Venerable Martyr Ephraim of Nea Makri in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The Holy Hymnographer, the Venerable Gerasimos Mikragiannanites, does not have many details at his disposal from the life of the Venerable Martyr Ephraim in order to present and interpret them in a spiritual and theological way. For this is the task of a hymnographer of our Church: to base himself on the earthly life of a Saint, yet to perceive the depth of his life — that is, his life in Christ — which gives the tone and the fragrance of His grace, especially by focusing on his ascetic or martyric end. In this way, moreover, the Saint becomes a model for the faithful, and the saying is fulfilled: “to honor a martyr is to imitate a martyr.”

Thus, the Venerable Hymnographer in this case does not have many details about Saint Ephraim. Yet the few he possesses, through divine inspiration and his experience in the Holy Spirit, are multiplied in his hands, to the point that he offers us a wealth of spiritual blossoms from the newly-revealed Venerable Martyr.

What gives him the occasion to hymn the Saint — and through him, of course, the Lord Himself? The fact that from childhood he was dedicated to God as a monk; that he lived a consistent ascetic life while he remained in the monastery; that he confirmed his good ascetic struggle with the martyrdom of his blood when the monastery was attacked by the Hagarenes; that his relics, by God’s good pleasure, were discovered fragrant — a sign of his holiness; and finally, that he performs many miracles by the grace of God, both through the invocation of his name and through the veneration of his relics.

An Icon of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri at the General Hospital of Kalymnos is Exuding Myrrh

A report from Wednesday, March 18, 2026, that is causing awe and deep emotion on the island of Kalymnos has emerged, as the icon of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri, which is located inside the General Hospital of the island, is said to have exuded myrrh.

The incident was initially noticed by a nurse at the hospital, who immediately informed the administrator, Pantelis Kongas, stating that she observed liquid flowing from the left eye of the icon. The administrator went to the location and verified the event, proceeding to promptly inform the ecclesiastical authorities, namely Protopresbyter Amphilochios Sakalleros and Metropolitan Paisios of Kalymnos, Leros and Astypalaia.

Indeed, the Metropolitan collected the liquid with cotton, which — according to testimonies — emitted a characteristic fragrance, while a Paraklesis service was held and the Apolytikion of Saint Ephraim was chanted. In a brief statement, the Metropolitan approached the event theologically, noting: “The icon is exuding myrrh. A miracle is not subject to investigation, and for us this is a blessing of God.” He further stated that “the mystery is not to be examined, but experienced,” without, however, any official announcement being issued by the Metropolis.

Saint Ephraim "Breathed Into My Shoulder Where There is an Artery"

On November 8th 1993, the feast of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, Eldress Makaria Desypris, who had discovered the relics of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri after a revelation from the Saint himself in the 1950's, was sitting in her cell when she “quite unexpectedly,” as she herself said, felt "a bitter pain in my heart, and before the first one had even passed, immediately a second, and a third (i.e., pain).

I realized that the end of my life had drawn near — or rather, that this indeed was the end of my life — and I turned, so that I might make the sign of the Cross and commend my spirit to my Lord. Before I managed to form the first movement of the Cross, however, I saw Saint Ephraim bent over me.

Saint Ephraim of the Sacred Monastery of the Theotokos on Mount Amomon

Sketch of St. Ephraim, by the hand of Photios Kontoglou

By Photis Martinos,
Grandchild of Photios Kontoglou

Saint Ephraim is celebrated today and the memories that awaken from our childhood are many.

It is known that Kontoglou maintained a very close and deep relationship with the Monastery of Saint Paraskevi as we called it then, that is, the Monastery of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, better known today as the Monastery of Saint Ephraim, on Mount Amomon in Nea Makri, Attica, and with its abbess Markella (Makaria) from Falatado, Tinos, whom the nuns called - and still call her - "Mother".

Whenever he could, he attended church at the Monastery with the entire "entourage" and he has even written a relevant article in ELEFTHERIA.

