Elder Hadji-Georgis the Athonite ( el, Γέρων Χατζη-Γεώργης ο Αθωνίτης; born 1809; died 30 December 1886) was a

Cappadocian Greek Cappadocian Greek ( cpg, Καππαδοκικά, Καππαδοκική Διάλεκτος), also known as Cappadocian or Asia Minor Greek, is a dialect of modern Greek heavily influenced by Turkish, originally spoken in Cappadocia (modern-day ...

Orthodox monk and ascetic.

Early life

In 1809, he was born as Gabriel in Kermira (also spelled Germir or Kermil), in what is now

Melikgazi Melikgazi, in Byzantine Empire, Byzantine times known as Tzamandos, is a metropolitan district of Kayseri in the Central Anatolia Region, Turkey, Central Anatolia region of Turkey. History In 1065, the town was given among other lands in the re ...

Kayseri Province The Kayseri Province ( tr, ) is situated in central Turkey. The population is 1,434,357 of which around 1,175,876 live in the city of Kayseri. It covers an area of 16,917 km2 and it borders with Sivas, Adana, Niğde, Kahramanmaraş, ...

, Turkey. His father, Jordan, was a native of Kermira, while his mother, Maria, was from Gelveri (present-day

Güzelyurt Güzelyurt, formerly Gelveri (Cappadocian Greek: Καρβάλη), is a town and district of Aksaray Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, at a distance of from the city of Aksaray. According to 2000 census, population of the distric ...

Aksaray Province Aksaray Province ( tr, ) is a province in central Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Konya along the west and south, Niğde to the southeast, Nevşehir to the east, and Kırşehir to the north. It covers an area of . The provincial capital is t ...

). Gabriel had a brother named Anastasios. When he was 14 years old, he moved to Constantinople with his family to be with his uncle, who served as an official in the court of Sultan

Mahmud II Mahmud II ( ota, محمود ثانى, Maḥmûd-u s̠ânî, tr, II. Mahmud; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. His reign is recognized for the extensive administrative, ...

. Gabriel served in the sultan's court for four years.

Monastic life

In 1828, during the Greek War of Independence, he left Constantinople and took a boat to

Gregoriou Monastery The Holy Monastery of Saint Gregory ( el, Ιερά Μονή Οσίου Γρηγορίου), also known as Gregoriou Monastery ( el, Μονή Γρηγορίου) is an Orthodox Christian monastery in the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. T ...

at Mount Athos. He was tonsured there as a monk and then moved to

Kafsokalyvia Kafsokalyvia ( el, Καυσοκαλύβια, lit=burning hut) is a settlement and idiorrhythmic skete in Mount Athos. It is located at the southern edge of the Athos peninsula. Kafsokalyvia is named after Maximos Kausokalybites ("Maximos the Hut B ...

, where he became a disciple of Father Neophytos Karamanlis. At Kafsokalyvia, he stayed at the Cave of

Niphon of Kafsokalyvia Niphon of Kafsokalyvia or Niphon Kausokalybites ( el, Όσιος Νήφων Καυσοκαλυβίτης, 1316–1411) was a Greeks, Greek Christian Orthodox saint and monk. He is celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church on June 14 (Eastern Orthod ...

for four years, and moved to the hut of Saint George afterwards, where the brotherhood of Father Neophytos lived. He then moved to Kerasia with the brotherhood Father Neophytos. At Kerasia, he became an elder in 1848 after Father Neophytos had left to live at the cell of Saint Nicholas in

Karyes Karyes (Greek: Καρυές, before 1930: Αράχωβα - ''Arachova'') is a village of the Peloponnese peninsula, which is located in the southern part of Greece. The Peloponnese is made up of a number of states and Karyes belongs to the state ...

, which belonged to

Simonopetra Simonopetra Monastery ( el, Σιμωνόπετρα, literally: "Simon's Rock"), also Monastery of Simonos Petra ( el, Μονή Σίμωνος Πέτρας), is an Eastern Orthodox monastery in the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. Simonope ...

Monastery. At Kerasia, Elder Hadji-Georgis founded his own brotherhood. The disciples of Elder Hadji-Georgis went on to found brotherhoods at other cells and sketes. One group of six disciples led by Father Evlogios founded a brotherhood at the Cell of Saint George Phaneromenos ("the Revealed") near Karyes. Later, Elder Hadji-Georgis founded the cell of Saint Stephen at

. On October 27, 1882, the Russian cell of Saint Stephen in Kapsala (not to be confused with the cell of Saint Stephen at

) expelled Elder Hadji-Georgis. He spent the rest of his life in exile in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. There, he was reputedly a wonderworker and healed many people.

Death and burial

He died on December 30, 1886 ( Old Calendar date: December 17, 1886) and was buried at the Church of the Living-giving Fountain of the Theotokos in Balıklı, Istanbul. His brother Anastasios, who did in 1883, was also buried there.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hadji Georgis The Athonite 1809 births 1886 deaths 19th-century Christian mystics Christian ascetics Athonite Fathers Eastern Orthodox mystics Eastern Orthodox monks Hesychasts Cappadocian Greeks People from Melikgazi People associated with Gregoriou Monastery