Nectarius Aegina life. The attendant was indescribably amazed: “For the first time I see a bishop without a panagia, a golden cross, and most importantly, without money”

Saint Nektarios of Aegina today is one of the most revered saints of Greece and the entire Orthodox world. Read how to find the icon of the saint, what miracles he is famous for and how to pray to him.

Saint Nektarios of Aegina - modern miracle worker

Greek Orthodox Church - Russian Sister. Many revered saints have also appeared here over the centuries. Among the Greek saints of our time are the venerable elder Paisios the Holy Mountaineer, many Athos ascetics, and St. Nektarios of Aegina. Today he is one of the most revered saints of Greece and the entire Orthodox world, despite the fact that he lived quite recently - at the beginning of the 20th century. The saint is known as a public figure, as well as the person who created or, according to legend, wrote down the hymn to the Virgin "Agni Parthena" from the words of the Angels.

In his life he suffered many attacks and troubles due to the intrigues of church people, but he did not betray the Church, he did not lose faith in people, but he was able to expose impiety, envy and hatred with his meekness.

Since the 2000s, Saint Nectarios has been widely revered in Russia. We will tell you how to find the icon of the saint, what miracles he is famous for and how to pray to Nectarios of Aegina.

Icon of St. Nectarios: how to recognize the saint?

• On the image, the saint is depicted as an old man with a bushy gray beard (sometimes black hair is written in it).


• On his head is a monastic hood, in his hands is the Holy Gospel or the icon of the Virgin. an old man with a Gospel or an icon of the Mother of God in his hand. This is evidence of the life of Saint Nectarios according to the commandments of God.


• The clothes of the saint on the icon can be of two types: the usual cassock of a priest with a black monastic cassock or the episcopal vestments worn in the Hellenic Church: light with large black crosses. According to the testimony of people who knew the saint, during his lifetime he hardly wore any other clothes, since he was modest and either went about business in a black robe, or served divine services in vestments.

Life of Nectarios of Aegina, the Persecuted Saint

The future Saint Nectarios, in the world Anastasios Kefalas, was born in the village of Silivri near Constantinople in 1846. His parents were poor, but had many children, being sincerely religious people. From childhood, the future saint prayed a lot in the temple, studied the Holy Scriptures, and was a respectful and obedient child. Dreaming of learning and helping his parents, he went to Constantinople. First, it was necessary to get a job in order to pay for education and housing.

The saint was an ordinary person, just like many of us. He worked in a factory, then, with God's help, got a job in a church, where he worked as a caretaker and teacher at a school. Unable to endure life in Constantinople, the saint went to the island of Chios to teach children and live a quiet life. Here he told the children and their parents about God, created a children's choir that sang at the services.

According to legend, one year Saint Nectarios - then Anastasius - went to visit his parents, and a ship sailing from the island got into a storm so that the mast broke. After the fervent prayer of the ascetic, the sea calmed down. Perhaps it was then that he decided to asceticize in the monastery: soon the saint went as a novice to the monastery of Neo Moni and, upon tonsure into a monastic robe, received the name Nectarios.

Thanks to one of the benefactors of the monastery, the future saint, who was drawn to knowledge from childhood, graduated from the theological faculty in Athens. Here he met the Patriarch of Alexandria himself and attracted his attention. Through prayer, study and service, he grew spiritually and quickly moved up the hierarchical ladder, soon becoming the secretary of the Patriarch, and then being appointed as the representative of the Patriarch in Cairo, and finally was elevated to the episcopal rank. Then he was only forty years old: by the standards of the Church, such an archpastor is considered young.

Unfortunately, the people of the Church themselves began to weave intrigues against the saint at his new place of appointment: priests, employees of the diocese. We are all sinners, and the whole Church cannot be blamed for the sins of some people. But through their slander and slander, Saint Nektarios was removed from the throne by the same Patriarch who recently treated him with such kindness. At the request of the Patriarch, he had to leave Egypt - moreover, the loving holy flock wrote a whole letter of thanks with many signatures to him and asking the Patriarch to leave St. Nektarios on the pulpit.

He had to endure difficult times - everyone would be offended by the slander of his comrades-in-arms and the trust of the authorities in denunciations. However, the life of the saint testifies that he endured everything with thanksgiving to God.

He did not even immediately dare to deny the slanders and intrigues before the Patriarch in order to show his sincerity. After explanations, he still did not return the removed rank of metropolitan. Only at the request of the benefactors of the Church, in particular, the mayor of Athens, Saint Nektarios, was appointed a simple preacher at the temple. His position in the priesthood was unclear, he even signed as "traveling bishop". By God's providence, the Queen of Greece herself learned about the fate of the persecuted saint - Olga, the wife of George VI, a relative of the holy Royal Passion-Bearers (Tsar Nicholas II and his wife). She became the spiritual daughter of the saint and placed him at the head of the school of the clergy.

Even during the earthly life of the saint, many people noticed that through the prayers of the saint, the Lord works miracles. So, as soon as he promised to pray for a person, difficulties were solved literally the next day, circumstances changed. Since there were many spiritual daughters around the saint who wanted to become monks (there were similar cases in the Russian Orthodox Church, with St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Ambrose of Optina), St. Nektarios decided to found a convent. He found an abandoned monastery on one of the Greek islands - it was by the name of this island that the saint was canonized, he is called Aegina. He himself searched for benefactors for many years, did menial work like taking out garbage with his sisters, was never proud of his spiritual gifts, but took care of everyone - from random beggars who came to the monastery to his spiritual children. Therefore, people helped him, contributed to the creation of the monastery, themselves ennobled their lives following the example of the saint, following his advice. Often, at the call of God, people brought food or money to the monastery at the very last moment - when the saint and sisters of the monastery thought that hunger was approaching.

Being an elderly man, St. Nektarios no longer aspired to a public life, he did not care about his good name before the Patriarch. He simply lived in the monastery, nourishing people spiritually and helping the sisters. At the end of his life, the saint fell seriously ill. For two months he endured great pain, but he never grumbled at God, and he was taken to die only in the simplest ward for the poor. His death was righteous, after receiving Holy Communion, at the age of 74. On November 8 (21), 1920, the day of commemoration of the Cathedral of the Heavenly Forces of Michael the Archangel, the saint died in the hospital. Here the first obvious miracles took place, with which the Lord glorified His saint: for 11 hours his body lay in the hospital and exuded only fragrance, and the one lying on the next bed was paralyzed after a part of the saint’s clothes was transferred to him (which sometimes happens in hospitals) He was completely healed and was able to walk on his own. These miracles continue to this day at the relics of the saint.

