By Athanasios Kafalis
Going up the main road of Nikisiani, which leads to the central square of the Town Hall, next to the village's Rural Hospital, is a jewel of ecclesiastical art, the Sacred Chapel of the Holy Great Martyr and Wonderworker Marina.
It is a small chapel, in the Byzantine style, with its carved iconostasis and its wonderful iconographies.
Entering the small chapel, among the icons of the iconostasis, there is also a portable icon of the Saint, of unknown date but certainly more than two centuries old, as time has left its strong imprints on the holy icon.
Saint Marina is called a Wonderworker and the faithful residents of Nikisiani know this very well, since according to local tradition, Saint Marina prevented the destruction of the village during the difficult years of the First Bulgarian Occupation.
During the dark years of World War I (1914–1918), when after August 1916 and the National Defense Movement of Venizelos in Thessaloniki, Greece had unofficially entered the war, Bulgarian troops had invaded the regions of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.
Thus, our wider region, just a few years after its liberation from the Turks, falls again this time under the yoke of the Bulgarians.
In September 1916 (and according to the testimony of the president, Mr. G. Rallis, on September 16), the Bulgarian lieutenant Zvetkov, commander of Eleftheroupolis, wanted to burn the town of Nikisiani, accusing its residents of harboring Greek partisans.
As soon as the residents and local leaders learned of the Bulgarians' intentions, they wanted to protect the village and prevent similar disasters from occurring to those that occurred in many villages in the area, which were burned and looted, while their inhabitants were massacred.
The parish priest of Nikisiani at that time was the revered Papa-Paraschos Kyrkoudis, the simple and courageous priest, known for his patriotism and fighting spirit, who proved to be a true shepherd in the difficult moments of his flock, ultimately giving his own life.
Having been informed of the hostile disposition of the conquerors, the holy priest gathered a committee with the prominent figures of the village and led them a little outside the village to wait for the conquerors there, in case they managed to save the village.
Then they stood in front of the then small iconostasis of Saint Marina which was located in a tree-lined courtyard and within which was the icon of the Saint.
Let us note that at the beginning of the twentieth century the houses of the village reached that far, as the village used to be higher than it is today.
And there in front of the entrance of the village the dignitaries and the lion-hearted Papa-Paraschos awaited the Bulgarian troops. The village was in danger of writing the saddest page in its history.
Let this also be registered in the list of villages of our land bloodied by the conquerors. Only a miracle from heaven would save them. A miracle that eventually became a reality.
When the Bulgarians reached the point where the iconostasis was located, they stopped abruptly because, according to what they later told the priest, they heard a loud noise coming from the iconostasis, which caused them great commotion and fear.
The lieutenant, who was then commanding the battalion, upon seeing the local dignitaries, descended and inquired what was taking place at the point where they had halted.
As he approached there with very fierce intentions for Nikisiani, once he reached the point where the leaders were and heard the commotion, everything within him changed.
And when they heard the incident, the residents understood that the salvation of their place was due to Saint Marina and the miracle performed by her icon.
Many years later, the small iconostasis, due to the piety and reverence of the inhabitants of Nikisiani, was transformed into a picturesque and beautiful chapel, while only two tall cypress trees are preserved from the enclosure of the iconostasis, standing behind the apse of the sacred sanctuary, to remind us of the miracle of the Great Martyr Marina who saved Nikisiani!
Nikisiani and its inhabitants may have gone through very difficult times during those years of the First Bulgarian Occupation, as they are referred to, but the fact that they did not suffer complete destruction of the village, they owe it to Saint Marina.
Let us glorify God for not allowing us, through the intercessions of the Most Holy Theotokos, who is the protector and guardian of Nikisiani and Agia Marina, to mourn victims of the cruelty of our conquerors, which our long-suffering homeland has endured throughout its glorious history.
Let us hope that we never again need the help of our Saint for a similar danger and that we always live peacefully and quietly with our neighbors.
Source: From the quarterly magazine Ambos Paggaios of the Metropolis of Eleftheroupolis, Issue 35, July-September 2012. Translation by John Sanidopoulos.
When the Bulgarians reached the point where the iconostasis was located, they stopped abruptly because, according to what they later told the priest, they heard a loud noise coming from the iconostasis, which caused them great commotion and fear.
The lieutenant, who was then commanding the battalion, upon seeing the local dignitaries, descended and inquired what was taking place at the point where they had halted.
As he approached there with very fierce intentions for Nikisiani, once he reached the point where the leaders were and heard the commotion, everything within him changed.
And when they heard the incident, the residents understood that the salvation of their place was due to Saint Marina and the miracle performed by her icon.
Many years later, the small iconostasis, due to the piety and reverence of the inhabitants of Nikisiani, was transformed into a picturesque and beautiful chapel, while only two tall cypress trees are preserved from the enclosure of the iconostasis, standing behind the apse of the sacred sanctuary, to remind us of the miracle of the Great Martyr Marina who saved Nikisiani!
Nikisiani and its inhabitants may have gone through very difficult times during those years of the First Bulgarian Occupation, as they are referred to, but the fact that they did not suffer complete destruction of the village, they owe it to Saint Marina.
Let us glorify God for not allowing us, through the intercessions of the Most Holy Theotokos, who is the protector and guardian of Nikisiani and Agia Marina, to mourn victims of the cruelty of our conquerors, which our long-suffering homeland has endured throughout its glorious history.
Let us hope that we never again need the help of our Saint for a similar danger and that we always live peacefully and quietly with our neighbors.
Source: From the quarterly magazine Ambos Paggaios of the Metropolis of Eleftheroupolis, Issue 35, July-September 2012. Translation by John Sanidopoulos.
