings and advice the Elder gave. Regarding the so-called ‘enlightened’ laywomen who supposedly see revealing visions, apparitions of Saints, talk all the time with Our Most Holy Lady and so on, the Elder, generally speaking, didn’t have a good opinion (unless it was an Read more…
For those whose parents are seriously ill, the Elder advised that they should do whatever good and kind deed they can for their parents, to care for them lovingly, to give them affectionate attention and treat them with the tenderness they would a baby, to look after them in every Read more…
Among other things, I asked the Elder what I could do to love Christ? I thought that he’d tell me all sorts of things involving unceasing prayer, many prostrations, fasting and so on, but he simply said: ‘Love Christ’s Cross’. Indeed, looking upon the Saviour’s Cross you learn to gratefully Read more…
On many occasions, at the big feast of the province, instead of being the chief celebrant at the liturgy, as was his right, grandly wearing his monastic veil and expensive vestments and ordering his juniors about, the Elder would wear a shabby habit, would not concelebrate, but instead assisted and Read more…