The relics of Nectarios of Aegina and the veneration of the saint

The holy relics of the persecuted "traveling bishop" were found in 1961, in the Holy Trinity Monastery, founded by him, after many testimonies of the help of St. Nektarios through prayers to him. According to the observations of many people, the flowers brought to the newly acquired relics did not fade, but lay fresh at his shrine for several days.

Today the life of St. Nektarios of Aegina is the history of the Church. The saint is justified from slander, and his meekness and patience in such a difficult situation surprise and delight many people.
It is known that St. Nectarios spiritually conveyed his blessing to the new Greek saint Jerome of Aegina, who venerated him and prayed before his grave in the monastery.

The day of memory of the saint and wonderworker Nectarios is celebrated three times a year:

November 22 - the day of repose to the Lord,
June 22 - the day of finding the relics,
September 3 - transfer of relics.

These days, short prayers to the saint are also read in the Russian Orthodox Church: troparia and kontakia.

You can read them online in Russian at any difficult moment in your life:
The sprout of Silivria and the guardian of Aegina, who appeared in the last days, a sincere friend of virtue, we honor you, Saint Nectarios, all of us, faithful people of Christ, as a divine servant of the Lord: you give many and various healings to those who joyfully sing to you: glory to Christ glorifying you, glory to God Who gave you the grace to perform miracles, glory to Him Who gives healing to everyone through you.

Divine thunder, spiritual trumpet, planting faith and cutting off heresies, saint of the Most Holy Trinity, the great hierarch of God Nectarius, standing together with the Angels now before God, always pray to Him for all of us.

He lived like the Lord, like a wise hierarch, and you glorified God with a virtuous life, Saint Nectarios. Therefore, you became famous for the power of the Comforter of the Holy Spirit, and with your holy relics you cast out demons and heal the diseases of all who come to you with faith.

Miracles and Grace of Saint Nectarios of Aegina

Many miracles were revealed by the Lord through Saint Nectarios during his lifetime.

• His face shone during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Some of his spiritual children saw him soar above the earth while praying.



By feats of fasting, prayer, selflessness, and help to people, Saint Nektarios acquired the gifts of the Holy Spirit: insight, prophecy, constant heartfelt prayer. The saint often gave away everything he had: shoes, clothes, donations that his spiritual children brought him, even he exchanged his only cassock with a poor priest who did not have decent clothes in order to go to the ruling bishop. The saint himself repaired people's shoes and did a lot of menial work in the monastery. When material difficulties came, the saint, in the simplicity of his soul, came to the icons of the Mother of God and the Lord, stretched out his hand and turned to them with a story that there was no money, but the Lord knows how much he needs and can give. Indeed, the monastery never became impoverished, and the saint himself did not know the severe need in his declining years, by the grace of God.




Saint Nektarios is known as the creator of the beautiful hymn "Agni Parfene" - "Holy Virgin". This is a prayer where the words “Holy Virgin, rejoice” are repeated many times, as in an akathist. According to the contemporaries of the saint, it is known that once he prayed with the warmth of his heart and felt the wonderful peace of his heart. The Mother of God Herself appeared in his cell, surrounded by the Angelic Forces, who sang this hymn in a wonderful tune. Today it is sung throughout the Orthodox world. In Greece it is almost a national anthem.




Also, during the life of the saint, after his settlement on Aegina, the attacks of robbers, who had previously tormented the population, ceased.




The well, the owner of which sold water to the nuns of the monastery, eventually discovered that its level was greatly reduced, and forbade taking water for the monastery, pointing it out to the saint. Immediately the saint prayed - and water rushed into the well with a noise. Shocked, the owner of the well donated it to the monastery.




Many farmers came to the saint, asking for a harvest and good weather. The memory of the people of Aegina has preserved many cases when, immediately after the prayer of St. Nektarios, the drought stopped and life-giving rain fell on the crops. According to the people of Aegina, the climate began to improve with the appearance of Lord Nektarios on the island.




The saint also helped in other simple peasant concerns. So, one elderly woman complained about the damage by beetles to her only olive. The saint simply got up and went to the tree, which he overshadowed with the banner of the cross with a prayer. Immediately, a cloud of insects was removed from it.




The nuns of the Trinity Convent spoke about an amazing miracle, similar to the miracle of Christ Himself. Once, right during lunch, a group of pilgrims came to them, tired and hungry from the road. The food was ready only for the sisters, who, in embarrassment, turned to the saint, the head of the monastery. Saint Nektarios offered to put the food back into the pans and blessed the food. When they began to distribute it, it turned out that there was enough for both the sisters and the pilgrims, and there were still three full plates left. The food has multiplied so wonderfully.




Finally, it is known that during the First World War, many soldiers of Greece fought, and those of them who asked for the blessing of St. Nektarios before being sent to the front (and he constantly prayed for them in the altar of the temple, at the Liturgy), all returned safe and sound.

Prayer to St. Nektarios can be read online in Russian according to the text below
“O myrrh-streaming head, Saint Nectarios, Bishop of God! At the time of the great apostasy, when the world was captivated by wickedness and godlessness, you shone with piety and the demonic prince Dennitsa, who attacked all Orthodox Christians, defeated. Therefore, the Lord gave you the gift to heal our incurable diseases, which afflict us because of our sins. We believe that the Lord loved you as a righteous man, ask Him to have mercy on us sinners, save us from His punishment and heal illnesses, may His Name be glorified throughout the Universe.
O God-wise and all-holy father, our Nectarios, Saint of Christ, a great miracle worker and glorified by people! We come to you, honoring you with faith and love, bringing you praise and honor from the bottom of our hearts and feelings and mind. You, the saint of God, have become like a morning star, which illuminates all the ends of the world, darkened by unbelief, by the grace of Christ, which you received thanks to your righteous humble life and meekness of disposition, having been granted an incorruptible blessing from God. Therefore, we, unworthy people, pray to you: do not forget us, who pray to you with zeal. Enlighten our souls, darkened by passions, illuminate our minds, renew our thoughts, O saint of God who is in the eternal Light! Grant us to learn the Divine teaching and sacred church knowledge, not worrying about worldly and vain things.
Save us, our reverend father, and strengthen us to believe, love and hope in the Lord our God, heal our mental and physical illnesses, be our patron and refuge in sorrows and sorrows, and attacks, give admonition and help correct sins, grant the grace of God to us always, so that we glorify the One True God, Who manifests His greatness in His holy saints, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen".