Of course, the Monastery had no relation to what it is now. Neither as a building nor in relation to its popularity today. It was a small, almost unknown Monastery in a deserted place, since Nea Makri was also a small village and not the city it is today. Perhaps that is why, or rather why indeed, Kontoglou loved it so much.

Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri and the Dying Woman

Abbess Makaria holding an Icon of St. Ephraim

According to the story told by Abbess Makaria, there was a lady, Mrs. V., who offered to do free work at the Monastery, sewing clothes for the children of the institution. One day when Mrs. V. was kneeling and praying to Saint Ephraim, she felt his touch and was filled with fragrance as he passed by her. For quite some time they lost her. She did not come to the Monastery until an acquaintance informed them that she was seriously ill. Abbess Makaria immediately left to visit her, taking with her the Relics of the Saint. The image of the dying woman that she saw left her speechless. She immediately began to pray to the Saint. The dying woman opened her eyes, saw her and said:

"Mother, you have come to me!"

Abbess Makaria placed the Holy Relics on her and continued praying. The lady suddenly came to life, the color returned to her face and asked for food. Talking with the abbess afterwards, she asked her to also bless a grandmother next to her who was blind. With the grace of the Relics of the Saint, the grandmother also had her sight restored.

The File for the Canonization of Eldress Makaria of Mount Amomon Has Been Submitted

According to the exclusive information of ope.gr and the journalist Demetrios Stroumbakos, Metropolitan Kyrillos of Kifissia, Amarousi, Oropou and Marathon submitted a file to the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece which contains the information regarding the Canonization of Eldress Makaria Desypris, who was the one who discovered the Sacred Relic of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri in January 1950.

This morning (May 30, 2024) the Metropolitan officiated at the Monastery of Saint Ephraim, on the occasion of the joyous event of the deposit of the file for the canonization of Eldress Makaria, which will then be transferred from the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The Relics of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri in Canada

Saint John the Baptist Hellenic Orthodox Church is located in Saint-Hubert in the region of Quebec, and was established in 1985. This parish has the special blessing of having a large icon of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri, along with one of his slippers as well as a portion of his hand. These relics were given to this parish by the late Eldress Makaria Desypris (1911-1999) herself, who Saint Ephraim first revealed himself to and indicated to where his long lost relics were, which she discovered in 1950. 

 

When Metropolitan Iakovos of Attica Asked for a Sign from Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri

When on January 3, 1950, the sacred relics of Saint Ephraim were found by the late Abbess Makaria Desypris in the then-ruined Monastery of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Nea Makri, Metropolitan Iakovos (Vavanatsos) of Attica and Megara, the later Archbishop of Athens, whom the late Eldress informed immediately about finding the sacred relics, advised her to temporarily keep the event a secret, to place the relics in a wooden box and keep them inside the sanctuary of the Monastery where he himself would see them on his first visit to the Monastery.

When the late Metropolitan Iakovos went to the Monastery to officiate, the relics were indeed placed in a wooden box and were inside the sanctuary.

Two Weeping Icons In Mytilene That Drew Thousands of Believers Currently Under Investigation

Crowds of people were flocking every day for about 20 days to the Church of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri in the neighborhood of Kallithea in Mytilene to venerate the icons of Saint Paraskevi and Saint Ephraim, which are reported to be "weeping" according to the testimonies of those in charge of the church as well as various believers who are eyewitnesses.

According to media reports, during the Divine Liturgy on Pentecost Sunday, the priest was interrupted when he was called by the faithful to explain the phenomenon.

The icon of Saint Ephraim appears to have had a liquid that seems to have run down from the face of the Saint, but it became dry and to see it one must look at the icon from the side where it is clearly visible.

The Veneration of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri in Romania

Radu-Vodă Monastery

In the working session of May 22, 2014, which took place at the Patriarchal Residence, under the presidency of Patriarch Daniel, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church decided to register in the Calendar of the Romanian Orthodox Church the Holy Great Martyr Ephraim the New of Nea Makri, who had been previously canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and his feast day was designated for May 5.