With feelings of deep compunction and spiritual joy, the Orthodox Church welcomes the official recognition of two new Saints.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate, under the presidency of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, proceeded to the canonization of Venerable Tychon the Russian and Venerable Hatzi-George the Athonite, confirming in the conscience of the fullness of the Church what the faithful had experienced for decades.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate, under the presidency of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, proceeded to the canonization of Venerable Tychon the Russian and Venerable Hatzi-George the Athonite, confirming in the conscience of the fullness of the Church what the faithful had experienced for decades.
Two Beacons of Mount Athos
This decision is not merely a formal administrative act, but a confession of the living presence of the Holy Spirit in the modern world.
• Venerable Tychon (1884–1968): An ascetic of Kapsala, who was the spiritual guide of Saint Paisios the Athonite, was the model of absolute poverty and unceasing prayer. His life was a continual Divine Liturgy.
• Venerable Hatzi-George (1809–1886): One of the most imposing figures of the 19th century on Mount Athos. The strictness of his asceticism and his spiritual radiance formed an entire generation of monks who walked in the footsteps of the patristic tradition.
Saint Paisios wrote biographies of both of the these Holy Figures of Mount Athos, bringing them out of obscurity and making them known throughout the whole world.
The Significance for the Modern World
In an era of spiritual confusion and searching, the emergence of these two Saints reminds us that the path of humility and love remains open and relevant.
The Saints do not belong to the past; they are our own people, our intercessors, who “unceasingly” pray for the peace of the whole world.
This decision is not merely a formal administrative act, but a confession of the living presence of the Holy Spirit in the modern world.
• Venerable Tychon (1884–1968): An ascetic of Kapsala, who was the spiritual guide of Saint Paisios the Athonite, was the model of absolute poverty and unceasing prayer. His life was a continual Divine Liturgy.
• Venerable Hatzi-George (1809–1886): One of the most imposing figures of the 19th century on Mount Athos. The strictness of his asceticism and his spiritual radiance formed an entire generation of monks who walked in the footsteps of the patristic tradition.
Saint Paisios wrote biographies of both of the these Holy Figures of Mount Athos, bringing them out of obscurity and making them known throughout the whole world.
The Significance for the Modern World
In an era of spiritual confusion and searching, the emergence of these two Saints reminds us that the path of humility and love remains open and relevant.
The Saints do not belong to the past; they are our own people, our intercessors, who “unceasingly” pray for the peace of the whole world.
The Communiqué of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
The Holy and Sacred Synod continued today as well, February 11, 2026, its work under the presidency of His All-Holiness, in order to examine the matters listed on the daily agenda.
The Sacred Body unanimously decided on the inscription into the Hagiologion [catalog of Saints] of the Church the Athonite ascetics of venerable life: the Hieromonk Tychon, who practiced asceticism in the Sacred Stavronikita Cell of the Honorable Cross in the Skete of Kapsala, and the monk George, known as Hatzi-George, who was of Cappadocian origin and reposed in Constantinople.
Their Feast Days
For Venerable Tychon, the 23rd of September of each year was designated as the day of commemoration, and for Venerable Hatzi-George, the 30th of December.
The Holy and Sacred Synod continued today as well, February 11, 2026, its work under the presidency of His All-Holiness, in order to examine the matters listed on the daily agenda.
The Sacred Body unanimously decided on the inscription into the Hagiologion [catalog of Saints] of the Church the Athonite ascetics of venerable life: the Hieromonk Tychon, who practiced asceticism in the Sacred Stavronikita Cell of the Honorable Cross in the Skete of Kapsala, and the monk George, known as Hatzi-George, who was of Cappadocian origin and reposed in Constantinople.
Their Feast Days
For Venerable Tychon, the 23rd of September of each year was designated as the day of commemoration, and for Venerable Hatzi-George, the 30th of December.
Brief Biography of the Venerable Papa-Tychon the Russian
By Hieromonk Agathangelos
On September 23, 1968 (September 10 according to the Old Calendar), the Russian elder of Father Paisios, Papa-Tychon the spiritual father, departed for the eternal homeland. Beside him during all the last days of his life was Elder Paisios, who reports that the dying hermit was seeing Saint Sergius of Radonezh, whom he greatly revered.
