Nektarios of Aegina
Nektarios von Aegina , also Nektarios von der Pentapolis , (born October 1, 1846 in Selymbria , Ottoman Empire , † November 8, 1920 in Athens ) is a saint of the Orthodox Church . November 9th (one day after his death) was set as his feast day.
After retiring in 1908, he retired to a monastery on the island of Aegina and wrote numerous works there. In 1905 the popular Greek Marian hymn Agni Parthene , written by him, was printed in the little Theotokarion.
Life
Nektarios was born on October 1, 1846 in Selymbria ( Eastern Thrace , today Silivri in Turkey ) under the real name Anastasios Kefalas. Anastasios first worked as a teacher in the village of Lithi on Chios before becoming a monk in the monastery of Nea Moni . At first he was called Lazaros, but after three years he was named Nektarios.
After studying theology in Athens , he came to Alexandria in Egypt in 1885 and was ordained a priest there on March 23, 1886 . Just three years later he was ordained Metropolitan of the Pentapolis in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Cairo . The accusation that Nektarios was striving for the patriarchal throne led to his being relieved of all his church duties on July 11, 1890, and he returned to Athens. He worked as a simple preacher in Greece until he became director of the seminary in Athens on March 8, 1894.
After his retirement on December 7, 1908, Nektarios retired to the Zoodochos Pighi monastery on the island of Aegina . Here he wrote numerous books until he died on November 8, 1920. He was buried in the monastery courtyard, and the first pilgrims soon came . On September 3, 1953, his bones were buried a second time in the monastery church, and on April 20, 1961, Nektarios was canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople .
Publications (all in Greek)
- Little Theotokarion (Θεοτοκάριον μικρόν) (Athens 1905)
- Handbook for priests (Athens 1907)
- Historical Study of the Precious Cross (Athens 1914)
- Study of the Divine Mysteries (Athens 1915)
- Christian ethics
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nektarios of Aegina |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Nektarios of the Pentapolis; Agios Nektarios; Αγιος Νεκταριος (Greek) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Saint of the Orthodox Church |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 1, 1846 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Selymbria , Ottoman Empire |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 8, 1920 |
| Place of death | Athens |