What is asked of Nectarios of Aegina by reading an akathist

Prayer to Saint Nectarios is read in different cases:

• For good weather, cessation of rain or drought;


• For healing in diseases, injuries, wounds;


• If oncological diseases are suspected - for the correct diagnosis and treatment of the disease;


• With unfair insults;


• If necessary, have the strength to be patient;


• In difficult circumstances, when you need to have strong trust in God and faith in Him.

On the days of the celebration of the memory of the saint, a prayer service is performed to the saint with an akathist, translated into Russian from Greek. This is a special long prayer, which is sung in the church, and can be read at home. Akathist to St. Nektarios of Aegina is read if necessary. If it is necessary to get rid of great mental heaviness, to recover from a serious illness, they read it; you can take on a prayer feat and read it for 40 days in a row. For a long reading of the akathist, it is better to take a blessing from the priest, describing your situation to him. Perhaps his word will help you, support and console you.

Any akathist consists of alternating kontakia (with descriptions of historical events, penitential words) and ikos (their characteristic feature is the repetition of the word "rejoice" in the second part). With the help of an akathist as a long prayer hymn, the worshipers glorify the saint.

This is the genre of prayer. having 12 kontakia and 12 ikos, alternating according to the kondak-ikos scheme. Akathist can be easily recognized by the repeated words-calls "rejoice", which are contained at the end of the ikos. The kontakia and the beginnings of the ikos contain historical information, repentant and pleading appeals to the Lord - in the akathist to the Savior Not Made by Hands. Over time, bishops, priests, leaders of the Church, ordinary believers compiled akathists to almost every saint glorified by the Church

Through the prayers of St. Nektarios of Aegina, may the Lord keep you!

2 strong prayers to St. Nektarios of Aegina the miracle worker

Prayer to the miracle worker Nectarius of Aegina for healing

“Oh, myrrh-streaming head, to Saint Nectarios, Bishop of God! In times of great apostasy, who captivated the world with wickedness, you shone with piety and crushed the head of the proud Dennitsa, who stung us. For the sake of granting you, Christ heals the ulcers that are incurable, for our iniquities that struck us. We believe: love the righteous God, that for the sake of us sinners, have mercy on you, resolve the oath, save you from ailments, and throughout the universe, His name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, will be fearful and glorious, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen."

Prayer to St. Nectarios of Aegina for oncology

“Oh, Saint Nectarios, God-wise Father!
Accept, guardian of the Orthodox faith, the confession of the lips of the people of Christ-named, gathered today in the temple by the grace of God that lives in you. The message is more reachable to the limit of Russia, as you, great in the saints of the saint of Christ, at all ends of the universe calling on your name are and you grant healing from cancer. I heard about the priest, your namesake and the temple in your name, who built with great sorrow. You were struck by a cancerous ulcer of the chest, blood for every day, sharpening, and suffering fiercely, but you did not leave your holy work. All of a sudden, you, mercifully to the Hierarch, having descended from heaven, appeared to him in the temple in a visible image. He, who does not pray to you, is one from mortal being, asking for your prayers and saying: afterward, I am ready to die, for death does not frighten me. But you, father, are incorporeal, your face is watered with tears! and the volume of the sufferer, kissing and saying: “Do not grieve, my child, as if you have been tested by illness, you will be healthy. All ubo know about this miracle.” He, having been healed, had no understanding, with whom you spoke, you were invisible to the former. Oh, the great saint of Christ Nectarios! This temple is now complete, and your miracles are like a surging sea multiplying! We will know that the prayer of the righteous should be hastened by our zeal for the service of God and the determination to die for Christ, may we be blessed. They pray to you, righteous father, your sick child: may the will of God be done with us, good, pleasing and perfect, not wanting the sinner to die, but to turn and live to be him. But you, proclaimer of the will of God, heal us with your grace-filled appearance, may God be great in heaven and on earth forever and ever!
Amen."

(Σηλυβρία της Θράκης), not far from Constantinople, in the family of pious parents Dimos (Demosthenes) Kefalas, a sailor by profession, and Vasiliki (Balu) from the Triandaphyllides family, who besides him had six more children. On January 15, a three-month-old baby was baptized. From childhood, I fell in love with the temple, the Holy Scriptures, and learned to pray. The poverty of his parents did not allow him to study in his homeland, and at the age of 14 he left for Constantinople in order to take a job and pay for his studies.

Life in Constantinople was not easy. The boy first got a job at a tobacco factory, but there were not enough funds, and once despairing, realizing that there was no one to wait for help, Anastasy decided to ask the One whom he loved so much and whose help he relied on all his life. He wrote a letter to the Lord: “My Christ, I have no apron, no shoes. I ask You to send them to me, You know how much I love You.” On the envelope he wrote the address: “To the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven” and asked him to take the letter to the post office of his neighbor merchant. He, surprised by the unusual signature on the envelope, opened the letter and, seeing such a request and the power of faith, sent money to the boy on behalf of God.

Then he managed to get a job as a caretaker at a school at the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where he had the opportunity to continue his education and immerse himself even more deeply in church life.

At the age of 22, Anastasius moved to the island of Chios and began working as a school teacher in the village of Lifi. Here he not only teaches, but also preaches. His influence on his students was such that they, and through them all the adults, were soon imbued with love and deep respect for him. He created an excellent choir from his students and sang with them in the village church, but his soul was drawn to monasticism.

On August 6 of the same year, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite in the Cairo church of St. Nicholas. Appointed preacher and patriarchal secretary, and then patriarchal vicar in the city of Cairo. With zeal and selflessness, he accepted a new obedience and appointment, and for his zeal received the title of Supreme Archimandrite of the Alexandrian Church.

