When our homeland was in the harsh slavery of the Turkish rule, God blessed the emergence of great spiritual figures, worthy shepherds and ecclesiastical leaders, to worthily shepherd our enslaved people. One of them was Saint Athanasius the Younger, the Miracle Worker Bishop of Christianopolis in Messinia.
Born in Karytaina, Gortynia about it 1640Some biographers mention the information that he was born in Corfu in 1644. His parents were named Andreas and Euphoria and they had three more children. His secular name was Anastasios KorfinosHe received from his pious parents reverence and faith in God, showing from a child his calling to dedicate himself to God and to the service of the Church.
He probably learned his first letters in his hometown and later continued his studies at the famous school of Holy Monastery of Philosophos in Arcadia. He then continued his higher studies as a cleric, as a cleric in Constantinople.
When he came of age, his parents urged him to marry, but he objected, because he cherished in his soul the desire to follow the monastic life. His parents insisted and in fact his father, without asking him, chose for him as his wife a girl from Patras, the daughter of a wealthy lord, to whom he was betrothed. Then he sent him, together with some of his friends, to Nafplio, to buy the necessary things for the wedding. Anastasios, having respect for his parents, obeyed and departed for the city of Nafplio.
Marching towards Nafplio, they passed by the chapel of the Virgin Mary in Screwdriver, near the village Sirna, where Anastasios stopped to pray. He entered the small Church and with tears in his eyes begged the Virgin Mary to show him what he should do. They arrived in Nafplio, bought the necessary things for the wedding and were ready to set off on their return journey. But the night before their departure, he had a strange dream: the Virgin and Honest Precursor, who told him: «I desire that you become a chosen vessel and servant of my Son, Athanasius. Therefore, send your servants with the bridal garments to your father, and let the daughter marry another man. And you, go to Constantinople, to receive what my Son and God has pleased you to do.”.
Anastasius understood that the dream was from God and decided to become a monk. He sent the servants to his home and he changed his path and left for the ConstantinopleThere he became a monk and received the monastic name AthanasiusHe was subsequently ordained a deacon and then a presbyter.
Ο Ecumenical Patriarch Iakovos (1679-1682), (during his first patriarchate), he highly esteemed him and, seeing his faith, his devotion to the Church, his gifts and his other qualifications, ordained him Metropolitan. Christianoupolis, most honorable and exarch of all Arcadia, as successor to the deceased Metropolitan Eugeniou (1645-1673). His episcopal ordination must have taken place in 1680 with 1681, as shown by the documents signed by him, as a member of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The seat of his Episcopate was Christianoupoli, probably the village Christians of MessiniaHowever, we can safely say that his real seat was the city of Kyparissia.
When Athanasius went to his diocese, he found a hopeless situation, from an economic, ecclesiastical and moral point of view. The inhabitants, under the tyrannical rule of the Turks, had become depraved and impoverished. They had become morally depraved and, to a large extent, the law of self-justice prevailed among them. Likewise, from a religious and spiritual point of view, dense spiritual darkness covered them. The philotious action of the monks of Lousiou and School of Philosophy it was of little benefit to them.
The ardent Bishop, as soon as he was enthroned, began a titanic struggle to deal with the acute problems of his episcopal region. His first concern was to find capable people, especially young people, to ordain clergy, to fill the huge vacancies of vicars. For this purpose, he founded elementary education schools for the candidate clergy, where they were taught the Greek language, Christian catechism and liturgical practice. In order to find resources, he himself renounced any contribution from the parishes, for his own maintenance and the operation of the Holy Metropolis.
He also took care of the spiritual cultivation of the people. He assigned certain relatively educated clergy to tour the entire metropolitan region and catechize the people. He also traveled himself, teaching the word of God with fervor and zeal and giving courage and hope to the people. He attached great importance to liturgical life, because he believed that what the people lacked was divine grace, which is received through worship and especially the Holy Mysteries. He was interested in the staffing of the Holy Monasteries and the establishment of new ones, because he knew very well the important role of monasticism in those difficult years. He transformed the monasteries into spiritual homes and centers of social service to persecuted Christians. These monasteries would later become the incubators of revolutionaries and the bases of the fighters of our National Rebirth!
At the same time, he demonstrated great social and national work. The centuries-long and inhumane Turkish slavery had impoverished the Christian rajas. He tried to find resources from the wealthy of the region, relieving the hungry and unhappy people. He especially helped widows and orphans, to whom he had become a loving father. He also became a helper for the helpless, the elderly, the wronged and the persecuted. In him they found refuge, support and consolation. As much as he could, he maintained the spark of freedom in the souls of the faithful, speaking to them about humanitarian principles and natural rights, which were trampled on in the most brutal and inhumane way by the barbarian and pagan conquerors.
In addition to his pastoral and charitable duties, he also practiced his spiritual perfection. He prayed, fasted, kept vigil, studied the Holy Scriptures and all the writings of the Fathers he could obtain. The result was that he was purified and received from God the gift of miracles. There were not a few who saw during the Divine Liturgy, when he uttered in front of the Beautiful Gate: "Lord, Lord, look down from heaven and see...", a star-shaped flame coming out of his mouth!
He shepherded with fear of God, zeal and self-denial the reasonable flock entrusted to him by the Church for twenty-seven years. In 1707, or according to others in 1708, fell asleep peacefully, after a short illness. The people of his ecclesiastical
region mourned him and accompanied him to his final resting place, already considering him a saint. Between the years 1710 and 1713 His sacred relic was recovered, which was found, for the most part, uncorrupted and fragrant. Pieces of his relics are in the Holy Monastery of the Holy Forerunner of Gortynia, which often work miracles. Saint Athanasius is considered a miracle worker. The Church ranked him among the saints and designated that his venerable memory be celebrated on 17 May.
photo IM PANTOKRATOROS, https://www.impantokratoros.gr/1CA3CF96.el.aspx
