By Archimandrite Demetrios Kavvadias
The first days of the month of November we are now passing through, are days of mourning for the historic Sacred Monastery of Saint Panteleimon of Chrysokastro in Eleftheroupoli, Kavala.
The Sacred Monastery of Saint Panteleimon of Chrysokastro, the spiritual work of the late Elder Philip (Avramidis), Gerontissa Lydia (Papadopoulou), and their venerable sisterhood, this pride of the Macedonian land and pan-Orthodox place of pilgrimage, mourns Sister Christodouli. Sister Christodouli was the first to reside at the Monastery with Gerontissa Lydia, and together they began the reconstruction of the monastery.
The nun Christodouli, known in the world as Stavroula Dimitrakoudi, was born in Nikisiani, Pangaion, in 1934, to her devout parents, Demetrios and Zoe. She was the fourth of their nine children and grew up amid the warmth and love of her family during the difficult years of the Second World War and the Bulgarian and German occupations of our one and only blessed Macedonia. The frequent visits she made to the nearby Sacred Monastery, where the wonderworking icon of the Panagia Eikosifoinissa is kept, left an indelible mark upon her soul. These visits warmed her reverence and love for the Panagia, and it was there, as she observed the life of the male monks of that time, that her first inclination and love for the monastic life arose within her. Also, the parish priest of Nikisiani at the time, Father Ignatios, formerly a monk of Mount Athos, impressed and inspired the young Stavroula through his ascetic monastic way of life. She always remembered his strict monastic life.
During the years of the occupation, she completed only elementary school and, at the same time, helped with all the household and agricultural work, as well as with raising her younger siblings, doing so with great willingness and responsibility. From childhood, she would rise at daybreak and hurry wherever duty and the needs of her family called her. She loved her younger siblings dearly and cared for them, encouraging them to attend church and accompanying them to the services, guiding them in prayer at home and in a life and conduct according to God. Tireless and without complaint in the agricultural work and in caring for the animals, she was the pride of her parents and a source of rest for the entire family. She attended without fail, and with great reverence, all the Sacred Services at the Church of the Entrance of the Theotokos, eagerly absorbing all the sacred teachings, nourishing her soul and finding rest in the richness of divine worship.
She had been bound by a spiritual friendship with the late Gerontissa of the Sacred Monastery, Lydia, then known as Elpida, since elementary school, and from that time onward they remained companions on the same path until the end of the Gerontissa's life. Together they attended the catechetical classes for the members of the Zoe Sisterhood and received instruction in practical and theoretical subjects, cultivating their souls in the practice of the virtues and in divine love. She studied Holy Scripture extensively, as well as the lives of the Saints and other spiritual books of the time, in which her spirit found rest and which she studied with delight.
At the beginning of the 1950s, the late Archimandrite Theophilos Zisopoulos, while still a layman, began preaching in her village. Through his fervent words, he awakened consciences, led people to repentance, and guided the simple and devout people of God toward salvation. The soul of the young Stavroula was deeply impressed, and divine eros and the desire for total dedication were kindled within her. Together with Elpida, she visited the premises of the newly established sisterhood in Asprovalta, and they formed close bonds with the first sisters, who were then beginning their dedicated life under the guidance of Father Theophilos.
Meanwhile, her siblings established families. Six of them went to Canada, one sister went to Athens, and she herself, for a short time, followed her elder brother Christodoulos to Germany in order to help his new family in their life abroad. She returned because of her father's illness and remained beside her parents, caring for them until his death in 1968.
She had been bound by a spiritual friendship with the late Gerontissa of the Sacred Monastery, Lydia, then known as Elpida, since elementary school, and from that time onward they remained companions on the same path until the end of the Gerontissa's life. Together they attended the catechetical classes for the members of the Zoe Sisterhood and received instruction in practical and theoretical subjects, cultivating their souls in the practice of the virtues and in divine love. She studied Holy Scripture extensively, as well as the lives of the Saints and other spiritual books of the time, in which her spirit found rest and which she studied with delight.
At the beginning of the 1950s, the late Archimandrite Theophilos Zisopoulos, while still a layman, began preaching in her village. Through his fervent words, he awakened consciences, led people to repentance, and guided the simple and devout people of God toward salvation. The soul of the young Stavroula was deeply impressed, and divine eros and the desire for total dedication were kindled within her. Together with Elpida, she visited the premises of the newly established sisterhood in Asprovalta, and they formed close bonds with the first sisters, who were then beginning their dedicated life under the guidance of Father Theophilos.
Meanwhile, her siblings established families. Six of them went to Canada, one sister went to Athens, and she herself, for a short time, followed her elder brother Christodoulos to Germany in order to help his new family in their life abroad. She returned because of her father's illness and remained beside her parents, caring for them until his death in 1968.
