The Snakes of the Panagia Have Made Their Appearance in Kefallonia (2026)

Just as every year, from the feast of the Transfiguration of Christ till the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, or from August 6th to the 15th, snakes appear in a wondrous manner in two villages of Kefallonia with chapels dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, in Markopoulo and Arginia, that appear to worship among the pilgrims who flock to these chapels, and venerate of their own accord the icon of the Panagia. Many noted miracles are associated with these snakes.

For more information: Panagia Fidousa (Snakes of the Panagia) Resource Page

Prologue in Sermons: May 25

 

It is a Good Thing, During Times of Absence, To Entrust our Loved Ones to the Most Holy Theotokos

May 25

(A word from the Lemonarion concerning entrusting one’s wife to the Most Holy Theotokos.)
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Some pious Christians, when setting out on a long journey, entrust their loved ones to the protection and care of the Most Holy Theotokos. Do they do well in this?

There once lived in Alexandria a Christ-loving man, reverent and charitable, who received strangers and washed the feet of monks. He had a humble and fasting wife and a six-year-old daughter. Once, when he was leaving for Constantinople on business, his wife asked him: “To whom, my lord, do you entrust me and our daughter during your absence?” — “To our Lady the Theotokos,” the husband answered. Leaving one servant in the house, he departed.

During his absence, the devil inspired in that servant an evil thought: to kill his master’s wife and daughter, plunder the property, and flee with the stolen goods. Taking a knife, he went toward the room where his mistress sat doing needlework, intending to kill her. But when he approached the door, he was suddenly struck blind and could move neither forward nor backward. After suffering for a long time, searching for the entrance or the exit and finding neither, he began calling out to his mistress, shouting: “Come here!”

Prologue in Sermons: December 30

To Wives Without Children

December 30
 
(From the Life of our Venerable Mother Theodora of Caesarea)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Wives who have husbands but no children are the most sorrowful of wives. Some have everything: a good husband, health, wealth, and public respect, but no children. Such wives weep, and a hopeless anguish gnaws at them, and they feel ashamed before others, and sometimes they are close to despair. How can we console them? This is how. 

We ask them: "Have you prayed to God to grant you children?"

They say: "We have prayed." 

"But to the Most Holy Theotokos? No? Well, then pray to Her, and your prayer, one can hope, will not be in vain."

November: Day 27: Teaching 2: Feast of the Sign of the Mother of God

November: Day 27: Teaching 2:
Feast of the Sign of the Mother of God
 
(Whom Should We Seek Help From Against Enemies Visible and Invisible?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On this day, a great national celebration once took place in ancient Novgorod. It was a great celebration, but a great miracle also occurred.

One day, numerous and fearsome enemies approached this ancient city, besieged it from all sides with their army, and threatened to destroy it with fire and sword. The poor Novgorodians were dismayed and terrified; their military forces were small, they had no means of defense, and there was no one to expect help from. What should they do in such a situation? What should they decide? After long and varied consultations and deliberations, they finally decided to resort to the merciful Lord God, to turn with fervent prayer to the heavenly Intercessor, the revered Leader — the Mother of God. And so the entire nation rose to prayer; young and old flocked to the churches of God; prayerful cries and lamentations resounded from the streets and crossroads; fervent tears and fervent prayers flowed to the heavens; – and consider how important, how significant before God is a united, communal prayer founded on heartfelt faith, hastened by love, and nurtured by hope! – One night, following such a communal and ardent prayer, the Archbishop of Novgorod received in a dream a command to place the next morning on the city wall an icon depicting the Mother of God with her hands raised in sorrow. Upon awakening, the Archbishop received this command with unwavering faith and, the next morning, indeed, with due reverence, he placed the sacred icon on the city wall, positioning it so that it faced the praying people. As the service of supplication to the Most Holy Theotokos began, the enemies, who had intended to launch a decisive assault on the city at that moment, were suddenly thrown into confusion, disoriented, faltered, and, struck by an invisible force, scattered and fled! The weak Novgorodian army could only strike at the fleeing and gather the treasures of the enemy camp; – and now in Novgorod, on the day before this gloomy and sorrowful one, – there was universal joy, delight, and the greatest triumph! The enemies before them had seemed invincible – and they were scattered, there had been hunger and need – now there was abundance in everything; there had been despair and fear – suddenly, there was indescribable joy and merriment! Thus, the Mother of God saved the ancient Novgorodians from numerous and terrible foes; thus, She revealed to them the Sign of Her miraculous help and power; and thus, time and again, She has saved our homeland in times of internal strife and in the grave invasions of foreign enemies. In the same way, She now saves all of us, Christians, from all the hardships and misfortunes of life and from all our enemies, both visible and invisible.

