Saint Paisios Athonita (born Arsenios Eznepidis, Farasa Asia Minor, July 25, 1924 - Saint John the Theologian Monastery in Suroti - Vasilika Thessaloniki, July 12, 1994) was a 20th century Greek Cappadocian monk who became widely known for his monastic life and activities. His classification as a saint of the Orthodox Church was granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on January 13, 2015, and his memory is celebrated on July 12, the day of his burial. In 2017, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, he was declared the patron saint of military intercessory weapons.
First years
Childhood
Born on July 25, 1924 in Faras, Cappadocia, he was the son of Prodromos and Eulogia-Eulabia Eznepidis. He had yet eight brothers and sisters, and his father was a village chief. On August 7, 1924, a week before the Farasiots left for Greece, he was baptized by Pastor Arsenios, whose 1986 Church The Orthodox recognized him as a saint. Arsenios insisted and gave him his own name, "to," he said, "leave the monk on his feet.
Five weeks after the baptism of the then-young Arsenios, on September 14, 1924, the Eznepidis family, due to a population exchange, along with a caravan of refugees, arrived at the small port of Agios Georgios Keratsinios in Piraeus. He then went to Corfu, where he was temporarily incarcerated in Kastro for a year and a half. He then moved to Igoumenitsa and ended up in Konitsa, where he completed elementary school and received a certificate of graduation "with a grade of eight and excellent behavior." From an early age he always carried a piece of paper with him, on which he noted the miracles of St. Arsenius. He showed a special inclination towards monasticism and ardently desired to become a monk. Parents They told him, "grow your beard first, and then we'll let you go."
Growing up and the military
Between now and his service in the army, Arsenios worked as a carpenter. When he was commissioned to make a coffin, he, sharing the grief of his family and the poverty of the time, did not ask for a money.
In 1948, Arsenios served in the army as a radio operator during the Civil War. As long as he wasn't a radio operator, he asked to be able to fight on the front line so that some family members wouldn't get hurt. However, most of his service was in the specialty of radio operator. This is why many publications on Elder's life refer to him as "God's Emergency Man." Indeed, Elder, citing this ability during his military service as an example, replied to someone who questioned the usefulness of monastic life, that monks are "radio operators of God," meaning their fervent prayer and concern for the rest of humanity. He was discharged from the army in 1949.
Monastic life
Early years
Arsenios first ascended Mount Athos to become a monk in 1949, shortly after his discharge from the army. However, he returned to secular life for another year to rehabilitate his sisters, so he went to Mount Athos in 1950. He initially settled in the skete of St. Panteleimon, in the cell of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There he met Father Cyril, who was the abbot of the monastery and faithfully followed him.
Soon after, he left the monastery and headed to Esfigmenos Monastery. There, on March 27, 1954, the "racioeviche" ceremony was held and he took his first name, which was Averkios. And there he immediately distinguished himself by his diligence, the great love and understanding he showed to his brothers, his faithful obedience to his elder, and his humility, since in practice he considered himself inferior to all monks. He prayed fervently. Among his favorite readings were the sayings of the Desert Fathers and Abba Isaac of Syros.
Shortly thereafter, he left Esfigmenos Monastery and headed to Philotheos Monastery, which was a monastery of sorts, where his uncle was also a monastic. However, his meeting with the elder Simeon was the catalyst for the course and formation of Paisyus' monastic character. On March 3, 1957, he was ordained as a "Crusader" and received the "Little Shape." It was then that he was finally given the name "Paisios," in honor of Metropolitan Paisios II of Caesarea, who was also a native of Cappadocia.
In 1958, guided by "inside information," he went to Stomio Konitsa. There he conducted work that dealt with heterodoxy, but also included help tormented and poor Greeks, whether through charity work or by comforting and mentally supporting them with the word of the Gospel. He stayed for four years at the Holy Monastery of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Stomio, where he was much loved by the people of the region for his service and character.
In 1962, he traveled to Mount Sinai, where he stayed for two years in the cell of saints Galactius and Science. He became especially close to the Bedouin, giving them food with money from the sale to pilgrims of wooden crosses he made himself.
Return to Mount Athos
In 1964, he returned to Mount Athos and stayed at Skete Timios Prodromos Iviron. At the time, he was a subordinate of the Russian monk Tikhon, who practiced in the Starakhovichi cell of the Holy Cross until his death in 1968, after which, in accordance with Tikhon's wishes, he remained in his cell for eleven years. That same year, he advised one of his upcoming disciples, Basil Gontikakis, to become abbot and help rebuild the holy patriarchal and cruciform monastery of Stavronikita, an important step in the revival of monasticism on Athos. Elder Paisios greatly revered his Elder, Tikhon, and always spoke of him with emotion.
In 1966, he became seriously ill and was admitted to the "Georgios Papanikolaou" hospital in Thessaloniki. He underwent surgery, as a result of which his lungs were partially removed. During the period until his recovery and return to Mount Athos, he was hosted at the Holy Monastery of Saint John the Evangelist in Souroti. After his recovery, he returned to Mount Athos and in 1967 moved to Katounakia, specifically to the Lavreotiko cell in Ypatio. He was then transferred to Stavronikita Monastery, where he greatly assisted in physical work, contributing to the renovation of the monastery.