The episcopal dignity did not change the way of life and behavior of Nectarios in any way. However, the rapid rise, the love of the patriarch and the people, and the even more virtuous and pure life of the saint aroused envy and hatred in many. Influential people of the patriarchal court feared that universal love for the saint would lead him to the number of contenders for the place of Patriarch of Alexandria, since Sophrony was already in advanced years. They slandered the saint, accusing him not only of encroaching on the patriarchate, but also of immoral life.

By this time, his spiritual children began to gather around Nectarios, many went to him for advice and blessings. At the same time, the gifts of God's grace began to appear in the elder-hierarch: clairvoyance, the gift of healing.

Among the numerous spiritual children, several girls gathered near Vladyka, who wanted to devote themselves to monastic life, but did not dare to go to any monastery, so as not to lose the spiritual guidance of their mentor. As a good shepherd, taking care of them, Nectarios began to look for a suitable place and stops his search on the island of Aegina, which he visited on September 2-10, 1904. Having found the ruins of an ancient monastery here, he buys this land at his own expense. Here come the first inhabitants. This is how the female Trinity Monastery on Aegina arose.

The saint predicted to his novices that their monastery would be rich if they worked hard. The whole life of the new monastery passed under the guidance of St. Nektarios, with whom the sisters kept in constant correspondence. What paternal love, care and tenderness are filled with his letters. For some time the saint at the same time directed the school, staying in Athens, and his newly built monastery.

At the beginning of the year, Mr. Nectarios suffered a serious illness, after which he decided to leave his post and on February 7, wrote a letter of resignation from the post of headmaster, which was accepted on April 16, 1908 ..

On April 20, he moved to the island of Aegina. On June 23 of the same year, he consecrated the monastery of the Holy Trinity, in the reconstruction of which he took an active part. From that moment on, for twelve years, he constantly lived in a one-story house outside the monastery walls, built by his efforts " in this harsh and waterless place", and worked, physically and spiritually helping the formation and further activities of the monastery.

He spent the last twelve years of his life with his nuns, raising them for the Kingdom of Heaven. They had to endure many sorrows and temptations, but these were also years of grace. During this time, the monastery was put in order, the economy was adjusted.

Towards the end of his life, another blow fell upon the Saint. 18-year-old Maria Kuda came to the monastery, having run away from the despotic candle-mother. Saint Nektarios accepted her into the monastery. Then the girl's mother filed a complaint against the saint, accusing him of seducing the girls and killing the babies they supposedly give birth to. The investigator, who arrived at the monastery, called the saint a centaur and dragged the elder by the beard, and he humbly answered him and himself prepared food for the offender, forbidding the nuns to cry and grumble. The girl was examined by a doctor and confirmed her cleanliness; “Killed” babies, too, of course, were not found. After that, the girl's mother went crazy, and the investigator fell seriously ill and came to ask for forgiveness from the saint.

Feeling the approach of death, he prayed that the Lord would extend the measured period for completing all the affairs in the monastery, but, like all his life, he humbly added: “Thy will be done!” The long-hidden disease finally took its toll. In September of the year, accompanied by two nuns, he was sent to the Athens hospital "Areteion (Areteo)". Looking at the little old man, dressed in a cassock, who was suffering from terrible pain, the officer on duty asked: “Is he a monk?” “No,” the nun replied, “he is a bishop.” “For the first time I see a bishop without a panagia, a golden cross, and, most importantly, without money,” the official remarked.

He did not stay long in the hospital, he turned out to have prostate cancer. The saint was placed in a third-rate ward for incurable patients. He spent two months in torment, never ceasing to give praise to God and give thanks to Him.

Miracles also happened in the hospital, the nurses noticed that the bandages with which they tied the wounds of the Saint were fragrant. Together with the saint, a paralyzed man lay in the ward, and when the saint's soul left this world, he received complete healing through the shirt of Saint Nectarios.

He died on November 8 of the year, on Sunday, at 10:30 p.m., on the day of the celebration of the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael of God and other incorporeal Heavenly Powers, having communed the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Relics and veneration

After his death, his body began to stream myrrh. When the coffin was brought to Aegina, the whole island came out to see off their saint with tears. People carried the coffin in their arms and then noticed that the clothes in which they were during the funeral of the saint were fragrant. The hands and face of the saint of God abundantly streamed myrrh, and the nuns collected myrrh wool.

The monastic crypt in which St. Nektarios was buried was opened several times for various reasons, and each time they were convinced that the body was incorruptible. Even the violets placed in the coffin by the girl were not touched by smoldering.

On April 20, by the patriarchal and synodal decree of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Metropolitan Nectarios was canonized, and his holy relics were raised. It turned out that only the bones remained. As confessors said, the relics decayed so that they could be carried around the world for a blessing from St. Nectarios.

In Greece, he is revered everywhere as a famous miracle worker. Through the prayers of St. Nectarios, innumerable signs of God's mercy were performed. There is a popular saying: "There is nothing incurable for Saint Nectarios." Many temples and chapels are dedicated to him.

In the same year, the Holy Synod of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church issued a decision on the complete ecclesiastical rehabilitation of St. Nektarios of Pentapolis. On the occasion of this event, a large conference was convened in Alexandria, numerous official festive events were held with the participation of all Orthodox Local Churches, and the year 1999 was declared the year of St. Nectarios

On October 1, 1846, in the village of Silivria, in eastern Thrace, Dimos and Vasiliki Kefalas had their fifth child. At baptism, the boy received the name Anastasy. Pious parents raised their children in love for God: from an early age they taught their children prayer chants and read spiritual literature to them. Anastasius most of all liked the 50th psalm, he liked to repeat the words many times: “I will teach the lawless in Your way, and the wicked will turn to You.”

Anastasy dreamed of getting a Christian education, but, after graduating from elementary school, he was forced to stay in his native village, since the family did not have money to send him to study in the city. When Anastasia was fourteen years old, he begged the captain of the ship en route to Constantinople to take him with him ...

