Incidents from the Life of Saint Bessarion of Agathonos

The life of Saint Bessarion is filled with incidents that reveal his profound humility and his absolute love for humanity. He was often called “the Saint of the poor” or “the Merciful One,” since whatever came into his hands he immediately distributed to others.

Below are some of the most striking true accounts:

"Saint Bessarion, I Can't Reach To Kiss You": A Miracle Before the Relics of our Venerable Father Bessarion

A pilgrimage a few years ago to the Agathon Monastery has been deeply imprinted in our hearts and minds, where our late Holy Elder Kyrillos, in front of the shrine of the incorruptible Elder Bessarion, with the simplicity that distinguished him, told us about a miraculous event.

Present were the Abbot of the Sacred Monastery of Agathon, the late Elder Damaskinos.

Also present were Elder Gabriel, now Abbot of the Monastery of the Venerable David, then as the companion and subordinate of Elder Kyrillos, along with the Priest from Ypati, Father Demetrios Karagiannis, my brother George with his wife, and me with my husband Konstantinos and our son.

A little earlier, we had celebrated Divine Liturgy together in the Monastery of Great Meteoron, in Ypati, at the Church of Saint Athanasios of Meteora and we had with us the Holy Head of Venerable David, since the Elder had brought it with the fathers to Lamia.

There, in front of the sacred relic of Venerable Bessarion, the Elder told us that a few years ago, not far from the time of the transfer of the incorruptible relics of Venerable Bessarion, he had the desire and came to the Agathon Monastery to venerate the sacred relic.

At that time, the relic of the Saint was in the same place in the left chapel of the katholikon, but without the later glass cover of the wooden box, where it was initially placed. Thus, one could directly kiss the relic without the interference of the glass case.

As Elder Kyrillos told us, he wanted to kiss the hand of the Saint, which tightly holds the small Gospel, from the time of his burial. "So," he says, "as I approached the sacred relic with reverence and with faith I said pleadingly to the Saint: 'Saint Bessarion, I can't reach to kiss you (Elder Kyrillos was short and had difficulty moving while the relic was placed too high for him), please give me your hand to kiss.'"

The Saint then opened his hand, put down the Gospel, and Father Kyrillos, quite naturally, took his hand into his own. He raised it to the level of his mouth as if it were a living body with elasticity, kissed it with reverence and left it in its original position. Once again the Saint took hold of the Gospel and has continued to hold it tightly ever since.

Father Demetrios Karagiannis, rector of Saint Nicholas in Ypati, who was present at this scene, as a novice hymnographer, did not fail to recount this miraculous event, during which natural laws were visibly dissolved, in the Sacred Service that he recently composed in honor of Venerable Bessarion.

During Great Vespers, in one of the Prosomia, he mentions the following:

"A dreadful miracle was seen by you, when you offered to the hand of Kyrillos your Divine temporary dwelling - grace-flowing, august and revered - for the sake of being kissed, and now the divine words of the Prophet in the Psalms have been fulfilled, who in the Spirit said that the righteous will not taste death. Therefore, encircling the grace-flowing coffin, blessed one, we all ask for the graces of your intercessions, for the mediation of the righteous is very powerful before the Lord."

A Personal Testimony AND GLORY TO GOD,

Sofia Kalogirou

 

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

 

When Saint Bessarion of Agathonos Met Saint Paisios the Athonite

 

By Father Damaskenos, Abbot of Agathonos Monastery

Once, in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, located in Souroti, Father Bessarion met with Elder Paisios the Athonite.

Although it was the first time they had seen each other, they addressed each other by their names as if they had known each other.

At one point, in the conversation between them, Elder Paisios said to Father Bessarion: "I'm jealous of you, Father Bessarion."

Saint Bessarion of Agathonos Revered Saint Anastasios the Persian

Saint Bessarion of Agathonos had great reverence for Saint Anastasios the Persian, and was even found worthy to depart this life on his feast day, January 22nd, making it now the feast day to commemorate both of them on the same day.

Often times Saint Bessarion would encounter Greeks who were named Anastasios, and on the feast of Saint Anastasios the Persian he would wish them many years for their name day. However they would tell him that they celebrate their name day on Pascha, since they were named after the Resurrection (Anastasi). To this, the Elder would reply: "You should celebrate on Saint Anastasios the Persian, because on Pascha we all celebrate."

I would think this would be similar advice for those women named Anastasia, to not celebrate on Pascha but perhaps either on Saint Anastasia the Roman (October 29) or Saint Anastasia the Pharmakolytria (December 22).

Prayer of Saint Bessarion of Agathonos to Saint Mary of Egypt

 By Saint Bessarion of Agathonos
 

Mary of Christ, Egyptian
Protector of sinners
of repentance and salvation
you are a true example.

Accept the prayer made to You
by one more sinner
full of passions and vices
obscenities and selfishness.

