THE FEAST OF SAINT EUTHYMIOS THE GREAT AT THE PATRIARCHATE

On Thursday, January 20/February 2, 2023, the feast of our holy Father Euthymios the Great was celebrated by the Patriarchate in the Holy Monastery dedicated to him, which is located in the Christian quarter and adjacent to the Holy Monastery of Panagia Seidanaya southeast of the Patriarchate.

On this feast, the Church remembers that Saint Euthymios came from Melitina in Armenia and, having previously secluded himself in the Monastery of his homeland, he came to the Holy Land around the year 406 AD.

At first he prayed in the Lavra of Saint Chariton after Saint Theoktistos in Faran. At the request of the monks of the desert, Saint Theoktistos founded the Koinobion monastery for the novice monks, and Euthymios the Great the Lavra monastery for the advanced monks. Both were teachers of Saint Savva the Sanctified first in the Koinobion of Saint Theoktistos, when he came to the Holy Land in the year 456 AD.

In his Lavra, the Great Euthymios received and guided thousands of monks and even laymen, who came and asked for his help. He also performed a missionary work, from which he indoctrinated and baptized a tribe of Arab Saracens, expelled from Persia and arrived at the Lavra, and he asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem Juvenalius to ordain their guardian and Paralegal Peter Aspebeton  as Bishop and gave him the title of Bishop of Paremvoles.

He became an advocate of the doctrine of the 4th Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in the year 451, that is, of the two natures of will and energy in Christ our God. He was gifted by God with the clairvoyant and miraculous gift and returned the empress Eudocia from Monophysitism to the Orthodoxy.

In his honour, Vespers was celebrated on Wednesday afternoon and Divine Liturgy on the morning of the feast, presided over by the Most Reverend Archbishop Philoumenos of Pella, with the co-celebration of Archimandrite Makarios, the Arabic-speaking Presbyters Charalambos and Nectarios and Hierodeacon Simeon. The chanting was delivered by Mr Vassilios Gotsopoulos and the students of the Patriarchal School of Zion as the service was attended by monks, nuns and other believers.

After the Divine Liturgy, the hospitable Abbess, nun Sarah, hosted a reception for the Episcopal entourage and the congregation.

From Secretariat-General