Father Paisios also saw him alive three years later. The Elder writes:
“On September 10, 1971, in the evening, after midnight, while I was saying the prayer, suddenly I see the Elder entering the cell! I jumped up, grabbed his feet, and kissed them reverently. I did not understand, however, how he slipped from my hands, and as he was leaving I saw him enter the church and disappear. Naturally, one loses oneself at such a moment when such events happen. Nor can these things be explained by reason; that is why they are called miracles. I immediately lit a candle — I had only the vigil lamp burning when this happened — to note in my diary the day on which the Elder had appeared to me, so that I would remember it.
When I saw that it was the day on which the Elder had reposed (September 10), I was very saddened and reproached myself that the day had passed completely unnoticed by me. I believe the good father forgave me, because that day from sunset I had visitors at the hut and had grown tired and dizzy and forgot entirely. Otherwise I would have done something to help myself and to give a little joy to the Elder with an all-night prayer.”
His counsels were droplets drawn from the experiences of his heart:
“To find a good spiritual father,” he would say, “you must pray for three days, and then God will enlighten you. And on the road as you go, pray that God enlighten him to tell you good words."
"Always say the a prayer before you begin any work. Say: ‘My God, give me strength and illumination,’ and then begin your work, and at the end say, ‘Glory to God.’”
He spoke much about humility:
“Every morning God blesses people with one hand. When He sees a humble person, He blesses him with both hands.”
Once a monk visited him and said that he had done nothing bad in his life. But he discerned that the words hid great pride; he was deeply grieved and regarded him as a fallen demon.
“I do not want to see such a man,” he would say. “A thousand times better if he had fallen into sin than to be as he is. He is for hell, my child. Hell is filled with virgin-proud people. God wants a humble man.”
Papa-Tychon’s humility was such that when someone came to confession, after the prayer of absolution he would tell him: “My child, say a prayer for me as well.”
Once a young man, indifferent, came to Mount Athos for a visit. I led him to the Elder’s hut. After I confessed, he also wanted to confess. Entering the church, he burst into tears and fell at his feet begging forgiveness for his many sins. Papa-Tychon loved him so much that at that moment he asked him to pray for him that God forgive him — because the young man had many tears, while he himself, he said, did not.
Yet he never lacked tears and had a cloth with which he gathered them and it was always soaked. His stole was always wet from his daily tears — I keep it as a precious blessing. Even the large cross, if one looks closely, shows the marks of his tears which he poured over it with his cupped hands. He believed that with tears we wash the feet of Christ and with the hairs of our head we wipe them.
Brief Biography of the Venerable Hatzi-George the Cappadocian
By Alexandros Christodoulos
By Alexandros Christodoulos
The most venerable Father George was born in Kermira of Caesarea in Cappadocia in 1809. His parents were wealthy — not only in virtues but also in the good things of God, which they used to help the poor. His father was named Jordan and was from Kermira, while his mother Maria was from Gelveri (Nazianzus).
After they had two children, Gabriel (Hatji-George) and Anastasios, they thereafter lived more spiritually, in continence. His mother had an ascetic spirit from childhood. She had a nun-sister whom she visited together with her children. Little Gabriel, hearing various stories from his aunt about the ascetics, kindled in his childish heart the desire to become a monk and tried to imitate the ascetics through strict fasting and prayer.
His father was devout but was absent from home for long periods because of his trade. His mother Maria, being more pious, took little Gabriel with her and kept vigils with other women sometimes in caves and sometimes in chapels.
When Gabriel grew older, he went to school but could not learn letters even though he was very intelligent. It seems this was God’s providence so that the sanctified child would learn letters in a divine way. Four years in school and he could not even spell. Because his parents and teacher scolded him, he would find opportunities to flee to the caves. Most often he went to the cave bearing the footprints of the Holy Great Martyr George near their region. He fasted greatly and prayed, making many full prostrations, and when he became exhausted he ate wild greens growing on the mountain.
Once he even stayed away for a month living with hermits dwelling around the caves. Afterward his parents found him and from then on they no longer scolded him for not learning letters.