During this period, her decision and inclination to dedicate herself in a monastic place became firmly established, where, far from the noise and cares of the world, she would be able to worship and serve Christ. Free from commitments and obligations, and with the wholehearted blessing of her late mother, she and Elpida, together with their late like-minded friend Tatiani, who was later renamed Nun Xenia, searched for a place where they could embrace the monastic life. Their acquaintance with the late Archimandrite Joachim Karachristos, a military chaplain, led them to the village of Nikites in the province of Chrysoupolis, where they settled on March 25, 1969, in an abandoned, dilapidated house. Conditions were very difficult and discouraging for the three frail women. Nevertheless, the divine zeal that possessed them overcame their natural timidity as women and strengthened their resolve, enabling them to undertake arduous work to prepare the site: digging the rocky ground, carrying water, helping the craftsmen, and unfailingly performing the Sacred Monastic Services. They would rise at two o'clock in the morning, work and pray until late, and then, utterly exhausted, allow their bodies to rest for only a few hours. At that time, they received significant help from the army and from the Elder's spiritual children, particularly the young men Theophanis Kontaxis and Photis Skipetaris, who served them in every need with great willingness. In just thirteen years, they built the monastery and its church, organized the coenobitic life, established the sisters' handicrafts and obediences, and created a spiritual beacon for the entire region. Her tonsure into the Great Schema was performed by the then Metropolitan of Philippi, Neapolis, and Thasos, Alexander.
In September 1981, she and Gerontissa Lydia settled in the newly established Monastery of Saint Panteleimon. From the beginning, they undertook the construction of the buildings, the organization of monastic life according to the Athonite models, and the establishment of the sisterhood of nuns. Sister Christodouli, then forty-eight years old but possessing a youthful spirit and zeal, took the lead in all the difficult tasks, becoming a model and example for the sisters. For almost forty years, her principal obedience was the care of the church. She carried it out with great diligence, rising shortly after midnight to perform her monastic rule, light the heating, tend to the vigil lamps, and care for the church, so that everything would be ready for the daily Service and Divine Liturgy celebrated at the Monastery. Tireless and without complaint in her service, she kept everything inside the church clean and quietly and reverently served the Elder in the Holy Altar, where she did not allow the other sisters to come and go. Only for a very serious health reason would she be absent from the Services and Vigils, during which she prayed with alertness and watchfulness. She regularly commemorated the names of the sick and of people who requested her prayers, doing so for extended periods and with many prayer knots, and she read supplicatory canons for everyone. She had great faith in the healing grace of Saint Panteleimon and recommended that everyone take some of the wonderworking oil from his vigil lamp for anointing and drink a little of it daily, as well as some holy water. She studied the lives of the Saints and spiritual books extensively and recommended that laypeople also read and pray daily in their homes using the prayer rope, the Supplicatory Canon, Compline, and the Salutations to the Panagia.
She advised people to confess, receive Holy Communion, fast, and observe God's law in their lives.
In September 1981, she and Gerontissa Lydia settled in the newly established Monastery of Saint Panteleimon. From the beginning, they undertook the construction of the buildings, the organization of monastic life according to the Athonite models, and the establishment of the sisterhood of nuns. Sister Christodouli, then forty-eight years old but possessing a youthful spirit and zeal, took the lead in all the difficult tasks, becoming a model and example for the sisters. For almost forty years, her principal obedience was the care of the church. She carried it out with great diligence, rising shortly after midnight to perform her monastic rule, light the heating, tend to the vigil lamps, and care for the church, so that everything would be ready for the daily Service and Divine Liturgy celebrated at the Monastery. Tireless and without complaint in her service, she kept everything inside the church clean and quietly and reverently served the Elder in the Holy Altar, where she did not allow the other sisters to come and go. Only for a very serious health reason would she be absent from the Services and Vigils, during which she prayed with alertness and watchfulness. She regularly commemorated the names of the sick and of people who requested her prayers, doing so for extended periods and with many prayer knots, and she read supplicatory canons for everyone. She had great faith in the healing grace of Saint Panteleimon and recommended that everyone take some of the wonderworking oil from his vigil lamp for anointing and drink a little of it daily, as well as some holy water. She studied the lives of the Saints and spiritual books extensively and recommended that laypeople also read and pray daily in their homes using the prayer rope, the Supplicatory Canon, Compline, and the Salutations to the Panagia.
She advised people to confess, receive Holy Communion, fast, and observe God's law in their lives.
She was strict in the monastic life and advised the younger sisters to be attentive and exact in their way of life. At the refectory, she ate sparingly and strictly observed the fasts of the Church until her old age. She did not wish to leave the Monastery at all, not even to visit places of pilgrimage. She went to Jerusalem only once, where she reverently venerated all the Holy Places and climbed Mount Sinai with youthful eagerness. The center of her life was the sacred church and its proper care. She spent many hours meticulously cleaning the church, the candle stands, and the sacred vessels. She also served successfully in other obediences, in the kitchen and the bakery, where, from midnight onward, she carried holm-oak branches to light the oven and have ready, after the morning Service, the blessed bread that she kneaded, as well as the prosphora and the loaves for the Artoklasia. Throughout all those years, she reverently served the late Elder Philip, the Monastery's Elder, by cleaning his cell, washing his sacred vestments by hand, and serving him in the Holy Altar. He himself acknowledged and declared that Sister Christodouli was a perfect servant, who gave him rest through her orderliness and reliability in the Holy Altar, in her obediences, and in her spiritual duties. She also took responsibility for the Monastery's courtyards and flower gardens and made sure that they were always watered and well cared for. She prepared traditional preserves and always set aside the finest ones for the Metropolitan. She worked in the Monastery's communal work projects and in the fields. Even in old age, she would clear the road to the church at night when it snowed, in order to make it easier for the sisters to attend the Services. She had no love at all for sleep or rest. With God's help, she carried out her obediences every day, remaining vigilant and steadfast in her monastic duties.
