A significant event took place at Koronisia in Arta on Thursday, October 1, 2026, with the finding and translation of the sacred relics of Venerable Onouphrios, who practiced asceticism at Koronisia. The event was announced by the Holy Metropolis of Nikopolis and Preveza as a moment of spiritual joy for the local Church and faithful. The relics, recovered from the tomb of the Venerable Onouphrios in his namesake chapel, were prepared by the Metropolitans of Nikopolis and Preveza, Chrysostomos, and of Arta, Kallinikos, placed in a special reliquary, and transferred in procession to the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos, where they are now kept and offered for veneration.
The tomb of Venerable Onouphrios is located in the small chapel dedicated to him, immediately beside the katholikon of the former Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Koronisia, which today serves as the parish church of the island. Before the opening of the tomb, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated there. Following the Liturgy, the tomb was opened and the sacred relics were collected. After their preparation by the two Metropolitans, they were placed in a special larnax and carried in procession to the main church.
The life of Venerable Onouphrios is only sparsely documented. The Metropolis of Nikopolis and Preveza states that the time of his birth, his place of origin, and the precise date of his repose are unknown. He was a monk of the once-renowned Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Koronisia, and his ascetic life eventually established him in the local consciousness as the protector of Koronisia. The Metropolis further notes that popular piety has preserved numerous signs and miracles associated with him, which it intends to publish in due course.
Older local tradition provides a more vivid picture of the Venerable. He is remembered as a “God-fearing and humble” monk who lived in the monastery at Koronisia. His humility was so great that his fellow monks failed to recognize his holiness and even mocked him. According to the tradition preserved at Koronisia, two events eventually revealed his sanctity. On one occasion, the monks abandoned him on the small nearby island of Vouvála. When he needed to return, he placed his monastic garment upon the water, and it served him as a boat. On another occasion, after he prayed, a beard suddenly appeared on him and grew down to the ground. These accounts belong to the local hagiographical tradition surrounding the Venerable and have been preserved for generations among the inhabitants of Koronisia.
There is also an interesting historical tradition concerning the Venerable's period of activity. Metropolitan Seraphim Xenopoulos the Byzantine of Arta and Preveza, who died in 1894, wrote that toward the end of the eighteenth century, around 1790–1795, a monk named Onouphrios, of unknown origin, arrived in Arta from abroad. He was described as simple in manner and exemplary in conduct, and became highly respected among the inhabitants. His preaching encouraged piety and virtue and, according to Xenopoulos's account, influenced certain practices in the ecclesiastical life of the region. The subsequent details of his life and death, however, were unknown; Xenopoulos inferred that he was buried in the chapel adjoining the Monastery of Koronisia that bore his name.
The precise chronology therefore deserves some caution. The official ecclesiastical and archaeological descriptions have traditionally associated the Venerable with approximately 1780, and the chapel's official description states that he practiced asceticism there until his repose in 1780. Other historical material, however, places his arrival in the region around 1790–1795. For this reason, the safest conclusion is that Onouphrios belongs to the late eighteenth-century history of Koronisia, while the exact chronology of his life cannot presently be established with certainty.
The setting in which his relics were found is itself of considerable antiquity. The Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Koronisia was the katholikon of a large monastery and is one of the important Byzantine monuments of Epirus. The church is generally dated to the late tenth or early eleventh century, while written evidence connects the monastery with the twelfth century. A Gospel manuscript associated with the monastery contains notes mentioning the abbot Meletios and the year 1193, providing evidence for the monastery's existence by that time.
The small chapel of Venerable Onouphrios is situated only a short distance from the main church. It is a small, vaulted, single-nave structure constructed of rough stone and brick, with various architectural members reused in its construction. Its exact date is uncertain. The archaeological authorities note that it is not known whether Onouphrios himself established the chapel or whether it was an older building that became associated with his life and subsequently received his name. The latter explanation is considered more probable, and a Byzantine origin has not been excluded.
The chapel also preserves wall paintings characteristic of the post-Byzantine period. Together with the chapel itself, these remains testify to the continuing sacred character of the site long after the monastery's earlier period of flourishing. Nearby is an old well which, according to local tradition, was dug by Onouphrios himself. The well has remained associated with his memory and is another physical feature through which the inhabitants of Koronisia have preserved his presence in the history of the island.
The Venerable Onouphrios has also had an established liturgical and iconographic presence at Koronisia. His memory is celebrated on June 12, the same day on which the Church commemorates the much better-known Venerable Onouphrios the Great of Egypt. The local saint, however, is a distinct figure, identified specifically with Koronisia. An older study of the religious history of Arta also records an image of Onouphrios preserved at the monastery, while the local tradition presents him as the characteristic ascetic figure of Koronisia.
For the people of Koronisia, therefore, the recovery of the relics represents the culmination of a very old local memory. The Venerable Onouphrios was not a saint whose name had only recently become associated with the site. His tomb, chapel, iconographic tradition, feast, well, and stories of his ascetic life have all remained connected with Koronisia for generations. The opening of his tomb and the translation of his relics have now given tangible form to a tradition that had long been preserved through the memory and devotion of the local Christian community.
The Holy Metropolis has announced that a hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Koronisia on Saturday, October 31, 2026, specifically to commemorate and celebrate the translation of the Venerable's sacred relics. The Metropolis has also indicated that the many signs and miracles associated with Onouphrios that have been preserved through popular piety will be published in due course.