June: Day 18: Teaching 1: The Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God

June: Day 18: Teaching 1:
The Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God

(Can We Always Hope To Receive What We Ask From the Mother of God?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Eternal monuments of the miraculous help of the Queen of Heaven to suffering Christians are Her numerous miraculous icons, which adorn the Russian land. Among them, the Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, the feast in honor of which is now celebrated, has been reverently venerated in Holy Rus' since ancient times. This miraculous icon was painted in the twelfth century, by order of the Holy Grand Prince of Vladimir, Andrew Yuryevich Bogolyubsky. In 1157, when the pious prince was leaving Vyshgorod to return to his homeland, the land of Suzdal, he took with him the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God that had been in the Convent of Maidens, upon the advice of his boyars. During his journey from Vyshgorod to Rostov, he did not cease to perform prayers before the icon of the Mother of God. When they were approaching the city of Vladimir, at one place near the Klyazma River the horses harnessed to the sleigh in which the holy icon was being carried stopped. They changed horses several times, but none of them could move the sleigh. The Grand Prince then ordered the tents to be pitched and then, together with those accompanying him, he prayed for a long time before the icon of the Mother of God. The Mother of God then appeared to him with a charter in her hand and commanded him to remain forever in Vladimir, and on that place (ten miles from the city) to build a monastery and a church in the name of the Nativity of the Mother of God. The pious and God-fearing prince did not hesitate to fulfill the command of the Queen of Heaven and erected a monastery on the site of Her appearance, calling it Bogolyubov. At the same time, to glorify this miraculous event, he ordered icon painters to depict the radiant face of the Mother of God in the form in which She appeared to him. The newly painted icon was called Bogolyubsky ("the God-lover") and was to be celebrated annually on June 18. Local residents soon began to venerate it as miraculous. 

October: Day 22: Teaching 1: Celebration in Honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

 

October: Day 22: Teaching 1:
Celebration in Honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
 
(What Should We Pray to the Mother of God For?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Russia has seen over itself, throughout its entire existence, the unceasing care of the Mother of God. From the very first times of the illumination of our fatherland by the Orthodox faith, the Queen of Heaven was pleased to choose it as the place of the habitation of Her glory, and since then, as the faith of Christ spread within the borders of our kingdom, the miraculous protection of our Lady also spread, and finally embraced the entire face of the Russian land, so that now, one can say, there is not a single city, in the least remarkable in the annals of our country, where there would not be a visible sign of Her grace-filled help. What do the numerous miraculous icons of the Mother of God mean, throughout the vast expanse of the Russian land, pouring out saving grace to all who come to them with faith, if not obvious signs of the special favor of the Mother of God to us, the unworthy? And it is not in vain that the faithful sons of Russia, in all the needs of the fatherland, flowing into churches with warm prayer, glorify the Queen of Heaven as their fervent Intercessor.

The Snakes of the Panagia Have Made Their Appearance in Kefallonia (2024)

Just as every year, from the feast of the Transfiguration of Christ till the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, or from August 6th to the 15th, snakes appear in a wondrous manner in two villages of Kefallonia with chapels dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, in Markopoulo and Arginia, that appear to worship among the pilgrims who flock to these chapels, and venerate of their own accord the icon of the Panagia. Many noted miracles are associated with these snakes.

Miracles of Saints Parthenios and Evmenios of Koudoumas (3 of 3)

...continued from part two.

Ms. Athena M., a resident of Thessaloniki, recounts:

I had a big problem with my feet, which were excessively swollen. I was at the Sacred Monastery of Koudoumas with my late husband S. for a few days of pilgrimage. One evening there was a vigil which we attended. I sat on one of the stalls of the sacred temple in front of which was the icon of the Venerable Fathers. Then with complaint and tears I turned to the saints asking them to help me in this problem. I then see Saint Evmenios who comes out of the icon, goes to the candle counter, takes a candle and he comes to me. I then with many tears face the icon of the saints, on which there was now only one figure, that of Saint Parthenios.

Saint Evmenios then brings me the candle and tells me: "Light it and everything will be fine," and at the same time I see him again heading towards his icon.

After what happened to me and which really shocked me, I praise God who always hastens to every soul that asks for His help in pain. I always hope in the intercessions of the Venerable Fathers Parthenios and Evmenios.

The Baby Who Was Tossed In the Trash: Testimony of a Miracle Associated With Panagia Prousiotissa

Eleni lived in Karpenisi and was married to a very cruel man, who hit her for the slightest thing.

The hardships of life made her serve in the Monastery of Panagia Prousiotissa every August 15th.

She has recorded the following miracle:

"For a time, I worked as a paralegal for a doctor, who paid well but was also very cruel like my husband. One day I took the trash can to go throw the trash away and suddenly I heard a wail.