Brief Life of Saint Bessarion of Agathonos

Saint Bessarion Korkoliakos, the Agathonite, was born in Petalidi, Messenia in 1908, where he learned his first letters. His secular name was Andrew. At the age of 18 he went to Kalamata, where he connected with spiritual people and decided to enter the holy clergy. He became a Monk and took the name Bessarion. Then he was ordained a Deacon, Priest and received the office of Archimandrite.

His higher studies were at the Scholarcheio. However, the continuous study of the sacred books, the texts of our Church, the books of the chanter's stand, had made Saint Bessarion a man of broad and profound theological education.

Saint Bessarion of Agathonos Resource Page

St. Bessarion of Agathonos (Feast Day - January 22)

 Verses

Sacrificer of the Master Christ Bessarion,
Cover those who sing your hymns in their prayers.

 

Synaxarion of our Venerable Father Bessarion of Agathonos

 

Brief Life of Saint Bessarion of Agathonos

 

Incidents from the Life of Saint Bessarion of Agathonos
 

Saint Bessarion of Agathonos Remembers the Christmas of 1941

 

Saint Bessarion of Agathonos Revered Saint Anastasios the Persian

 

When Saint Bessarion of Agathonos Met Saint Paisios the Athonite

 

"Saint Bessarion, I Can't Reach To Kiss You": A Miracle Before the Relics of our Venerable Father Bessarion

Prayer of Saint Bessarion of Agathonos to Saint Mary of Egypt

 

Elder Bessarion: A Saint in the People's Consciousness 

 

Fr. Bessarion Korkoliacos Still Showing Signs of Holiness

 

Elder Bessarion of Agathonos Has Been Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate

 

Agathonos Monastery Receives a Rare Gift Before the First Celebration of the Feast of Saint Besasarion of Agathonos

The Three Day Feast of the Newly-Canonized Saint Bessarion of Agathonos Begins With a Procession of His Incorrupt Relic

 

A Homily on the Sainthood of Saint Bessarion of Agathonos Before His First Feast

 

A Homily on the Sainthood of Saint Bessarion of Agathonos Before His First Feast

 

In the heart of winter, in the city of Lamia and the Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos there, as well as in front of the Sacred and Incorrupt Relic of Saint Bessarion of Agathonos, which in the afternoon of June 20th was universally welcomed for the first and only time in the Cathedral of the Metropolis of Fthiotidos, a Multi-Hierarchical Panikhida (Service for the Repose of the Departed) was held, during which the Lamentations of the Saint were chanted.

The Service of the Epitaphios of Saint Bessarion was led by His Eminence Metropolitan Theologos of Serres and Nigrita, and was broadcast directly on Greek television, radio and the internet.

Agathonos Monastery Receives a Rare Gift Before the First Celebration of the Feast of Saint Besasarion of Agathonos

In addition to the elaborate Sacred Coffin and many other tributes, His Eminence Metropolitan Symeon of Fthiotidos, the spiritual father and patron of the Dormition of the Theotokos Monastery of Venerable Agathonos, on June 19th, in anticipation of the first official celebration of Saint Bessssarion of Agathonos, offered a special gift to the Monastery of Agathonos: an artistic and rare copy of the "Patriarchal and Synodal Act of the Inscription of Venerable Bessarion (Korkoliakos) of Agathonos in the Hagiologion of the Church" with the signature of His All-Holiness our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Venerable Members of the Holy Patriarchal Synod, with elaborate iconography of the Transfiguration, the Panagia Agathonitissa, the Holy Glorious Apostle Herodion who was the first Bishop of the Church in Fthiotidi, and our Holy and God-bearing Father Bessarion of Agathonos. 

 

The Three Day Feast of the Newly-Canonized Saint Bessarion of Agathonos Begins With a Procession of His Incorrupt Relic

On June 14th 2022, Saint Bessarion of Agathonos (+ January 22, 1991) was canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and on January 22nd 2023 it will be his first official festal celebration in his honor. In the Greek city of Lamia, festivities have already begun on January 20th, marking the beginning of a three day celebration. Today, for the first time, the incorrupt relics of Saint Bessarion left the Monastery of Agathonos, which were discovered to be incorrupt and miraculous on March 3rd 2006, and were brought into the heart of Roumeli, to the Cathedral of the Metropolis of Lamia.

After the morning Divine Liturgy, the Sacred Relic was placed by the monks and nuns from Fthiotida and elsewhere on a military vehicle and led by the Chancellor of the Metropolis, Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne Fr. Ephraim Triantafyllopoulos, the Abbot of the Monastery Archimandrite Fr. Germanos and a number of fathers, to the Nursing Home of the Metropolis, outside of Spercheiada, where the sick from all the institutions of the Metropolis were blessed by the Saint, and then a second stop was held at the Lianokladi Square, at the focal point of the Spercheiada valley, through which the Saint passed every day either going out to minister from the Monastery or returning to it.