Theotokos the Joy of All

In the reign of the Emperor Constantine Monomachus, in the year 1020, the sacred icon of the Antiphonetria performed the folloeing miracle at the Konstamonitou Monastery.

On the first of the month of August, the day on which the Orthodox Church celebrates the Procession of the Holy and Life-giving Cross, the then ecclesiarch of the Monastery, by the name of Agathon, was plunged into brief because the Monastery did not have the means of lighting and embellishing the church in a proper manner. It was the eve of the feast of the translation of the relics of St Stephen, patron of the Monastery, and in his distress the ecclesiarch called upon the Theotokos with tears, remaining on his knees before her icon all night.

Wine, as a blessed commodity, plays a predominant role in the life of the Athonite monasteries. The founder of the monastic state of Mount Athos, Saint Athanasius the Athonite, decreed that each monastery should have its own vineyards. Thus, since the 10th century, the founders of the monasteries, recognizing the value of wine, have numerous vineyards in their monastic properties. On Mount Athos, there were no large areas for grain, due to the geographical difficulty and the wildness of the place. However, the microclimate of Mount Athos as well as its special vineyards, are key factors for a distinct wine production, unique throughout the Balkan Peninsula and the Northern Aegean. Even today, a number of monks from each monastery are in charge of the cultivation of vineyards and the production of wine.

Father Simon was born in 1901 in Koukouvaounes, Attica, Greece. At the age of 16, he went to Mount Athos with friends in order to receive the blessing of Metropolitan Nectarios (St Nectarios). The Saint took his hands and told him prophetically: “You will become a Spiritual Father and save souls”. Simon’s love for God grew, and at age 24, he secretly left his family to be tonsured a monk at the monastery of St Haralambos. However, he longed to be a cave-dwelling hermit, and continually begged this from the Monastery elders. The elders prayed for a week to Panagia to determine the correct path. After a week, Simon was told: “The Holy Mother informed us that you must return to the world which needs you to be led to salvation”. In obedience, he left Mount Athos and was ordained a priest-monk.