One day his mother urged him to beseech the Theotokos to help him learn letters. After a three-day fast and many prostrations he went at night, so people would not see him, to pray in the church where there was a wonderworking icon of the Mother of God.
He reached the threshold of the closed church door and reverently venerated from outside with tears. As he pleaded, “Grant me, O Queen of Heaven, to learn letters!”, suddenly the church doors opened and the Theotokos entered. Taking him by the hand she led him to the icon of Christ and said: “My Son, grant little Gabriel to learn letters.”
As he later said: "With these words she blessed me with her hand, kissed me and said: 'Now you have learned letters.' Then she entered through the north door of the sanctuary."
Gabriel searched the entire church but could not find the Panagia. When the sexton came to ring bells for the service he saw the doors open and Gabriel inside the church and asked in astonishment:
"How did you get here?"
Gabriel recounted everything to him. To verify it, the sexton gave him a book to read — and Gabriel began to read beautifully and clearly. Then he said: “Indeed, that woman was the Panagia!”
After this divine event his parents and relatives revered him. Yet Gabriel again went to the caves and practiced asceticism; together with his friends they built a small monastery with a chapel and cells, having Gabriel as abbot.
At fourteen he followed relatives to Constantinople because they learned his uncle there had converted to Islam. Passing through a desolate place he thought he would find hermits to pray for his uncle. He found none and lost his companions, sorrowfully praying to Saint George for help. Suddenly the Saint appeared in an officer’s uniform with a radiant face, took him onto his horse, and brought him back to his companions, who glorified God.
In Constantinople he stayed near his uncle and prayed intensely. Through his struggles — fasting and many prostrations — not only his uncle but also a priest and several others who had converted out of fear secretly returned to Christianity and later went to Smyrna, repenting.
During four years at the Sultan’s court the Sultan marveled at the young man’s ascetic life: how a youth rejected honors and pleasures, lived in a dark basement, ate once daily a handful of soaked barley, and spent nights in prayer. The Sultan himself became secretly Christian and afterwards loved and helped Christians.
At eighteen Gabriel tearfully begged the Panagia to free him from the palace and show him the path of salvation. During the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church, praying before her icon, he saw the Queen of Heaven come forth clothed in radiant white and tell him:
“Go to the pier; you will see a monk — go with him to Mount Athos.”
He found the monk: the abbot Gregory of the Monastery of Gregoriou. Though the abbot refused because youths without beards were forbidden, the ship captain secretly hid Gabriel aboard. In 1828 they reached the monastery; after pleas the monks accepted him and gave him obedience in the kitchen.
At the feast of Saint Nicholas, lacking fish due to bad weather, Gabriel prayed — and on the eve many large fish miraculously appeared at the monastery harbor.
After two months he departed for Kavsokalyva to avoid honor. There he met the experienced spiritual father Papa-Neophytos “Karamanlis,” who placed him in the cave of Saint Nephon for four years of strict solitude, seeing no one except his elder who communed him.
Later he was tonsured a monk and named George, and after pilgrimage to the Holy Land he was called Hatzi-George.
He lived under extreme ascetic discipline: continual fasting and unceasing prayer. He became elder in 1848. He was very strict with himself, never taking medicine, saying:
“The best medicine is frequent Communion of the Immaculate Mysteries of Christ. Frequent Confession and Communion are the chief prerequisite for earthly spiritual joy and heavenly gladness.”
Through humility and endurance he received abundant grace and never became ill. People flocked to him for counsel and comfort; he read hearts through discernment.
He lived with great poverty — eating nuts and honey, never oil; at Pascha they dyed boiled potatoes red instead of eggs. He walked barefoot and slept little, spending nights in church and days consoling the suffering.
He performed many miracles: stopping a destructive boar with a blessing; enabling a disciple to carry an impossibly heavy load; foretelling an accident of the Tsar (who later revered him); healing the sick — even his belt worked miracles.
Jealousies and slanders eventually led to his exile from Mount Athos on October 27, 1882. He settled near Constantinople at a deserted monastery of Saints Hermolaos and Panteleimon, continuing his ascetic life and comforting persecuted Christians under Sultan Abdul-Hamid, working many miracles.
He continued his asceticism until the last year of his life, which he spent bedridden, suffering throughout his body.