The Patron Saint of Zakynthos Saint Dionysius

Saint Dionysius was born on June 21, 1547. He was the offspring of a fairly well-to-do family, a family of nobles, whose names were written in the famous golden book of nobles compiled by the Venetians and they also had their own their coat of arms. His father was an aristocrat and was called Nukios or Mukios or Mokios Sigouros and his mother was called Paulina nee Valvi.

They had two more children, Konstantinos and Sigoura. The saint who was the second son received the name Draganigos or Gradenigos at baptism. Tradition wants Saint Gerasimos of Kefallinia to be his sponsor (and later his spiritual guide), since during those years he was an ascetic in the cave of Krimna, Zakynthos.

In 1568 and after the early death of his parents, being 19 years old, he gave part of his property to his brother to take over his sister’s endowment and fled to the largest island of Strofades, to the castle monastery of Sotiros Christos. There, a monk named “Daniel” was ordained. A few days later, the Holy Monastery of Panagia Anafonatria was granted to him by the Community of Zakynthos and in 1570 he was ordained a deacon and elder by the Bishop of Kefallinia, Zakynthos and Ithaca Philotheos Loverdos. He even becomes the Abbot of the Strophadis and Anafonitria Monasteries at the same time.

After a few years of staying on the island, having full spiritual progress and activity, he sets out for a holy pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Passing through the city of Athens, he visits Metropolitan Nicanoras to receive his blessing and wish. He remains there a sufficient time until he finds a suitable embarkation ship bound for Palestine.

Because the throne of Aegina was widowed by the destruction of the island by Hairedin Barbarossa in 1537, Metropolitan Nikanoras suggests to the Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremiah that Father Daniel take the position. So on July 16, 1577 Hieromonk Daniel was ordained a bishop in the small church of Panagia Gorgoipikou (today Agios Eleftherios) which was then the Metropolitan’s home. Then it is renamed Dionysius in honor of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite patron of Athens whose chapel he later built in Zakynthos.

Its episcopal seat is located on the steep hill of Paleochora. There, next to and to the right of the outer door of the Church of Panagia (Episkopi), the small stone throne where he stood to preach and admonish the faithful and distribute the alms is preserved to this day. A little further up we can visit his humble cell.

After the lapse of three years, due to his desire to experience more intensely the hesychasm, he resigns and retires to his hometown. Until 1592 he kept his title, while Patriarch Jeremias II also called him “President of Zakynthos”, “Territory Bishop” we could say, with the right to perform ordinations and other high priestly acts and mysteries. Although he carried this capacity with a Patriarchal mandate, he exercised it until 1582 due to the reaction of the Bishop of Kefallinia, Zakynthos and Ithaca towards the Venetian authorities. But when this throne became a widow, after pressure he accepted his candidacy; however, the electors nominated another for this position who came from Cephalonia.

In 1583 he received from the Community of Zakynthos his appointment as vicar of the Stauropigian church of Agios Nikolaos of “Molo”. After a year, however, he retired to the Monastery of Anafonitria, regularly visiting the Strofades as well.

He spends his days ascetically with much prayer and fasting, while his ministry is characterized by spiritual support, almsgiving and charity in general. He exemplifies injustice and forgiveness with his holy life. He practically practices love even under the most difficult conditions.

In December 1583 there were local riots during which the Saint’s brother, Konstantinos, was murdered. His killer, in order to avoid the pursuing fury of the police, takes refuge in the Monastery of Anafonitria, ignoring the Hierarch’s kinship with the murdered man. Saint Dionysius shows compassion by forgiving, treating and hiding the murderer in the monastery. When the police raided, Agios refuses to hand over the murderer, claiming ignorance. After their departure, he accompanies the murderer to Porto-Vromi and flees to Kefalonia.

Over the years, practicing the virtues, he received from God the gift of miracles. Once he was with one of his disciples outside the Monastery and suddenly torrential rain began, so through prayer the Saint stopped the flow of a river and thus they arrived safely at their destination.

