Father Nikephoros of Chios (1750–1821; also ''Nicephoros, Nicephorus, Nikephorus'') was the spiritual son and disciple of

Macarius of Corinth Macarius of Corinth ( el, Μακάριος Κορίνθου. birth name: Michael Notaras) was born in Corinth in 1731 and died in Chios in April 1805. Macarius as Metropolitan bishop of Corinth, was a mystic and spiritual writer who worked to rev ...

and known for his holy life and character. He was regarded as a saint already during his lifetime. His feast day is celebrated on May 1.

Life

Saint Nikephoros was a

hieromonk A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church an ...

born around 1750 in the town of Kardamyla, in the northeastern part of the Aegean island of

Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of masti ...

. As a child he fell seriously ill with a contagious disease. His parents vowed that if he survived he would be given as a monk to the monastery of Nea Moni. He recovered from his illness and became a monk, studying at the famous Chiote school. His mentors included Father Neophytus Kafsokalyvitis, Father Athanasius of Paros and Saint

. He was ordained and elected an abbot of Nea Moni. Although Saint Nikephoros probably died in the summer of 1821, his Feast Day is designated as May 1. He died in a home near the church of Saint Paraskeve, where he sometimes stayed overnight when he was unable to return to Resta, a hermitage where he lived after leaving the monastery. His body was brought to Resta and placed in a grave where both Saint Athanasius Parius and the monk Nilus had once been buried. The holy

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...

of Saint Nikephoros were uncovered in 1845 and brought to the metropolitan church of Chios. Many years later, the Guild of Tanners asked for the relics and placed them in the Church of Saint George in Resta, where they remain. In 1907, an

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

of Saint Nikephoros was painted and a church service was composed in his honor.Venerable Nikephoros of Chios
( OCA) He taught and wrote in Chios, leading a life of spiritual endeavor there. He loved Chios as his fatherland and as a place where piety and learning flourished. For this reason, and because no occasion arose for him to leave the island, he remained within its confines throughout his lifetime. One year after his death Chios was devastated by the Turks.

Bibliography

*Church service and hymns to Saints Niketas, John, and Joseph (May 20). *Church service and hymns to Saint Matrona of Chios (October 20). *Church service and hymns to new-martyr Saint Nicholas the New (October 31), published in Venice in 1791.

''The New Leimonarion''

In 1805, on his deathbed, Saint Macarius asked Saint Nikephoros to finish his book ''The New

Leimonarion The ''Spiritual Meadow'' is a 7th-century book by John Moschus. In Greek, it is titled ''Leimōn pneumatikos'' (also the ''Leimonarion'' , or the "New Paradise") and in Latin, it is known as ''Pratum spirituale'' ("Spiritual Meadow"), occasionall ...

'' and see that it was published. It contains the

lives Lives may refer to: * The plural form of a '' life'' * Lives, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran * The number of lives in a video game * '' Parallel Lives'', aka ''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans'', a series of biographies of famous ...

and church services of various

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

s, ascetics, and other saints. Three saints collaborated in its compilation: Saint Macarius, Saint Nikephoros and Saint Athanasius Parios.

Relationships

The greatest influence on his life was Saint Macarius of Corinth (April 17), whom he met even before he met Saint Athanasius. Macarius was at Chios in 1780, left for a time, then returned in 1790. Nikephoros saw Saint Macarius frequently, and learned much from him. He also met Saint Athanasius Parios (June 24), who was the director of the school in the city of Chios.

References

Sources