In Constantinople, the young man managed to get a job in a tobacco shop. Here Anastassy, ​​true to his dream - to spiritually help his neighbor, began to write the sayings of the holy fathers on pouches and wrappers of tobacco products. It was not possible to fully eat on a meager salary, and buying clothes was out of the question. Anastassy, ​​in order not to fall into despondency, prayed unceasingly. When clothes and shoes were worn out, he decided to ask the Lord himself for help. After describing his plight in a letter, he wrote the following address on the envelope: "To the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven." On the way to the post office, he met the owner of a nearby shop, who, taking pity on the barefoot young man, offered to take his letter. Anastasy gladly handed him his message. The amazed merchant, seeing the unusual address on the envelope, decided to open the letter, and after reading it, he immediately sent money to Anastasia. Soon Anastasy managed to get a job as a caretaker at the school at the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Here he was able to continue his education.

Soon Anastasius got a position as a teacher in the village of Lifi on the island of Chios. For seven years, Anastasy not only taught, but also preached the "word of God." In 1876, Anastassy became a resident of the Neo Moni Monastery (New Monastery). On November 7, 1876, Anastassy was tonsured a monk with the name Lazarus. On January 15, 1877, Metropolitan Gregory of Chios ordained Lazarus to the rank of deacon, with the new name Nektarios. The young deacon still dreamed of studying, in his daily prayers he asked the Lord to give him this opportunity.

By the providence of God, one pious rich Christian offered the young monk Nectarius to pay for the journey and education. From 1882 to 1885, Deacon Nektarios studied at the theological faculty of the University of Athens. After completing his education, on the recommendation of his benefactor, he moves to Alexandria. On March 23, 1886, Deacon Nektariy was ordained a priest. Father Nektary receives an assignment to St. Nicholas Church in Cairo. In the same temple, he was soon elevated to the rank of archimandrite, and after some time the Patriarch decides to confer on him the title of Supreme Archimandrite of the Church of Alexandria.

On January 15, 1889, Supreme Archimandrite Nectarios was ordained a bishop and appointed Metropolitan of the Pentapolis Metropolis. In those years, Vladyka Nektary wrote: “San does not elevate its owner, only virtue has the power of exaltation.” He still seeks to acquire love and humility. The virtuous life of Vladyka, his extraordinary kindness and simplicity, aroused not only the love and respect of the faithful. Influential people of the patriarchal court feared that universal love for the saint would lead him to the number of contenders for the position of His Holiness Patriarch of Alexandria. They slandered the saint. In his deepest humility, the righteous man did not even try to justify himself.

“A good conscience is the greatest of all blessings. She is the price of peace of mind and peace of mind,” he said in his sermons, leaving his pulpit forever. The Metropolitan of Pentapolis was dismissed and had to leave the Egyptian land.

Returning to Athens, Vladyka Nektary lives for seven months in terrible hardships. In vain he goes to the authorities, he is not accepted anywhere. The mayor of the city, learning about the plight in which Vladyka Nektarios was, secured for him a position as a preacher in the province of Euboea. The fame of an unusual preacher from the provinces soon reached the capital and the Greek royal palace. Queen Olga, having met the elder, soon became his spiritual daughter. Thanks to the queen, Vladyka was appointed director of the Rizari Brothers Theological School in Athens. With inexhaustible love and patience, Nectarius treated his wards. There are cases when, for the fault of his students, he imposed a strict fast on himself. One day, a cleaning worker at the school fell ill and was very worried that he would be fired from his job. A few weeks later, when he returned, he found that someone had been doing his job all this time. It turned out that Vladyka himself secretly cleaned the school so that no one would notice the absence of a sick worker.

For his great humility and love for people, Vladyka Nectarios was honored with the gifts of the Holy Spirit: insight and the gift of healing.

Among the numerous spiritual children, several girls gathered near Vladyka who wished to devote themselves to the monastic life. In 1904, Vladyka Nektary founded a convent on the island of Aegina. With his own funds, he managed to buy a small plot of land on which there was an abandoned, dilapidated monastery.

For some time, Elder Nectarios simultaneously led the school and the monastery, but soon he left the school and moved to the island of Aegina. He will spend the last twelve years of his life on this island, which will soon become a place of pilgrimage for many believers. In the meantime, there was a lot of work to be done to restore the monastery… The elder’s spiritual children said that Vladyka did not shy away from any kind of work: he planted trees, laid out flower beds, removed construction debris, and sewed slippers for nuns. He was infinitely merciful, quick to respond to the needs of the poor, often asking the nuns to give the last meal to the poor visitors. Through his prayers, food or donations were brought to the monastery the very next day…

Once a poor elderly woman turned to Vladyka for help. She said that her olive tree was “attacked by red midges”, which destroy the leaves of the tree, and asked to bless the olive. Vladyka overshadowed the tree with a cross, and to the general surprise of those present, “a cloud of midges rose from the tree and flew away.”

Once, when the workers were transporting lime from the monastery to the village to extinguish it near the well, the water in the well ran out. Raw lime could quickly harden and become unworkable. The elder was informed of what had happened. Vladyka himself came to the well and blessed the workers to finish the work. To everyone's surprise, after Vladyka left, the well quickly filled with water. The work was successfully completed.

The spiritual children of the elder said that thanks to the prayers of the elder Nectarios, not only did the situation on the island change for the better (robbery and robbery stopped), but the climate also changed. The peasants more than once turned to the elder for prayerful help during a drought: through the prayer of Vladyka Nektariy, blessed rain descended on the earth.

According to the testimonies of the nuns, many believers revered Vladyka as a saint: believers said that they saw how during prayer he was “all aglow.” And one of the nuns once was honored to see how Vladyka Nectarios was transformed during prayer. She said that when he prayed with raised hands, he was “two spans raised above the ground, while his face was completely transformed - it was the face of a saint.”

From the memoirs of the nun Evangeline, recorded in 1972 by Manolis Melinos:

“He was like an incorporeal… He had some special attraction. All glowed ... He had a calm face. And what purity exuded his glance! Those blue eyes… It seemed that they spoke to you and called you to the Lord… He was full of love for everyone, he was humble, merciful. He was a man who loved silence.”

One day, pilgrims from Canada came to the monastery and asked Elder Nektary to pray for the healing of a paralyzed relative. Vladyka promised to pray. Some time later, on one Sunday, they saw Vladyka in the same Canadian church where the patient had been brought. Eyewitnesses said that Vladyka Nektary, coming out of the Royal Gates, uttered the words: “Come with the fear of God and faith!” and called the patient to communion. To everyone's surprise, the patient immediately got up and approached Vladyka. After the Liturgy, the elder disappeared.