A woman bound by excommunication the curse remained unbroken after her death. The Saint asked that her grave be opened and she be placed against a tree. As soon as he read the forgiveness wish to her, her body turned to dust.

Once, passing by the sea, he saw some unfortunate fishermen blaspheming him and God. After lovingly admonishing them, through prayer they brought up good fish and thus repented of their impiety. He acquired the gift of distinguishing the calculations so that he became a simple guide of those who confessed to him. But his proactiveness also helped believers to clearly confess their sins and progress spiritually. This can also be seen from the case of the Hieromonk Pagratios to whom the Saint revealed that a piece of holy bread fell from his hands while he was taking communion.

He lived 75 years. Shortly before his end he was overcome by a painful disease and due to his long exercises and old age he became incapacitated. Then he accepted to be taken down to the house of Sigouras’s sister, wife of Ioannou Makris, where he fell asleep in the Lord on December 17, 1622. By his order, he was buried in the chapel of Agios Georgios of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery of Sotiros Strophadens, where he also left all his possessions.

Between the years 1625-1645, his honest canvas was collected, which was found insoluble, indestructible and emitting the fragrance of eternal life. The monks, experiencing this great miracle, first placed it in the narthex and then standing on the despotic throne of the Catholicos of the Monastery. The faithful people who considered him a saint and while he was alive, found comfort near the holy relic. The fame of his miracles spread so quickly that in June 1703 his sainthood was proclaimed by an official Patriarchal Act [after a report by the monks of Strophadis and the pious people of Zakynthia] of Patriarch Gabriel II. He was declared official protector of his homeland in 1724.

The Saint’s relic became a source of divine blessings and sanctification of the pilgrims. In a 1717 testimony attributed to the historian Ferrari and the admiral Pisani, it is mentioned that they saw the tent in the Strofades standing on the despotic throne undissolved. But in the same year, on August 19-22 and during the Venetian-Turkish war, the pirate Mostrino, who was an ally of the Turks, invaded the Strofa Islands. They looted the Monastery and killed the monks.

Four members of his entourage cut off the hands of the relic and sold them to the Metropolitan of Chios Agathangelos and the Monk Akakios. (That’s why the demon-possessed who shake the Saint cry out: “You burned me Slot!”). Later some were returned to the Monastery while three are in the Monastery of Zakynthos. The largest of these, known as the “Hand of the Saint”, is litanized together with the holy tabernacle, taken to the houses for consecration of the sick, placed with the reading of wishes by the priest to the demon-possessed, etc.

Other pieces are found in the shares of the Monastery in Pyrgos Ilias and in Hionata Kefallinia. A sacred finger of the Saint is also kept in the old metropolitan church of Athens, Agia Irini on Aiolou street. An old icon on a wood-carved gold-covered throne is worshiped there and the Saint is solemnly celebrated by the Zakynthian brotherhood of Athens on December 17 of each year.

After the disaster, the rescued monks on August 24, 1717 took the Holy Relic to the city of Zakynthos. First at the Metropolitan Church of Agios Nikolaos of Xenos and then at the metochi of Strophades, the Nativity of the Virgin in the village of Kaliteros.

Today he worships in a precious altar on the right side of the Holy Step in a supine position. During the feasts of the Saint, crowds flock from all over the world to worship the Saint of forgiveness, the Saint of love, “the sweet Saint or the Holy Body or the Holy Body”, as they typically call him. On December 17, the relic is placed upright in the right door and litanically inside the church. On the 24th of August (on the commemoration of his transfer to Zakynthos) he is also placed there and paraded with a long and long procession throughout the city.

In Aegina he was the patron saint of the island until the establishment of Agios Nektarios, who was warmly received and welcomed by Agios Dionysius. It is celebrated in particular in the Episcopate of Palaiochora, in the Monasteries, in the Hospital (where there is also a church of the Saint erected by Elder Ieronymos Apostolidis, the hesychast of Aegina) and private churches, while the Aeginites of Athens honor him in the Holy Church of Agios Georgios Karytsis of Athens with beautiful image on a carved wooden throne.