The Fragrance of Holiness

Patmos- The Cave of The Revelation to St John

The Fragrance Of Holiness

A Pilgrimage to Greece, 2004

by David Robles

“ Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” Rev. 5:8

An amazing transformation happens in the minds and hearts of those who journey to Mount Athos in pilgrimage. Peace and freedom of cares quiet the soul making it possible to pray.

As I walked past the massive steel gate of the monastery of Philotheou and into the inner courtyard, it was as if I had never left. I could hear my friends, monks S. and D. calling me, but even as I greeted them, my inner being was still. “ Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me”. The words come, continuously and effortlessly, “ Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me” and the world behind me is forgotten.

When the talanton called us to Vespers, I entered the main church

and was embraced by the darkness inside. Only a few lamps were

lit and in the twilight of the candles, the icons of the saints appeared

as living and terrible as an army ready for battle; their faces very 

holy and radiant but also, imposing in their steadfastness.
I bowed down before the icon of our Panagia, the Sweet Kissing,

and thanked Her for bringing me safely to Her Holy Garden. The

evening service was already in progress. I took my place among the

faithful, as I silently prayed; ”Let my prayer be set before Thee as 

incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”

Psalm 141:2 It was very difficult to move my eyes away from the
faces of the Holy Warriors all around me. They seemed to call out
with God’s words to Joshua, son of Nun:” Lo! I have commanded
thee; be strong and courageous, be neither cowardly nor fearful for
the Lord thy God is with thee in all places whither thou goest”.
Joshua 1:9

After the evening services, Fr. S. asked me to follow him into the 

forest. He walked ahead silently until we found ourselves walking 

on a very narrow path. There was a precipice to our right and to our

left a massive stonewall with sharp edges pushing us in the opposite

direction and into the precipice. And the sight of the beautiful trees

around us was conspiring into making me lose my step. Father S. 

walked ahead decisively and with confidence. I was not so sure. 

And without any superfluous words of introduction, the monk started

to narrate for me from the lives of saints; “when the moment of death

came for a holy monk and he was already experiencing the life to 

come; a demon appeared to the dying monk saying, "Now you have

vanquished me, you have won". But the holy monk, in humility 

responded, while I’m still alive, I fear a fall and I will be watchful!
And the enemy vanished!” Throughout the duration of my 

pilgrimage, the urgency and seriousness of Father S.’s warning 

remained alive in my consciousness.

The next day I visited the osteophilakio with Fr. S. This is the house

where all the bones of the departed monks of Philotheou are kept.
Among them Fr. S. showed me the skull of Fr. Athanasios who was

the brother in the flesh of Elder Joseph the Hesychast. I held his 

skull close to my heart and said a prayer for him. When I realized 

the significance of what was happening, I could only weep inside.

And why is this blessing given to me, that I may hold elder Joseph’s

brother in my arms? I cannot fathom these things.

Father D. showed me the garden under his care that day, sometime

in the afternoon; after we were done picking green beans. And he 

told me that insects do not bother his crop. He never has the need 

to use insecticides so his vegetables are very healthy.

Miracles are a way of life in Mount Athos. They are received naturally,
without affectation, as the familiar and even expected outcome of 

daily life. And alongside the extraordinary, the daily routine is lived

out in humility and with courage.

And so, I followed the daily schedule expecting the ordinary but 

praying for a little gift of grace and mercy. Thursday morning, after the
Divine Liturgy, monk S. and I left Philotheou and drove to Karyes

where we visited a few of the holy sites. Among them, the icon 

Agion Estin of the Theotokos is now in a small chapel near the 

Protaton, while restoration of the old church takes place.

At St Andrew skete we venerated the skull of the Apostle Andrew

which is very fragrant. The aroma seems to penetrate the depths

of my being. It is very difficult to walk away. In this skete’s main

church there are many icons. Among them, there is an icon of 

St. Sergios of Radonez that has a piece of the holy man’s coffin in

it. There is also an icon of St. Seraphim of Sarov, which contains a

piece of the rock upon which he prayed for many days. Fr. Ephraim

explained to us that the rock exploded into many pieces during the 

glorification of the saint.

When we arrived at Vatopaidi it was almost time for vespers. After

dinner we venerated some of the wondrous relics of the monastery

like the Belt of the Theotokos, a large portion of the Cross, the 

skulls of St. Gregory the Theologian and St John Chrysostom and

the arm of St. Panteleimon. Among the relics are the bones of 

St. Evdokimos, an unknown holy monk found at the monastery.

When the relics were found, they were fragrant and their sanctity 

was manifest. Later on, the saint appeared in a dream to one of the

living monks and revealed his name to be Savva, but he said that 

he accepted the name given to him by the monastery. 

While we were at the guesthouse I had the blessing of meeting 

some pilgrims from Serbia. One of them, a student from Belgrade,

showed me a book autographed by Justin Popovich, and offered it

to me as a gift, but I thankfully declined.

The next day was Friday and we were in the main church for Matins.

During the service, after the 6th ode of the Canon and the Magnificat,

a relic of St. Silouan was brought out of the sanctuary in solemn
procession, carried by a priest in the midst of incense and chanting.

We all bowed to the saint and, one by one, offered our veneration.

After Matins, some of us went to the chapel of the Holy Girdle of the

Theotokos, for the Divine Liturgy. That morning Fr. S. and I went back

to Philotheou.

On Saturday, after morning services, I helped the monks pick up and

sort out apples. Even priest E. was there carrying baskets full of 

apples, like everybody else. It was a lot of fun to be out there, working

with the monks. They all looked so content!

