Sunday
Having venerably lived, like a wise hierarch, / glorified the Lord with a virtuous life, Nectarios reverend. / The same, the Comforter is glorified by strength, / by your divine relics, / drive away the demons and heal the sick, / by the faith of those who come.
Troparion, ch. 4
Divine thunder, spiritual trumpet, faith to the planter and cutter of heresies, pleasing to the Trinity, great saint Nektarios, standing with the Angels forever, pray unceasingly for all of us
Kondak, ch. 2
Dear brothers and sisters!
On November 9 (22), the Orthodox world honors the memory of St. Nektarios of Aegina, Metropolitan of Pentapolis (in the world - Anastasius Kefalas), who was born near Constantinople in 1846. The veneration of the saint in the Eastern Churches is comparable to the veneration in Russia of our reverend and God-bearing father Seraphim of Sarov.
The heart of Archbishop John of Shanghai burned with special love for the saint. San Francisco miracle worker. A few months before his blessed death, Vladyka John asked that the life of Saint Nectarios be published in English in the edition of the Orthodox Word. Orthodox Word"). The icon of St. Nektarios was kept by Bishop John in the red corner. According to one Greek priest, he placed it on the altar during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
From a very early age, the future Saint Nectarios was forced to earn his living by hard work. However, funds for life and study were sorely lacking. But one day, in a miraculous way, material help came from a pious merchant neighbor. As a teenager, Anastasius moved to one of the Greek islands and settled down school teacher. Teaching is combined with the preaching of Orthodoxy, he turns the souls of his students to Christ. However, his soul was drawn to monasticism. And after reflection, he goes to the monastery, takes tonsure and the rank of deacon with the name Nektary.
In 1886, Patriarch Sophronius ordained Nectarios to the priesthood at the Alexandria Savva Monastery, and then to the rank of archimandrite. In 1889, he was consecrated Bishop of Pentapol with elevation to the rank of Metropolitan. The high position did not affect the way of life of the saint. However, the enemy of the human race raised persecution and the most disgusting slander against the lord, as a result of which the saint was sent to rest and he left Egypt. At the same time, Bishop Nektary does not try to defend himself or justify himself. After many trials, thanks to the efforts of a pious mayor, he takes the place of a simple preacher in the province of Euboea, while continuing to live in very cramped material conditions.
Over time, the exiled metropolitan gains love and respect from his new flock and, with the support of Queen Olga (granddaughter of Emperor Nicholas I), receives the post of director of the theological school in Athens. He writes several works: The Priest's Handbook (Athens, 1907), Historical Study of the Causes of the Schism of 1054, on the Causes of the Continued Separation of the Eastern and Western Churches and the Problems of a Possible Union (two editions, Athens 1912/13), Historical Study on priceless cross" (Athens 1914) and "Study of the Divine Mysteries" (Athens 1915).
God's grace also begins to manifest itself clearly on the saint: the people celebrate his clairvoyance, the gift of healing. With the blessing of the Bishop, the Women's Trinity Monastery on Aegina is founded, the inhabitants of which are its spiritual children. The whole life of the new monastery passed under the guidance of St. Nektarios, with whom the sisters kept in constant correspondence. Twelve recent years he spent his life with his nuns, raising them for the Kingdom of Heaven. During this time, the monastery was put in order, the economy was adjusted.
In the meantime, the years of the saint's earthly life were coming to an end: he fell ill with cancer and spent two months in severe suffering, while, however, not ceasing to thank the Lord. Exhausted and exhausted, on Sunday, November 8, 1920, at 10:30 pm, Vladyka went to the Lord. The compiler of the life of the saint, Archimandrite Ambrose (Fontrier), in the book “St. Nektarios of Aegina. Biography ”(M .: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2015) writes:
“The body of the Saint remained in the hospital ward for eleven hours and from the very first minutes exuded a fragrant smell of holiness. There was also a bed on which a paralyzed local resident was lying. The nuns began to prepare the body for transportation to Aegina. They took off the old T-shirt from the Saint to put on a clean one, and laid it on the bed of the paralyzed... And immediately the paralyzed got up and went, giving praise to God, who had granted him healing. Thus the Lord revealed the holiness of His servant and glorified him with the first miracle.”
The hands and face of the saint of God abundantly streamed myrrh, and the nuns collected myrrh wool. On April 20, 1961, 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. According to the elders, the relics decayed so that they could be carried around the world for a blessing from St. Nectarios.