During the early years, she made decorative candles for the Monastery's exhibition. For entire hours, with her aching hands, she washed clothes and liturgical vestments by hand so that the fabrics would not be damaged in the washing machine. Because the Elder worked extensively with his hands on the construction projects and in the fields, she had cassocks to wash and iron every day. She slept very little and drank coffee and took painkillers in order to endure the daily toil, considering any additional rest a transgression on her part. Even when she was ill, she remained in bed for no more than two days. God helped her, and she quickly returned to her duties. She had very few personal belongings in her cell, only what was necessary. When the sisters moved into the new wing, she remained by herself in her original small, ground-floor, windowless cell, where she continued her ascetic life. She did not like laughter and joking and advised the younger sisters against them. She respected all the clergy who visited or served at the Monastery, as well as the Athonite Fathers. She never held a grudge or anger against anyone and quickly forgot any misunderstanding or dispute. She dearly loved the Panagia Tricherousa and Saint Panteleimon, and every day she sought their intercession for the affairs of the Monastery and the problems of people. During her final years, when she could no longer hear well in church, she spent many hours persevering in the prayer with her prayer rope. She would ask to depart this life after an illness lasting three days, because she could not bear remaining in bed. God, however, permitted her to be bedridden for many years because of old age, in order to glorify her in the furnace of patience and endurance.
During the coronavirus pandemic, she fell ill along with the other sisters. After the repose of Gerontissa Lydia and Nun Makrina, she too became confined to her sickbed. God permitted her to spend six years in patience and endurance, receiving with gratitude and thanksgiving the care and attention of the sisters, who served her without complaint, with great reverence and love.
She spent her entire life following the evangelical path of love, offering, humility, sacrificial service, and asceticism, daily compelling herself to fulfill her spiritual duties, praying and living in obscurity and in the silence of a life of stillness according to God.
She reposed in the Lord on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The following day, Monday, her funeral service was held in the Katholikon of the Monastery according to the monastic rite, with the participation of twenty-five priests, Athonite Fathers, monks from neighboring monasteries, and a great multitude of people.
“Her soul shall dwell in good things!” (Psalm 24:13)
May we have her blessing!
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
During the early years, she made decorative candles for the Monastery's exhibition. For entire hours, with her aching hands, she washed clothes and liturgical vestments by hand so that the fabrics would not be damaged in the washing machine. Because the Elder worked extensively with his hands on the construction projects and in the fields, she had cassocks to wash and iron every day. She slept very little and drank coffee and took painkillers in order to endure the daily toil, considering any additional rest a transgression on her part. Even when she was ill, she remained in bed for no more than two days. God helped her, and she quickly returned to her duties. She had very few personal belongings in her cell, only what was necessary. When the sisters moved into the new wing, she remained by herself in her original small, ground-floor, windowless cell, where she continued her ascetic life. She did not like laughter and joking and advised the younger sisters against them. She respected all the clergy who visited or served at the Monastery, as well as the Athonite Fathers. She never held a grudge or anger against anyone and quickly forgot any misunderstanding or dispute. She dearly loved the Panagia Tricherousa and Saint Panteleimon, and every day she sought their intercession for the affairs of the Monastery and the problems of people. During her final years, when she could no longer hear well in church, she spent many hours persevering in the prayer with her prayer rope. She would ask to depart this life after an illness lasting three days, because she could not bear remaining in bed. God, however, permitted her to be bedridden for many years because of old age, in order to glorify her in the furnace of patience and endurance.
During the coronavirus pandemic, she fell ill along with the other sisters. After the repose of Gerontissa Lydia and Nun Makrina, she too became confined to her sickbed. God permitted her to spend six years in patience and endurance, receiving with gratitude and thanksgiving the care and attention of the sisters, who served her without complaint, with great reverence and love.
She spent her entire life following the evangelical path of love, offering, humility, sacrificial service, and asceticism, daily compelling herself to fulfill her spiritual duties, praying and living in obscurity and in the silence of a life of stillness according to God.
She reposed in the Lord on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The following day, Monday, her funeral service was held in the Katholikon of the Monastery according to the monastic rite, with the participation of twenty-five priests, Athonite Fathers, monks from neighboring monasteries, and a great multitude of people.
“Her soul shall dwell in good things!” (Psalm 24:13)
May we have her blessing!
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