The Canadian, who received such a miraculous healing, immediately went to the island of Aegina to thank Lord Nectarios. Seeing an old man in the monastery, he threw himself at his feet in tears. Elder Nectarios was distinguished not only by his endless kindness and love for people and all living things around him, but also by his extraordinary simplicity. In the monastery, he served as a simple priest, and the bishop's vestments always hung near the icon of the Mother of God. The elder ate very modestly, the main food was beans.

In September 1920, the seventy-year old man was taken to a hospital in Athens. Vladyka was assigned to a ward for poor terminally ill people. For two months, doctors tried to alleviate the suffering of a seriously ill old man (he was diagnosed with acute inflammation of the prostate gland). Vladyka courageously endured the pain. There are testimonies of medical workers that the bandages with which they tied up the old man exuded an extraordinary aroma.

On November 8, 1920, the Lord called the soul of Vladyka Nectarios to Himself. When the body of the deceased began to change clothes, his shirt was accidentally placed on the bed of a paralyzed patient lying next to him. A miracle happened: the patient was immediately healed. From the memoirs of nun Nektaria:

“When Vladyka died and he was taken to Aegina, I went too. The coffin was accompanied by many priests, his students of the Rizari school, and a mass of people. All Aegina is out! The flags were flown at half mast. Shops, houses are closed... They carried him in their arms. Those who carried the coffin said that later their clothes smelled so fragrant that they reverently hung them in the closets as a shrine and no longer put them on ... We are all sisters, about ten people were at the coffin and held a box of cotton wool. We constantly rubbed Vladyka's forehead, beard and hands - between the fingers. In these places, Miro showed through like moisture through the walls of a jug! This went on for three days and three nights. All people dismantled cotton wool. Myro was very fragrant.”

The spiritual daughter of the elder, Maria, said that, seeing the elder on his last journey, she placed a bouquet of forget-me-nots in his coffin. And when, five months later, during the reburial, the coffin was opened, everyone was extraordinarily surprised to see that not only the body and clothes of the righteous man had not undergone decay, but the flowers had retained their freshness. Many miraculous healings took place at the grave of Elder Nectarios.

It should be noted that the inhabitants of the Greek island of Aegina, through the prayers of the righteous, were protected during the occupation. After the war, the former German commandant of Athens admitted that military pilots flying out to bomb about. Crete, flying past the island of Aegina, did not see it (and this, despite good visibility and the absence of clouds).

Why did Christ send the great Saint Nectarios of Aegina from Jerusalem on high to serve the Paschal Liturgy in a mountain village on the island of Aegina?

o.Aegina, Greece

The minibus smoothly came to a stop in the dense shade of an old acacia tree, and in a minute we found ourselves in front of stone steps polished by thousands of feet. The sun was at its zenith, heating the mountain air to the state of a lens that creates the optical effects of a mirage. In the distance, sea waves splashed inaudibly, shimmering with facets of precious sapphires. But even if they were made of real diamonds, they would equally fade before the main treasure of the island of Aegina, to which we had three hundred steps.

The fair-haired guy in front, our leader and leader from the Orthodox center "Thessalonica", took off his cap and crossed himself in a sweeping way. Above majestically towered a huge white-pink basilica with a red domed roof - the monastery of the Holy Trinity, founded in the early twentieth century by Metropolitan Nektarios of Aegina.

Metropolitan Nektarios of Aegina

We crossed the Holy Gates of the monastery. I walked towards the end and for some reason remembered the parable of the three holy simpletons who walked on the waters and prayed to the Holy Trinity: "Three of you, three of us, Lord, have mercy on us." And there are three of us too! And us, Lord, have mercy! We flew, sailed and rode to this hot island from the three ends of Russia - Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. This is how interestingly the providence of God brought us here. As we set out on our journey, none of us knew who would be our companion. Only the One Who gathered us on a long journey to pray. Only He Who, in the eternal determination, chose triune Russia as His last earthly throne. Knowing everything from beginning to end, have mercy and forgive what You have chosen through the prayers of the kindest Saint Nectarios.

We passed along emerald cypresses and bouquet trees of the color of bold fuchsia. Do you have premonitions? Feelings of proximity of an incredible, peering into the pupil, incomprehensible, gently touching the vein on the pulse to correct the hoarse voice of blood? Then you will understand the growing feeling of a miracle when we venerated the holy relics of Metropolitan Nektarios in the church.

“There is nothing incurable for Saint Nectarios”

The relics of St. Nectaria

We are called to the cell of the saint. A modest room with whitewashed walls and icons on them testifies to the ascetic owner. A narrow iron bed in the corner, a chair, a table and an old cabinet with a collection of sea sponges - the craft of local fishermen. This is a gift to the saint from local residents. One day the sponge-catchers on Aegina, before going to sea, prayed to their patron saint and promised to present him with the first sponge they caught in exchange for his blessing. All the sponges caught that day were marked with the sign of the Cross. The shocked catchers immediately brought them to the monastery.

In the monastery on the island of Aegina

Save, Lord, brothers and sisters! - A middle-aged nun stepped on the threshold of the cell. - Thank God that you have come to St. Nektarios.

At the same time there was a loud whisper: "Ours!" A minute later, mother was already serving us a traditional treat in Greek monasteries - coffee with Turkish delight.

We already know that Saint Nectarios is revered in Greece as a great miracle worker. That in Hellas there is even a folk proverb "There is nothing incurable for Saint Nectarios." Our hospitable hosts from the Orthodox center "Thessalonica" told us a lot of wonderful things about the saint, we heard something from people. But we were waiting for the fulfillment of a presentiment - that which has not yet been told and not described. And in answer to our silent prayer, mother put down the coffee pot and sat down next to me on a dark bench polished with cassocks, on which, perhaps, the saint himself was sitting.

One miraculous event in a forgotten mountain village at Easter

A few years ago, the inhabitants of one of the mountain villages of Aegina were left without a priest, - the sister made a long pause and took a breath with her lungs, as if she was going to take an invisible height. - Time passed, but no new priest was appointed. Finally, Great Lent came, and the peasants became agitated. In Greece, on the first and last week of Holy Four Days, work and study stop - Hellas prays. Flags are flown at half-mast everywhere - like mourning for the crucified Christ, people stand daily at long Lenten services, go in processions throughout the district of the parish, keep a strict fast without oil, and many do not eat at all. To remain at this time without a priest for the parish is an unthinkable thing.

