Saint Ephraim the Great Martyr and Wonderworker: Thousands of Orthodox from all over the world visit the monastery of the same name in Nea Makri, Attica

by | Oct 14, 2024 | NP Exclusive, Religion

BREAKING News

One of the most popular destinations for religious tourism in Greece is the monastery of Agios Ephraim the Great Martyr and Wonderworker (14 September 1384 – 5 May 1426), where his holy relic is located and which is visited by thousands of Orthodox from all over the world. A holy place, with miracles innumerable, as believers confess. It is worth noting that the icon of this saint is found in almost all Greek hospitals, especially in the wards of cancer patients and those suffering from incurable diseases.

 

Agios Ephraim the Great Martyr and Wonderworker (14 September 1384 – 5 May 1426

Saint Ephraim was a monk in a monastery on Mount Ammon, in Nea Makri, Attica. In 1424, the Ottomans attacked Attica and plundered and tortured Christians. When they went to that monastery they slaughtered all the monks. The Saint at the time the conquerors invaded had gone to a cave where he was praying and so he was the only one who survived. On 5 May 1426, however, in a new attack by the Ottomans, the Saint was martyred at their hands, after being horribly tortured, and then left his last breath, while he was hung upside down in a tree.
In 1950, the nun Makaria had continuous visions of a monk telling her where they should dig to find his remains. Finally, after excavations, his remains were discovered on January 9, 1950. As Sister Makaria herself said, the night his holy relics were found she had a vision of the monk telling her that his name was “Ephraim”. The memory of the saint is commemorated twice a year: Once on May 5, which is the anniversary of his martyrdom, and once on January 3, when his holy relic was discovered, while in 2011 the Ecumenical Patriarchate, under His Holiness Bartholomew, canonized Hosios Ephraim.
As mentioned above, the miracles of the Saint, especially for cancer patients, are innumerable, according to the confessions of believers.
Among them, a well-known television journalist who suffered from cancer. As he had told television stations he was undergoing chemotherapy, had lost a lot of weight and was very depressed. When a colleague of his at the channel he was working for at the time brought him the holy oil from the monastery of St. Ephraim and told him to put it on the cancer site, he was somewhat sceptical at first. Eventually, he anointed his face and over the next few days his condition improved markedly, as did his cancer markers, as he had stated. Later, he was completely cured, he said, when he venerated the icon of the Virgin Mary Ekatontapiliani in Paros.
A similar miracle to St Ephraim was experienced by another well-known journalist, who also faced a serious health problem, as he had stated on television. A problem, which he managed to overcome.

Photo Courtesy of Dimosthenis Kalampakas

One of the religious who visited the Saint’s monastery a few days ago was the Romanian Oana Tanase, 28 years old, who works in the European Parliament.
“I came from Brussels, where I live and work, to venerate the grace of Saint Ephraim,” she told NeaProini. “As soon as I entered the monastery I felt something divine that cannot be put into words. It was an overwhelming moment for me. I took the holy oil that is in the monastery and the presence of the Saint was intense. With my faith I experienced a miracle of the soul that I will never forget for the rest of my life,” she added emotionally.

Breaking News