Reaching the bin, I opened the lid and saw a baby covered in blood.

Panagia Malevi: The Icon That Has Been Continually Gushing Myrrh Since 1964

 The Holy Myrrh of Panagia Malevi 

According to the Testimony of the Nuns of the Monastery

 

At an altitude of 1,100 meters, in a verdant mountaintop where the Monastery of Panagia Malevi has been since 1116 AD, the icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos - one of the seventy painted by Luke the Evangelist - has not stopped gushing Myrrh from 1964 until today, while the whole area is fragrant without anyone being able to give an alternate explanation.

Her appearances, as well as miracles, number in the hundreds, though most never become known. However, word of mouth of her divine signs are transferred throughout the world and every year believers from every corner of Greece but also from abroad, such as America, Australia, Canada, Cyprus, travel as far as Arcadia to venerate her grace and ask for her help. And she doesn't disappoint them. She reaches out to them and heals their wounds.
 
That which has deeply moved my soul and has literally disturbed me is the heavenly, the divine Myrrh, this supernatural Myrrh which emanates from this miraculous icon.

Two Miracles of the Panagia Prousiotissa - "The German Officer Who Was Punished" and "The Unknown 'Nun'"

The German Officer Who Was Punished

In the history of the Monastery of Panagia Prousiotissa it is mentioned that during the Turkish rule it was destroyed several times. But the last destruction, which turned the buildings into heaps of ruins, was done in 1944 by the Germans.

After the destruction of the buildings, an officer wanted to burn the church as well.

He tried many times, but to no avail. So while he was standing outside and giving orders, he was exemplary punished by the hand of the Panagia. An invisible force flung him onto the pavement.

The blow was strong, and the German unable to get up. The soldiers picked him up and put him on an animal to take him to Agrinio.

Thus the temple remained unharmed, as it was preserved intact through the centuries.

"I Went and Bought the Biggest Lamp": A Man Recounts a Miracle of the Panagia Varnakova

A man named Sotiris came to the Monastery of Panagia Varnakova holding a lamp the size of the trunk of a small tree! He was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. His pious wife had also come with him.

A few weeks ago, believers from Agrinio with Father Theokletos had come to Varnakova, to venerate and celebrate the Divine Liturgy. The wife of Sotiris had also come with them, at his request.

"I was sick for a long time and the doctors couldn't find what was wrong with me. I got to the point where I didn't have the courage to drive the car, to go shopping for my children," he recounted with great emotion the day he came.

"The Panagia Came to Life in Her Icon!": Testimony of a Miracle Associated With Panagia Varnakova

Wonderworking Icon of Panagia Varnakova

 

Testimony of a Miracle Associated With Panagia Varnakova 

 

(This miracle was recorded in September 2013 when the elderly woman who gave this testimony visited the Monastery of Panagia Varnakova with her children and grandchildren.)

 

We have family connections with the Monastery here of the Panagia [Monastery of Panagia Varnakova]. My parents often found work here, because in those years there was great poverty. So I too, just a 16-year-old girl, went to Athens to work in a house.

I was working hard for my age, away from the affection of my home. But once, for no reason, a man with his cruel behavior hurt me deeply. My soul was in so much pain, that night I went to my room, I hugged a wooden icon I had of the Panagia, I knelt on my bed, as I was dressed, and I let my pain pour out on Her with tears and sobs. I was asking for the consolation and help of the Panagia. The pain of my soul was indescribable.

The Miraculous Spring of the Theotokos in Bačko Petrovo Selo

Bačko Petrovo Selo is a village located on the right bank of the river Tisa in the Bečej Municipality, in the South Bačka District of Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The village has a Hungarian ethnic majority.

The Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Bačko Petrovo Selo is better known as Vodica Monastery. For three centuries this monastery has been the spiritual and cultural destination of this region. The holy spring ("vodica") is the special feature of this monastery, due to its miraculous properties, especially on behalf of those with ailments of the eyes.

Two Little Known Miracles of Panagia Soumela

In 1911, Prussian Generalleutnant Eduard von Hoffmeister (1852-1920) published a book titled Durch Armenien und der Zug Xeniphons in Leipzig. Hoffmeister traveled through Pontus to Armenia in 1909 to follow Xenophon’s paths. He spent several months around and gives exact information for the contemporary populations and roads. He had visited several monasteries of Pontus, including Soumela. While at Soumela, he either read or was told interesting stories about the miraculous icon of the Panagia Soumela and wrote about it in his book. On the basis of what he wrote, Polychronis Enepekides (1917-2014), a Pontian by birth and the head of the Institute of Byzantine Studies in Vienna from 1974 until his retirement in 1992, published this in the periodical Pontiaki Estia. Enepekides is regarded as one of the first scholars to bring to light - through his research of the Austro-Hungarian archives - the persecution of Ottoman Greeks and in particular Pontic Greeks.