Sunday night we had the vigil for the Elevation of the Cross. It lasted

over nine hours! And I was not tired! That morning, after the Divine

Liturgy, I returned to Thessaloniki. 

While in Thessaloniki, I revisited some of the places I enjoyed during

my previous pilgrimages. Tuesday night I took the midnight express

train to Athens. Athens is a modern and vibrant city with an excellent

Metro (subway) train system. When I beheld the Acropolis for the first

time, I could not believe my eyes! The Parthenon, the theater of

Dionysius and all the ancient temples one reads about in history

books, were really there, in all their awesome wander! I learned

that the Parthenon was used as an Orthodox Church for over a 

thousand years; much longer than it was a pagan temple.

Not too far from the Plaka is the Church of Panagia Kapnikarea.

This is a thousand year old church in the center of Athens.

The icons of the church were written (painted) by blessed Photios

Kontoglou. Then I walked to the Metropolitan Cathedral where I 

venerated the relics of St. Philothei of Athens. The bones of the saint

are visible through the glass that covers the reliquary. The reliquary of

Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople is there also. He was hanged

by the Turks and thrown into the sea, but his relics remained incorrupt

and floated on the water. They were rescued and enshrined in the 

cathedral in Athens, where they can be venerated today.

Then, I walked to a nearby little church where a priest received me.
He was very kind and warm and gave me directions on how to get to 

the church of Papa Nicholas Planas. I was not prepared for the sight 

that awaited me when I got to the Church of St. John the Baptist,

where the relics of the holy priest are. The building is immense and

very beautiful. The reliquary of St. Nicholas Planas is in the main 

hall inside, and the relics are visible through the glass. He appears

dressed with the stole of a priest. 

God has given us great gifts of Grace in His priests. My heart was

overwhelmed with a sense of thanksgiving and all I could do at that

moment was to pray for all the priests that in one way or another 

have touched my life, during my sojourn as an Orthodox Christian.

I did not have much time left, before my flight to Cephalonia but I had

to go to Nea Makri to venerate St. Ephraim the newly revealed. A very

nice old lady helped me take the right bus and asked the driver to drop

me off at the park in the center of town. When I got to the monastery of

the Annunciation, I heard a loud growl coming from a chapel by the 

main gate. A service of exorcism was being done on behalf of a poor

woman possessed by a demon that was speaking through her with a

male voice. It broke my heart to see her like this. It was also very 

frightening. Next to the main church there is a small building that 

houses the remains of the tree from which the saint was hanged.

Near by, there is also a water fountain that has healing properties.

When I entered the main church I walked a few steps down and to

the left, where the dwelling of the saint is preserved. The reliquary

of St. Ephraim is in the nave, to the right of the church entrance and

it is beautiful. It is made of carved wood with a glass cover through 

which the relics are clearly visible. And I was in tears as I begged 

the saint to free the demon-possessed woman from her torment.

I will never forget the wail of her lament. That very night, I boarded

a plane to the island of Cephalonia. 

In the city of Argostoli, by the sea-shore; I was able to find a very

cozy little room where to spend the night. Next morning, after visiting

the town’s church, I took a bus to the town of Omala. And what a nice 

road trip that was! The island is an earthly paradise, with wide canopy

trees and flowers everywhere I looked. When I arrived to the Monastery

of St Gerasimos, I was surprised to see a newly built church at the 

entrance of the monastery, which is dedicated to the saint. I walked

inside and spent quite sometime venerating the newly painted icons 

adorning the murals of the cathedral. There were signs of work in 

progress all around, and the murals! Oh! I was speechless, what 

beauty, how magnificent,what holiness! Nothing less than holy 

tradition portrait in egg tempera and gold!

St Gerasimos lived in the sixteenth century and was of noble lineage,

of the Notaras family. After becoming a monk at the skete of St. Anne

in Mt Athos, he traveled to Jerusalem where Patriarch Germanos of 

Jerusalem ordained him priest. Later he traveled back to his homeland,
Greece, where he settled in the island of Cephalonia. There he founded

a convent and restored the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos.

He lived a holy life and reposed in the Lord in 1579. The saint is 

particularly known because of the healing he offers to the demon-

possessed. While remembering his life, I walked by the oak tree

planted by the saint and into the little Church of the Dormition, where

St. Gerasimos awaits the day of resurrection. The church is built over

the two-room cave where St Gerasimos lived. I descended into the

cave and wandered how could anyone live in that damp and desolate

place!

When I climbed up the ladder back into the main nave of the church, I

had the opportunity to meet Fr. Panagiotis, who is the priest of the 

monastery. He asked for my name so he could remember me during

the supplicatory service to St Gerasimos. The service was about to 

begin. Within moments the abbess came and opened the reliquary, 

so that we could venerate the relics directly. While the priest chanted

prayers for all of us, I made a prostration and with great awe and
reverence approached the holy one that layed before my eyes. He 

was intact and very fragrant! As I kissed his epitrachelion (stole), I 

reached out and touched his hand. It was warm and soft! And this 

is the power of the resurrection! Our Lord Jesus Christ is risen! And 

the bodies of His saints, though sleeping, already show signs of the

life of the age to come!

And while the priest censed the sacred place, the words of Malachi

the prophet were fulfilled, ” For from the rising of the sun, even to its

going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every 

place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For 

My name shall be great among the nations, Says the LORD of hosts.”
Malachi 1:11

                                                 St Gerasimos of Cephalonia Source