After consulting, the peasants decided to write a pleading letter to the ruling bishop of the diocese. “Holy Master,” the inhabitants of the village pleaded, “send us a priest at least for the time of Holy Week and Easter. So that we can adequately prepare, repent, pray and joyfully meet the Bright Resurrection of Christ with the whole world. Do not leave us orphans, Holy Master, do not Forget about our grief. Send us a priest, whom Your Eminence will bless."

The bishop read the letter and at the next diocesan meeting, in a series of other questions, announced the request of the laity of the Aegina village: "Who can go, fathers, to this village?" But each of those present explained his employment and gave the reason why he would not be able to go. Then the meeting moved on to other issues, and the mountaineers' letter was covered with a heap of other papers. And then they simply forgot about him due to many troubles and preparations for the approaching Easter.

Aegina Monastery

Finally, the Great Day of the Resurrection of Christ has come, which in Greece is extremely festive and solemnly met by the whole world. Orthodoxy is the official religion of Hellas, and here it is also a public holiday, which is celebrated with the participation of not only the church, but also the government hierarchy. The first festive week passed, the diocesan employees went to work, and soon the bishop found a new letter from the mountain village on his desk. “Holy Vladyka!” the peasants wrote. “There are no words to express all our gratitude and heartfelt gratitude for your pastoral participation and help to our parish. We will forever thank God and you, Holy Vladyka, for the reverent priest whom you sent us to meet Easter. Never before have we had to pray with such a grace-filled and humble servant of God..."

The bishop began the next diocesan meeting with a question: "Which of the priests went to the village from which the last letter was read?" Everyone was silent, no one answered. Great bewilderment and ardent curiosity seized the saint. A few days later, the rocky mountain roads of the island of Aegina swirled with dust - a bishop's motorcade rushed to the mysterious village. For the first time in his life, Vladyka came to this forgotten village with a magnificent retinue. With Easter cakes, kulurakia, krashenka and flowers, they were met by the inhabitants in full force, from the old to the young, and solemnly escorted to a small ancient temple.

Aegina Monastery

Vladyka took the magazine, hurriedly flipped through the pages and read: “Nektarios, Metropolitan of Pentapolis”

All Greek priests are considered civil servants, and everyone is required to leave an entry in a special church journal, even if he served in the temple once. The archbishop kissed the revered temple icon and immediately went to the altar. Through the open Royal Doors, everyone saw how he took the magazine and went to the high narrow window. Hastily flipping through the pages, he traced the last line with his finger. "Nectarios, Metropolitan of Pentapolis"- it was written in beautiful ink there. Vladyka dropped the magazine and fell to his knees where he stood.

The news of the great miracle struck all who stood in the temple like thunder from heaven. A long ringing silence was broken by a flurry of overwhelming feelings. People fell on their knees, raised their hands to grief, embraced, sobbed, loudly thanked God and Saint Nektarios. Only now did everyone present begin to understand what had happened. The Lord Almighty heard the tearful sigh of the heart of His faithful sheep, left in sorrow in a distant small village at the top of the mountain, and sent them a great shepherd from the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord of the earth, due to weakness, forgot about the entrusted small flock, but the Lord of Heaven and Earth did not forget about him. Now they knew what the moment of Truth was. For a whole week, St. Nektarios, who reposed in 1920, was flesh with the simple-hearted shepherds and their families, served in the church, led them in processions, led solemn funeral processions-epitaphs with the Holy Sepulcher at night, sang hymns and prayers with them, consoled, instructed . They had never heard such words about God from anyone. It seemed that this old geronda with a soft voice knew Him personally.

In the monastery of St. Nectaria

Only then did the people understand why all this time unearthly joy overwhelmed their hearts. Why tears of repentance and tenderness flowed like a river, and no one held them back and was not shy. Why they did not want to eat, did not want to sleep, but only to pray with this marvelous good father. The icon of St. Nektarios was in their temple in a place of honor, but none of them recognized him. This the Lord hid from them.

Christ sent St. Nektarios to celebrate Pascha with the shepherds, not only because this area was in his "zone of responsibility." There are other reasons as well...

He was persecuted, accused of bribery, intrigue and even fornication. And somehow he was caught cleaning the floor at school

For many years, the great saint of the Ecumenical Church, Nectarios of Aegina, was mercilessly persecuted. He was subjected to monstrous slander by part of the clergy, tormented by jealousy and envy of his talents and people's love. He was persecuted, volumes of denunciations were written against him, he was accused of bribery and fornication. By the grace of God, he became an eminent theologian, a prolific writer and preacher, and was elevated early to the episcopal rank. Nectarios remained the most visible, the most educated, the most enthusiastic and impeccable.

He was loved and appreciated by the Patriarch, revered by the flock. But a new slander fell upon Vladyka Nectarios, as if he was aiming for a patriarchal position. And His Holiness of Alexandria, believing the slander, changed mercy to anger: he was expelled from the Patriarchate and banned from serving contrary to church canons, contrary to the holy fathers and traditions. Saint Nektarios left Egypt, where he served, not trying to justify himself or defend himself, but only repeating after the long-suffering Job: "The Lord gave, the Lord took away." He knew, like David, that the salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord. Blessed are you when they reproach you and persecute you... (Matthew 5:11). Those great gifts that Nectarios possessed demanded from him great stamina in the face of difficult trials.

Saint Nektarios

The metropolitan was on the verge of poverty, for a long time he had no means of subsistence. The hostess, from whom he rented a room, did not charge him for meals and lodging, seeing in front of her a man of a holy life. He was an itinerant preacher in abandoned villages, working at a school. Once, when the school janitor, a father of many children, fell ill, the saint began to come early in the morning in order to have time to clean up the classrooms and toilets. After being discharged from the hospital, the man barely made it to school. Entering the building, he was speechless when he saw Nektariy with a rag and a shovel. “Do not be afraid,” the saint reassured. “I am not encroaching on your place, on the contrary, I am doing everything to keep it for you until your final recovery ... But be careful: while I live in this world, no one should know about what you saw."