The Snakes of the Panagia Have Made Their Appearance in Kefallonia (2023)

Just as every year, from the feast of the Transfiguration of Christ till the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, or from August 6th to the 15th, snakes appear in a wondrous manner in two villages of Kefallonia with chapels dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, in Markopoulo and Arginia, that appear to worship among the pilgrims who flock to these chapels, and venerate of their own accord the icon of the Panagia. Many noted miracles are associated with these snakes.

The Mother of Elder Philotheos Zervakos and Her Miraculous Healing by the Panagia the Giatrissa

In his autobiography, Elder Philotheos Zervakos writes about a miraculous healing that took place on behalf of his mother by the Panagia the Giatrissa (a miraculous icon of the Mother of God which is often translated as the Panagia the Healer, though more accurately as the Panagia the Physician). His mother fell seriously ill and was on the verge of death shortly before he departed his homeland of Pakia in Laconia to follow the path of monasticism. This is what he records about the miracle:

Seeing her in danger of dying, I thought that if my mother remains ill, I will not be able to follow Christ, because my father would be left alone, with my little sister, and therefore I would not be able to abandon them.

The day before my mother's illness, a fellow villager gave me and I read a book, which contained miracles of the Most Holy Theotokos called "Panagia the Giatrissa".

Her temple is located on the slopes of Mount Taygetus, as is her miraculous icon. At the beginning of the book, on the first page, there was a copy of the sacred icon of the Panagia.

Miracles of the Panagia of the Life-Giving Spring at Longovarda Monastery in Paros: Miracle 3 (Elder Philotheos Zervakos)

 

 ...continued.

3. Another miracle happened during the blockade in 1917,* when there was no wheat on the island** due to the blockade by the Anglo-French. Many of the poor of the island and the refugees took refuge in our Sacred Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring at Longovarda; the majority of rich people, in such circumstances, hide the wheat in order to sell it at inflated prices for profit. The Fathers of the Monastery, feeling sorry for the hungry, provided everyone with bread for food and other supplies that the Monastery had. Then it was time to marvel at the miracles of the Life-Giving Spring, because while the Fathers were giving one by one to those who came and the grain was scarce, but according to the calculations of some who were weak in faith, the grain in the storehouse would soon be exhausted, others on the other hand believed the All-Immaculate Theotokos of the Life-Giving Spring with her blessings would prove it inexhaustible. The wheat did not run out, but was preserved to the astonishment and admiration of those who saw it until the new harvest. But what can I say? The Sacred Monastery has shown to be an unfathomable and inexhaustible river. For who, poor or widowed, or orphaned or sick or suffering, either physically or mentally, coming to the Monastery with faith does not receive their request? All become healthy, both of soul and body enjoying health, they leave giving thanks to the Mother of God and recounting the multitude of her miracles.

Miracles of the Panagia of the Life-Giving Spring at Longovarda Monastery in Paros: Miracles 1 and 2 (Elder Philotheos Zervakos)

Elder Philotheos Zervakos praying to the Panagia of the Life-Giving Spring in Longovarda

 

By Elder Philotheos Zervakos

In order to conclude the innumerable miracles of our Lady the Theotokos of the Life-Giving Spring, we cite here also the following miracles performed in the Sacred Monastery of Longovarda, before the Life-Giving Spring, in these days.

1. In the first days of the past forty-day fast, of the year 1927, a villager from the village of the island known as Lefkes, whose name is George Rangousis, came here. He begged me for him to bring his 18-year-old son Demetrios to our Sacred Monastery, suffering from paralysis of all his body parts and unable to walk. I, having unwavering faith in the unfailing help of the Theotokos and in the multitude of Her infinite miracles, said to the man: "Go, bring your son to the Monastery, and have faith and hope that the All-Immaculate Lady, the Life-Giving Spring, will heal him." Going from there to the village, he brought his son, for whom we began to repeat the prayers of Basil the Great and Sacred Chrysostom, anointing him with oil from the vigil lamp of the icon of the Theotokos of the Life-Giving Spring. O the miracle! After a few days of his sojourn inside, the one who was unable to stand on his feet beforehand now began to walk freely, praising and blessing God and the All-Praised Theotokos, the Life-Giving Spring, who provided him with healing, soul and body. He is now in our Monastery working in the shoemaker's shop (he happens to be a shoemaker) and he will leave for his homeland to the joy and gladness of his parents, who have spent a lot on doctors for the treatment of their son without benefit.