Venerable Ypomoni in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

It is a remarkable case, that of the princess who later became an empress, then the mother of an emperor, and afterward a nun: Helen Dragas, who later became Ypomoni. For it is certainly not easy for someone to leave behind honors and glory — even in a period of decline — and shut herself up in a monastery, living as an ordinary mortal and carrying out even the most difficult and humble obediences. This reveals an exceptional humility, which is the necessary condition for receiving the grace of God in abundance.

Even more remarkable, however, is that she not only became a nun, but attained such heights of holiness that our Church recognized them and proclaimed her sanctity. The miracles recorded through her interventions, both in earlier times and in more recent years, are many. One example is the case of a taxi driver who, only a few years ago on this very day, was transporting a simple nun from Athens to Loutraki. During the journey he revealed his problem — skin cancer. He received her blessing, and it acted immediately as a cure for his illness. When, after a brief stop, he looked for her, she had vanished. No one around the place where he had stopped had seen her. He later recognized her in the doctor's office he visited, because the doctor had an icon of Saint Ypomoni hanging on the wall.

Venerable Ypomoni in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

It is admirable the case of the little princess, later empress and afterwards mother of an emperor, who became a nun, Helen Dragas and later Ypomoni. For certainly it is not easy for one to leave honors and glories, even in a period of decline, in order to shut oneself in a monastery, living as a “common” mortal, performing even the most difficult and “lowly” obediences. This shows a particular humility, which constitutes the prerequisite for one to receive richly the grace of God.

What is even more wonderful, however, is that not only did she become a nun, but she also reached such measures of holiness that our Church recognized them, so as to proclaim also her sanctity. The miracles, for example, that have been recorded from her interventions, earlier and more recent, are many, like the case of that taxi driver who, on this very day only a few years ago, while transporting to Loutraki from Athens a simple nun and revealing his problem – skin cancer – received her blessing, which immediately functioned as a healing from his illness. And when after a small stop he looked for her, she had disappeared; no one had seen her, wherever he asked around where he had stopped, and he recognized her a little later in the medical office that he visited, because the physician had set up her holy icon.

The Cross of Empress Helen Dragas-Palaiologos (Later known as Saint Ypomoni)

 

The Cross of Empress Helen Dragas-Palaiologos, who later was known as Saint Ypomoni, dates to 1417 and is made of wood and silver with low and high relief, height 36.2 cm, length of large horizontal beam 18.8 cm, length of small horizontal beam 11.2 cm. The front depicts Christ Crucified, while the back depicts Christ Baptized. It has a resemblance to the so-called Cross of Constantine the Great at Vatopaidi Monastery, which probably also dates back to the Palaiologan Period. Artistically, the larger figures have a Western influence, while the smaller images are more Byzantine. It is stored in the Monastery of Dionysiou on Mount Athos.

Saint Ypomoni and the Taxi Driver

Saint Ypomoni, the mother of the last Roman Emperor who reposed on March 13th 1450 after living the last 25 years of her life as a nun, once appeared as a nun to a resident of Athens, who worked as a taxi driver. She signaled for the taxi to stop and pick her up, and asked to bring her to Loutraki, near Corinth.*

The taxi driver at his time had skin cancer on his hands and was in great despair. On the way the nun wearing a cowl with a red cross asked him: "Why are you melancholy?" He did not hesitate to confess the truth. Then she asked him if he wanted her to bless him with the sign of the cross so that he would be healed, and he accepted. Soon after this he got the sudden urge to sleep, and asked the nun for them to stop for a while, so that they would not be killed. They were near the toll booth and could easily find another taxi if she was in a hurry.