In the village of Druseia of Paphos, a large number of people arrived from various regions of Cyprus to attend the consecration of the restored family home of Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi, who reposed in 2009 at Vatopaidi Monastery on Mount Athos.
It was in this house where he lived his childhood years with his peasant family and from where he left for Mount Athos to become a monk at the age of 15. Prior to this, he had to drop out of elementary school in the 4th grade in order to help his parents with the agricultural work.
This house, once deserted after the death of his parents Pantelis and Eugenia, was left to remind the few relatives of the humble mother and father of the late Elder, but also of the childhood of little Socrates, which was Elder Joseph's name before his monastic tonsure.
Vatopaidi Monastery, in memory of Elder Joseph, undertook to restore this residence, to decorate it and to place inside it objects from the house and personal belongings of the Elder and a series of photographs that capture his life.
At this event, a Sanctification of the Waters was performed by Archimandrite Ephraim of Vatopaidi in the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol and Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos.
The Archimandrite referred to the life of his late Elder and explained the reasons for restoring the house, which are purely reasons of commemoration for the Elder in his birthplace and mainly for those who would like to be in the environment where the late Elder grew up, having inspired so many monks and reformed a Monastery of such scope as Vatopaidi.
The Metropolitan of Paphos, in fact, declared his joy that in his Metropolis there is this place that the Elder, who he got to know through his books and his fruits, lived his childhood years.
In fact, in the Elder's house there will also be the books that he has written, thus guiding thousands of people to come closer to God and also his monks who left them as a spiritual gift to the world, each of them writing their own path today.
It was in this house where he lived his childhood years with his peasant family and from where he left for Mount Athos to become a monk at the age of 15. Prior to this, he had to drop out of elementary school in the 4th grade in order to help his parents with the agricultural work.
This house, once deserted after the death of his parents Pantelis and Eugenia, was left to remind the few relatives of the humble mother and father of the late Elder, but also of the childhood of little Socrates, which was Elder Joseph's name before his monastic tonsure.
Vatopaidi Monastery, in memory of Elder Joseph, undertook to restore this residence, to decorate it and to place inside it objects from the house and personal belongings of the Elder and a series of photographs that capture his life.
At this event, a Sanctification of the Waters was performed by Archimandrite Ephraim of Vatopaidi in the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol and Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos.
The Archimandrite referred to the life of his late Elder and explained the reasons for restoring the house, which are purely reasons of commemoration for the Elder in his birthplace and mainly for those who would like to be in the environment where the late Elder grew up, having inspired so many monks and reformed a Monastery of such scope as Vatopaidi.
The Metropolitan of Paphos, in fact, declared his joy that in his Metropolis there is this place that the Elder, who he got to know through his books and his fruits, lived his childhood years.
In fact, in the Elder's house there will also be the books that he has written, thus guiding thousands of people to come closer to God and also his monks who left them as a spiritual gift to the world, each of them writing their own path today.