One day, when Saint Nektarios, exhausted by poverty and shaken by the betrayal and distrust of his friends and relatives, prayed in contrition, an amazing peace descended on his heart. It seemed to him that he heard harmonious singing. Guessing what was happening, he raised his eyes and saw the Most Holy Theotokos accompanied by a host of angels singing in a special tune. He wrote down the words and melody. This most beautiful hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos, known as Agni Parthene, is known to the entire Orthodox world.

Few people know that this hymn was written by the hand and heart of Nektarios of Aegina

Mary, Pure Virgin, Most Holy Theotokos,

Queen, Mati Devo, Fleece, covering all,

Exceeding the Heavenly Forces, uncreated radiance,

Faces of maiden Joy and Angels the Highest...

In 1904, Vladyka with several spiritual children, girls who wanted to devote themselves to Christ, came to the island of Aegina in order to choose a place for the monastery. Blessed Island! Here even the dogs don't bark at strangers. When you meet a passerby on your way, a man or a woman, you will most often hear Christ's greeting: "Rejoice!" With meager funds and donations from benefactors, Nectarios purchased the ruins of an old monastery. On one of the marble slabs mounted on the wall of the church narthex, it is written: "Nektarios, Metropolitan of Pentapolis, erected this temple to the eternal glory of the Triune God."

Once the Aegina Monastery, which was still under construction, was visited by the Metropolitan of Athens. Stopping at the service entrance, he asked the poorly dressed old man, who was preparing the mortar, to call the Metropolitan of Pentapolis. The old man immediately went after him. When the Metropolitan of Athens saw a worker who had turned into a hierarch, he experienced some confusion and said:

Is that you, Nectarios? In this form?.. In a few years, your monastery, on which you spend so much effort, will look just like the ruins opposite.

The Saint answered with inspiration:

My brother and co-servant, this is not at all about whether my monastery will come to such a state as you say. On the contrary, soon these ruins will rise on the island to the glory of the Triune God.

Saint Nektarios

God's people do not keep diaries, so we know very little about their inner life, their inner struggle is unknown to us. One ascetic who lived on Aegina said that the saint was seen praying with tears in his eyes in the church in front of the holy icons for three days and three nights without any food or water. No one knows what kind of trial he then underwent. Only after the appearance of the Angel of the Lord did he leave the temple and, having overcome the temptation, returned to his ordinary daily life. Even the saints are subjected to temptations - until the very end of their earthly life.

People who happened to pray with Vladyka said that these services were similar to the Liturgy that should be performed in Heaven. For the saint himself was worthy to become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and the owner of grace-filled gifts.

During the last year of his life in the monastery, the saint suffered from unbearable pains. He had cancer. He spent two months in the Athens hospital, where he was brought by two nuns. Looking at the little old man, dressed in a faded cassock, who was suffering from terrible pain, the duty officer asked: "Is he a monk?" "No," answered the sister, "he is a bishop."

The attendant was indescribably amazed: “For the first time I see a bishop without a panagia, a golden cross, and most importantly, without money”

The saint was placed in a third-rate ward for incurable patients. Soon the nurses noticed that the bandages with which the lord's wounds were tied were fragrant. On November 9, 1920, at the age of seventy-four, the soul of the saint departed to the Lord. The nurse, who was preparing the body for burial, laid his shirt on the edge of a nearby bed, where a sick man, who had suffered from paralysis for many years, lay. The chamber was filled with a marvelous fragrance, and the paralyzed man immediately got out of bed healthy. The fragrance spread throughout the hospital and did not disappear for several days. The Metropolitan's body began to profusely stream myrrh.

When the coffin was brought to Aegina, the whole island came out with tears to see off their saint. He was buried by the common people who loved him like their own father. People carried the coffin of the saint in their arms and then noticed that even the clothes in which they were at the funeral were fragrant. When, three years later, the monastery crypt was opened, where Saint Nektarios was buried, they found his body and vestments completely incorrupt. Smoldering did not even touch the violets placed in the coffin by the girl.

On April 20, 1961, Metropolitan Nectarios was canonized by the Ecumenical Church. And the countless miracles created by the saint do not stop from the moment of his blessed death.

Until the end of his life, he had to bear the cross of exile and the name of the disgraced metropolitan, who did not belong to any autocephalous Church. He was forced to sign all his papers "traveling bishop." It is not surprising that this particular wanderer of God, almost eighty years after his repose, was sent by Jesus to the shepherds in a mountain village cut off from the world, but close to Heaven, to serve the Paschal Liturgy. Christ favors the shepherds who were the first to come to worship him. He loves the simple, as does His faithful servant Nectarios. Vladyka's adopted son said: "He loved the local people very much, especially the poor and humble. When one of the high-ranking officials came to his office, he would say to me:

My child, how empty they are, these scholars..."

Until now, the Lord honors His humble and simple-hearted children with the greatest miracles and consoles with the prayers of angels and saints. This amazing story-symbol that happened in our days confirms this. It grows up to the Biblical epic, stretches from the time of the forefather Abraham to St. Nektarios of Aegina. All the same, in its center, in the middle of a crazy world, to the death rattle, strangled by the nets of a totalitarian civilization, in the ark-cradle on the top of the mountain, there are heroes whose prototypes were sung in the psalms of King David. This story rises to the Gospel parable. Before the ancient Greek epic. To the mysteries-archetype, where the Shepherd and the flock celebrate Pascha together in blissful eternal joy. Where the laws, images and plot are unchanged now and forever and forever and ever.

The way back to the old acacia blurred underfoot from heat and tears. The guide looked back at the pilgrims buried in the glass and touched the key. The sound of the angelic hymn Agni Parthena, performed by the brethren of the Athos monastery Simono Peter, poured like drops of living rain:

Heaven Honest Strength and Light, more than all the lights,

Most Honorable Lady of all Heavenly Hosts,

Rejoice, Unbrided Bride...

The bus moved slowly down the slope. Pink rocks, a red dome, candles of cypresses floated outside the window. And the sound grew and flew up:

Sacred and Immaculate, to the Lady of All,

Rejoice, unmarried bride.

Incline to me the mercy of the Divine Son,

Rejoice, unmarried bride.

Intercessor of salvation, crouching, I cry out to Ty:
Rejoice, unbrided bride!