The whole life of the saint was full of sorrows and hard trials. From early childhood, he earned his livelihood by hard work. Having risen high up the church ladder, because of the slanderers he was expelled from the pulpit and for a long time lived in complete poverty. The death of the saint followed after a severe painful illness in an ordinary ward, along with ordinary people. But the humility of the saint overcame death, both bodily and spiritual - after his death, numerous miracles and healings appeared, which continue to this day. So the Lord glorified his servant for his fidelity and kind, merciful heart.
It is customary for Saint Nectarius to pray for healing from cancer and headaches. So, in Russia, in the Children's Oncological Center on Kashirskoye Shosse, there is a chapel in which miraculous icon Saint Nectarios, consecrated on his relics. In Moscow, there is also a particle of the relics of St. Nektarios in the church of the icon Mother of God « life-giving spring» in Tsaritsyno in the left limit. In the Church of All Saints in Krasnoye Selo, a part of the tomb of St. Nektarios of Aegina is kept in a reliquary.
Saint's instructions:
(Based on the book: St. Nektarios of Aegina. The Path to Happiness. M .: Orthodox Missionary Society named after St. Serapion Kozheozersky, 2011. Translation from Greek: nun Dionisia, deacon Georgy Maximov)
“How mistaken are those people who seek happiness outside themselves - in foreign countries and travels, in wealth and glory, in great possessions and pleasures, in pleasures and abundance, and in empty things that end in bitterness! Building a tower of happiness outside our heart is like building a house in a place that is subject to constant earthquakes. Very soon such a building will collapse ... "
"Brothers and sisters! Happiness lies within ourselves, and blessed is he who understands this. Test your heart and observe its spiritual state. Perhaps boldness before the Lord has been lost? Perhaps the conscience convicts for the transgression of His commandments? Maybe she rebukes you for injustice, for lying, for not fulfilling our obligations to God and neighbor? Feel, maybe evil and passions have filled your heart, maybe it has deviated on the crooked and impassable path ... "
"Brothers and sisters! The most merciful God wants happiness for all of us in this life and the next. For this, He founded His holy Church, so that it cleanses us from sin, so that it sanctifies us, reconciles with Him, and gives us a heavenly blessing.
“The purpose of our life is to become perfect and holy, to become children of God and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us be vigilant - lest for the sake of the present life we lose the future, lest we neglect the purpose of our life from worldly cares and troubles.
“Decorate your lamps with virtues. Strive to cut off spiritual passions. Cleanse your heart from all filth and keep it clean, so that the Lord descends and dwells in you, so that He fills you with the Holy Spirit with divine gifts.
“Inside we have deep-rooted infirmities, passions, flaws, many of which are hereditary. All this is not interrupted by a single sharp movement, nor by anxiety and hard feelings, but by patience and perseverance when I wait with endurance, care and attention.
“The path leading to perfection is long. Pray to God to strengthen you. Patiently accept your falls and immediately, getting up, run [to God], do not stop, like children, at the place where you fell, weeping and sobbing inconsolably.
“Trust in the Good, Strong, Living God and He will lead you to a place of rest. Remember that temptation is followed by spiritual joy, and that the Lord watches over those who endure temptation and suffering for the sake of His love. So don't be cowardly and don't be afraid."
“Take care to guard the heart to protect the joy of the Holy Spirit and not allow the evil one to pour his poison into us. Be careful that the paradise that is within you does not turn into hell.
“The most important work of man is prayer. Man was created to glorify God. This is the work that deserves it. Only this can reveal its spiritual essence. This alone justifies his emergency position in the entire universe. Man was created to honor God and be a partaker of His divine goodness and bliss.”
“Trust the Lord with all your cares, He provides for you. Don't be discouraged and don't worry. He who explores the hidden depths of the human soul knows about your desires and has the power to fulfill them in the way that [only] He can do it. You ask God and do not lose courage. Do not think that because your aspiration is holy, you have the right to complain when your prayers are not answered. God will fulfill your wishes in a way that you don't know about. So calm down and cry out to God."
“Peace [of the soul] is a divine gift that is generously given to those who have reconciled with God and fulfill the divine commandments. The world is light, and it moves away from sin, which is darkness. That is why the sinner never calms down, [does not find peace in the soul] ”
“Sanctification leaves a confused and irritated heart, darkened by enmity towards one’s neighbor. So let’s quickly make peace with our brother, so as not to deprive ourselves of the grace of God, which sanctifies our hearts.”