Thus, the October 1 event marks a new chapter in the history of the local veneration of Venerable Onouphrios. For centuries, his memory remained attached to a small chapel beside one of the oldest monastic foundations of the region. Now his sacred relics have been recovered from the tomb in which the people of Koronisia had continued to remember him, and they have been placed in the principal church of the island for the veneration of the faithful. The Church's formal celebration of the translation later this month will provide a further occasion for the people of Koronisia and pilgrims from throughout the region to honor the Venerable ascetic who has long been regarded as their protector.
The tomb of Venerable Onouphrios is located in the small chapel dedicated to him, immediately beside the katholikon of the former Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Koronisia, which today serves as the parish church of the island. Before the opening of the tomb, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated there. Following the Liturgy, the tomb was opened and the sacred relics were collected. After their preparation by the two Metropolitans, they were placed in a special larnax and carried in procession to the main church.
The life of Venerable Onouphrios is only sparsely documented. The Metropolis of Nikopolis and Preveza states that the time of his birth, his place of origin, and the precise date of his repose are unknown. He was a monk of the once-renowned Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Koronisia, and his ascetic life eventually established him in the local consciousness as the protector of Koronisia. The Metropolis further notes that popular piety has preserved numerous signs and miracles associated with him, which it intends to publish in due course.
Older local tradition provides a more vivid picture of the Venerable. He is remembered as a “God-fearing and humble” monk who lived in the monastery at Koronisia. His humility was so great that his fellow monks failed to recognize his holiness and even mocked him. According to the tradition preserved at Koronisia, two events eventually revealed his sanctity. On one occasion, the monks abandoned him on the small nearby island of Vouvála. When he needed to return, he placed his monastic garment upon the water, and it served him as a boat. On another occasion, after he prayed, a beard suddenly appeared on him and grew down to the ground. These accounts belong to the local hagiographical tradition surrounding the Venerable and have been preserved for generations among the inhabitants of Koronisia.
There is also an interesting historical tradition concerning the Venerable's period of activity. Metropolitan Seraphim Xenopoulos the Byzantine of Arta and Preveza, who died in 1894, wrote that toward the end of the eighteenth century, around 1790–1795, a monk named Onouphrios, of unknown origin, arrived in Arta from abroad. He was described as simple in manner and exemplary in conduct, and became highly respected among the inhabitants. His preaching encouraged piety and virtue and, according to Xenopoulos's account, influenced certain practices in the ecclesiastical life of the region. The subsequent details of his life and death, however, were unknown; Xenopoulos inferred that he was buried in the chapel adjoining the Monastery of Koronisia that bore his name.
The precise chronology therefore deserves some caution. The official ecclesiastical and archaeological descriptions have traditionally associated the Venerable with approximately 1780, and the chapel's official description states that he practiced asceticism there until his repose in 1780. Other historical material, however, places his arrival in the region around 1790–1795. For this reason, the safest conclusion is that Onouphrios belongs to the late eighteenth-century history of Koronisia, while the exact chronology of his life cannot presently be established with certainty.
The setting in which his relics were found is itself of considerable antiquity. The Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Koronisia was the katholikon of a large monastery and is one of the important Byzantine monuments of Epirus. The church is generally dated to the late tenth or early eleventh century, while written evidence connects the monastery with the twelfth century. A Gospel manuscript associated with the monastery contains notes mentioning the abbot Meletios and the year 1193, providing evidence for the monastery's existence by that time.
The small chapel of Venerable Onouphrios is situated only a short distance from the main church. It is a small, vaulted, single-nave structure constructed of rough stone and brick, with various architectural members reused in its construction. Its exact date is uncertain. The archaeological authorities note that it is not known whether Onouphrios himself established the chapel or whether it was an older building that became associated with his life and subsequently received his name. The latter explanation is considered more probable, and a Byzantine origin has not been excluded.
The chapel also preserves wall paintings characteristic of the post-Byzantine period. Together with the chapel itself, these remains testify to the continuing sacred character of the site long after the monastery's earlier period of flourishing. Nearby is an old well which, according to local tradition, was dug by Onouphrios himself. The well has remained associated with his memory and is another physical feature through which the inhabitants of Koronisia have preserved his presence in the history of the island.
The Venerable Onouphrios has also had an established liturgical and iconographic presence at Koronisia. His memory is celebrated on June 12, the same day on which the Church commemorates the much better-known Venerable Onouphrios the Great of Egypt. The local saint, however, is a distinct figure, identified specifically with Koronisia. An older study of the religious history of Arta also records an image of Onouphrios preserved at the monastery, while the local tradition presents him as the characteristic ascetic figure of Koronisia.
For the people of Koronisia, therefore, the recovery of the relics represents the culmination of a very old local memory. The Venerable Onouphrios was not a saint whose name had only recently become associated with the site. His tomb, chapel, iconographic tradition, feast, well, and stories of his ascetic life have all remained connected with Koronisia for generations. The opening of his tomb and the translation of his relics have now given tangible form to a tradition that had long been preserved through the memory and devotion of the local Christian community.
The Holy Metropolis has announced that a hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Koronisia on Saturday, October 31, 2026, specifically to commemorate and celebrate the translation of the Venerable's sacred relics. The Metropolis has also indicated that the many signs and miracles associated with Onouphrios that have been preserved through popular piety will be published in due course.
Thus, the October 1 event marks a new chapter in the history of the local veneration of Venerable Onouphrios. For centuries, his memory remained attached to a small chapel beside one of the oldest monastic foundations of the region. Now his sacred relics have been recovered from the tomb in which the people of Koronisia had continued to remember him, and they have been placed in the principal church of the island for the veneration of the faithful. The Church's formal celebration of the translation later this month will provide a further occasion for the people of Koronisia and pilgrims from throughout the region to honor the Venerable ascetic who has long been regarded as their protector.