In Panaguda
In 1979, he left Skete Timios Stavros and went to Koutloumousiou Monastery. There he joined the monastic brotherhood as a disciple-monk. Panaguda was an abandoned cell, and Paisios worked hard to create a "prison" cell, where he stayed for the rest of his life. From the time he took up residence in Panaguda, he was visited by crowds of people. In fact, there were so many people that there were even special signs pointing the way to his cell, so that visitors would not disturb other monks. He also received too many letters. As the old man used to say, he was very distressed, because all he learned from the letters were divorces and illnesses, mental or physical. Despite his busy schedule, he continued to live an intense ascetic life, to the point that he rested little, 2-3 hours a day. However, he continued to receive and try to help visitors. He also made "stamped" icons, which he gave to visitors as blessings.
As a monk, he had love and humility to the fullest extent. He helped his guests, in simple terms, move from superficial religiosity to an ontological experience of the fact of the Church. He cared for the whole world, especially children and young people.
There was an unfounded rumor that many tame snakes lived in his cell, and this was probably a myth that he himself cultivated to avoid nuisance visitors. According to a philosophical analysis of the perception of nature in Christianity, this is part of the orthodox hagiological tradition, in which saints have communion with animals. It is believed that this level of understanding of nature embedded in Western culture is something that escapes the one-dimensional historical-analytical narrative of many modern Western philosophers.
Diseases
In 1966, Elder was hospitalized at George Papanikolaou Hospital for bronchitis. After surgery to remove them, and due to the use of strong antibiotics, Elder developed pseudomembranous colitis, which left him with permanent indigestion. At one point, while working on the press in his cell, he developed an inguinal hernia. He refused to be hospitalized and patiently endured the disease, which gave him terrible pains for four or five years. One day, during a visit to Souroti, doctors friends took him to the Thessaloniki Theagenio Cancer Hospital, where he underwent surgery. The elder continued, despite the doctors' objections, to live a hard life of asceticism and physical labor, which further aggravated his condition.
After 1993, he suffered from hemorrhages, because of which he refused to be hospitalized, claiming that "everything will settle with the soil." In November of the same year, he left Mount Athos for the last time and went to the holy monastery of St. John the Theologian in Suroti - Vasilika Thessaloniki for the feast of St. Arsenios (November 10). He remained there for several days, and while he was preparing to leave he fell ill and was transferred to Theagenio, where he was diagnosed with a tumor in his colon. He considered the cancer a fulfillment of his petitions to God and beneficial to his spiritual health. On February 4, 1994, he underwent surgery.
Although the illness did not subside, but gave metastasis to the lungs and liver, the Elder announced on June 13 his desire to return to Mount Athos. However, a high fever and shortness of breath forced him to stay.
The end of his life
In late June, doctors announced that his life expectancy was two to three weeks at most. On Monday, July 11 (the feast of St. Euphemia), he communicated for the last time, kneeling in front of his bed. In the last days of his life, he decided not to take any medication or painkillers, despite the terrible pains associated with his illness. He finally passed away at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 12, 1994, at the age of 69, and was buried at the Holy Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Souroti - Vasilika, Thessaloniki. Since then, every year on July 11-12, the day of his feast, a vigil is held at the Holy Retreat with the participation of thousands of the faithful.
Author's work
Elder Paisios wrote 4 books that were published by the Holy Monastery of "Evangelist John the Theologian" of Suroti in Thessaloniki. These books are entitled:
Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia (1975).
Old Hatzi-George the Athonite, 1809-1886 (1986)
Holy Fathers and Mount Athos (1993)
Letters (1994)
Appreciation and posterity
Even before the death of Saint Paisyus, a myth began to form around his name. In the monastic community of Athos some Senior monks and zealots, such as those at Esfigmenos Monastery, were critical of him. According to Patriarch Bartholomew, Paisios was one of the people responsible for the revival of monasticism on Mount Athos, which was in decline until the 1960s. He is known in Greece and on Mount Athos, along with Saint Porphyrios, as a miracle worker and healer.
The wonderfulness surrounding the elder Paisios has led hundreds of people to visit the monastery of St. John the Theologian in Souroti, which is also known by his name, every day to venerate the tomb where he rests. There are also dozens of books in circulation with his teachings and prophecies, dealing with topics ranging from the end of the world to the liberation of Constantinople and Albanian territories from Greece, (specifically the northern continent) and the dissolution of Turkey, as well as Skopje. Interest in Paisios especially grew during the Greek economic crisis.
The saint has also been honored with events at Orthodox organizations in Russia, and a book about his life has been translated into Russian.
In 2016, a documentary film on the life of St. Paisyus was produced by Moscow's POKROV Film Studio and the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia. Financial support for the project was provided by the Federal Press and Media Agency, which is part of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Media of the Russian Federation. This documentary presents testimonies from bishops, monks and laymen about their experiences with St. Paisyus.
In 2022, Mega Channel TV aired the historical biographical series "Saint Paisios - from Faras to Heaven." It was characterized by a huge reception by TV viewers, with the first episode being watched by 1,597,820 viewers, and the highest percentage in the audience category was 40.6%. In the second episode, the series' viewership increased to 1,610,519 viewers. Similar success was achieved in Cyprus, where the series aired on Alfa Cyprus, where the first episode exceeded 30% in total viewers, reaching 30.6%.
Ranking of the Saints
On January 13, 2015, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate met and decided to qualify the monk Paisios of Mount Athos for the Holy Calendar of the Orthodox Church. On November 2, 2017, Saint Paisios of Mount Athos was declared the patron saint of the intervention rifle in the Greek army. The first parish church in Greece dedicated to the Saint is the church in Nea Ephesus in Pieria, and in Cyprus the Holy Church of Saints Paisios Athonite and Arsenios Kappadokou in Ekali, Limassol.