“He who is at peace with himself and at peace with his neighbor is at peace with God. Such a person is filled with holiness because God Himself dwells in him.”
“Achieve love. Ask God for love every day. Along with love comes all the many blessings and virtues. Love to be loved by you too. Give God all your heart so that you can abide in love. “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (John 4:16)”
“Christians must, according to the commandment of God, become holy and perfect. Perfection and holiness are first traced deep in the soul of a Christian, and only then are imprinted in his wishes, in his speeches, in his deeds. Thus the grace of God, which exists in the soul, is poured out on the whole external character.
Holy Hierarch Father Nectarios, pray to God for us
Troshchinsky Pavel
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.”
Anastasius dreamed of getting a Christian education, but after graduating primary school, 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 place His Holiness Patriarch 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 the Lord, wishing to devote themselves 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 on her olive Tree“attacked by red midges”, which destroy the leaves of the tree, 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 the situation on the island changed in better side(robbery and robberies stopped), but the climate has 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 testimony of the nuns, many believers revered Vladyka as a saint: the 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. Preserved evidence medical workers that the bandages with which they tied 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).
Saint Nektarios, one of the most revered Orthodox saints of Greece, and an unknown saint to many in the Russian Church.
On October 1, 1846, in the Turkish village of Silivria (a suburb of Istanbul), 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 of helping his neighbor spiritually, 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 happily 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.
In 1866, the young man went home to spend the Christmas holidays with his family. During the trip, a storm began. The mast of the ship broke, unable to withstand the onslaught of the wind. Everyone was horrified, but Anastassy did not lose his head: he took off his belt, tied his cross to it and pulled off the mast. With one hand he held the mast, with the other he made the sign of the cross and cried out to the Lord: he asked for the salvation of the ship. The youth's prayer was heard: the ship arrived safely at the port.
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 Nektary studied at the Faculty of Theology Athens University. After completing his education, on the recommendation of his benefactor, he moves to Alexandria (Egypt).
On March 23, 1886, Patriarch Safrony the Fourth ordained deacon Nectarios to the priesthood. 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.
Saint Nektarios of Aegina
On January 15, 1889, Supreme Archimandrite Nectarios was ordained a bishop and appointed Metropolitan of the Pentapolis Metropolis.
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. The saint left Egypt and returned to Athens.
Returning to Athens, Vladyka Nektary lived 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.
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 notices the absence of a sick employee.
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.
Monastery on the island of Aegina
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.
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 testimony of the nuns, many believers revered Vladyka as a saint: the believers said that they saw how during prayer he was “all aglow.”
From the memoirs of the nun Evangelina, recorded in 1972 by Manolis Melinos: “He was like incorporeal ... He had some kind of 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.
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 Greece, Bishop Nectarios also had many enemies and envious people. A lot of young people followed the bishop, especially young girls. One 18-year-old girl asked to join the monastery to Vladyka, and he accepted her. The mother of that girl wrote to the police a statement that the bishop had seduced her daughter, raped her, and killed and buried the unborn baby. The police raided the monastery, the bishop was not only insulted, but also beaten. Dead babies were not found, and the girl, like other young nuns, turned out to be a virgin. Soon, by God's punishment, the mother of the young nun went mad, and the policeman who had beaten the bishop fell seriously ill and was healed after he arrived at the monastery and, falling to his feet, asked for forgiveness from Bishop Niktarii.
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 the old man exuded an extraordinary aroma.
Vladyka Nectarios had cancer. Vladyka lay down in a simple hospital ward, and the doctors did not know that the metropolitan was in the ward. Only once the doctor, seeing a nun beside him, asked if this man was a monk, and when he found out that it was a bishop, he said with surprise: " For the first time I see a bishop without a panagia and a golden cross, and most importantly - without money«.
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 transferred to Aegina, I also went. 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 wardrobes as a shrine and no longer wore them ... We were 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, put a bouquet of forget-me-nots in his coffin. And when five months later, during the reburial, they opened the coffin, everyone was extraordinarily surprised to see that not only the body and clothes of the righteous man had not undergone decay, but also the flowers have kept their freshness.
Marble sarcophagus, in which until 1961 the relics of St. Nektarios were buried
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 confessed 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).
The Greeks say that for the holy Lord Nectarios there is nothing that cannot be healed, only faith in his help is needed. Saint Nektarios of Aegina is the spiritual patron of all cancer patients.
Saint Nektarios saw a vision of angels singing hymns to the Theotokos. The saint wrote this hymn on paper with his own hand.
