Thessaloniki: Unique icons from the tomb of Agios Paisios at the Monastery of Agios Ioannis the Theologian (VIDEO)
A unique video from a drone download – its creation George Sal– presents the tomb of Agios Paisios at the Holy Hermitage of Agios Ioannis the Theologian in Souroti, Thessaloniki.
The memory of Agios Paisios is honored every year on July 12, the day of his death in 1994. The admirers of the especially beloved Mount Athos monk, are increasing in number and believe in miracles and prophecies of the scientist. In 2015 he was proclaimed a Saint of the Orthodox Church by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and his memory is celebrated on July 12.
The life of the Saint
Arsenios Eznepidis, as his secular name was, was born in Farasa, Cappadocia, on July 25, 1924. His father was called Prodromos and he was the mayor of Farasa, while his mother was called Eulambia. He still had 8 brothers. On August 7, 1924, a week before the Christian Pharisees left for Greece because of the populations between Greece and Turkey, he was baptized by the priest of the parish of Arsenios, whom the Orthodox Church recognized as a saint in 1988.
Arsenios insisted and gave him his own name “to leave a monk on his leg”, as he had characteristically said. On September 14, 1924, the Eznepidis family, together with the caravans of refugees, arrived in Piraeus and were promoted to Corfu, where they remained for a while. He then transferred to Igoumenitsa and ended up in Konitsa, where the young Arsenios finished primary school. Until he was called up for military service, Arsenios learned the art and worked as a carpenter.
In 1945 he enlisted in the army and served as a radio operator during the Civil War. That is why many publications dedicated to the life of the Elder mention him as “Wireless of God”. He was discharged from the army in 1949 and the following year he entered Mount Athos to become a monk. There he met Father Cyril of the Koutloumousiou Monastery and followed him faithfully. A little later he joined the Monastery of Esfigmenos and became a monk named Averkios.
In 1954 he left the monastery of Esfigmenos and joined the Monastery of Philotheos, where one of his gods was a monk. His meeting, however, with the elder Symeon was a catalyst for the course and the formation of his lonely character. It was then that he received the name Paisios.
In 1958 he left Mount Athos for the Holy Monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin in Stomio Konitsis. In the area where he grew up, he remained for four years, and left behind a great pastoral and charitable work, which was highly appreciated by the people of Konitsa.
In 1962 Paisios went to Mount Sinai and in 1964 he returned to Mount Athos, from where he never left. In 1966 he became seriously ill and was admitted to Papanikolaou Hospital in Thessaloniki. He underwent surgery, resulting in partial removal of the lungs. During his recovery he was hosted at the Holy Hermitage of Agios Ioannis the Evangelistos in Souroti. He returned to Mount Athos after his recovery and in 1968 helped significantly in the renovation of Stavroniki Monastery.
In 1979 he joined the fraternity of Koutloumousiou Monastery and settled in the hermitage of Panagouda. Since then he has become known by those who visit and seek advice on their personal matters. Despite his busy schedule, he continued his intense ascetic life.
In 1993 his health deteriorated. The doctors diagnosed colon cancer and the old man Paisios underwent surgery on February 4, 1994 in “Theagenio” of Thessaloniki. The cancer developed into metastatic and at the end of June his doctors announced that his life expectancy was two to three weeks at most.
In the last days of his life he decides to take medication or painkillers, despite the horrible pains he felt.
Finally he slept on July 12, 1994 and was buried in the Holy Hermitage of Agios Ioannis the Theologian in Souroti, Thessaloniki.
On January 13, 2015, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople decided to classify the monk Paisios of Mount Athos in the Hagiology of the Orthodox Church.