LITERAL TRANSLATION:
Pure Virgin, Mistress, undefiled Mother of God,
Virgin, Mother Queen and all-watered fleece.
Exceeding the heavens, the brightest [sun] rays,
Joy of virgin faces, angels supreme.
Shining brighter than heaven, the purest light.
Most holy of all heavenly hosts.
Virgin Mary, Lady of the whole world,
The undefiled Bride is all-pure, the Lady of the All-holy.
Mary is the bride of the Sovereign, the cause of our joy,
Holy Virgin, Queen, Holy Mother,
Most honorable Cherubim, most glorified,
Disembodied Seraphim, Thrones supreme.
Rejoice, song of the Cherubim, rejoice [praise] song of the angels,
Rejoice, song of the Seraphim, joy of the archangels.
Rejoice, peace and joy, port of salvation.
The drawing of the Word is sacred, the color of incorruption.
Rejoice, Paradise of sweetness and eternal life.
Rejoice, tree of life, source of immortality.
I pray to you, Lady, I now call you.
I look at You with shame / fear, I seek Your mercy.
Holy and undefiled Virgin, All-Holy Lady,
I warmly appeal to Thee, consecrated Temple.
Stand up for me, deliver me from the enemy
And show me an heir of eternal life.
Rejoice, unmarried bride.
Head of Saint Nectarios
Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world come to the island of Aegina to the holy monastery to venerate the relics of the saint, ask for help and blessings. November 9 (according to the new style) in Greece is the feast day of St. Nektarios. On this day, there is a special pandemonium here, as a huge number of believers come together who want to take part in the festive divine service and honor the memory of St. Nektarios.
The island of Aegina lies in the middle of the Saranic Gulf, 30 km. from the Athenian port of Piraeus. The ferry ride to Aegina takes just over an hour. The ticket price for the ferry is 7 euros. In the port of Aegina, turn left at the exit and after 200 meters there is a bus stop that goes to the monastery of the Holy Trinity, where the relics of St. Nektarios are located.
Mitra and head of St. Nektarios
The main temple of the monastery is the impressive church of St. Nektarios, built not so long ago. This grandiose building is made in the neo-Byzantine style and is decorated with magnificent mosaics. From the church, a steep staircase leads up the hillside to the monastic complex itself. Here is the Church of the Holy Trinity - oldest temple monastery. Nearby, in a small chapel, there is a marble sarcophagus, where the body of St. Nektarios previously rested, and nearby is a source of holy water. The monastic cell in which the saint lived the last years of his life has also survived to this day (it is open to the public). The main shrine of the monastery, no doubt, is the head of the saint and his miraculous relics.
Troparion, tone 4
Having lived a monastic life, like a wise hierarch, / glorified the Lord with a virtuous life, Nectarios reverend. / The same, the Comforter is glorified by strength, / by your divine relics, / drive away the demons and heal the sick, / by the faith of those who come.
Prayer to St. Nektarios, Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Aegina Wonderworker
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, for the sake of us sinners, have mercy on you, resolve the oath, save you from illness, and throughout the whole 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.
Holy Hierarch Father Nectarios, pray to God for us.
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 Orthodox center"Thesalt", took off his cap and crossed himself in a sweeping manner. A huge white-pink basilica with a red domed roof towered majestically at the top - the monastery of the Holy Trinity, founded at the beginning of the 20th 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, out of place, 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 leaving for the 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." Many wonderful things about the saint were told to us by our hospitable hosts from the Orthodox center "Thessalonica", 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 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 arrived great post 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 letter of petition ruling bishop diocese. "Holy Master," the inhabitants of the village pleaded, "send us a priest at least for a while Holy Week and Easter. So that we can adequately prepare, repent, pray and joyfully meet the Light of Light with the whole world. Christ's Resurrection. Do not leave us as orphans, Holy Lord, 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 - official religion 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. In 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 his 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."
Once, when Saint Nektarios, exhausted by poverty and shaken by the betrayal and distrust of his friends and relatives, prayed in contrition, a wonderful world. It seemed to him that he heard harmonious singing. Guessing what was going on, he looked up and saw Holy Mother of God 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 a poorly dressed old man who was preparing building mixture, 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 usual Everyday 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 carry 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!
(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 loved the temple, Holy Bible 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 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 he 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. Finding ruins here ancient monastery, he buys this land with his own funds. 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 lived permanently in one-story house behind 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 allegedly born by them. 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 22:30, 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 Saint 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 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
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