THE ELDRESS MYRTIDIOTISSA THE ASCETIC STRUGGLER OF KLISSOURA MACEDONIA, GREECE 1886-1974

THE ELDRESS MYRTIDIOTISSA

THE ASCETIC STRUGGLER OF KLISSOURA

MACEDONIA, GREECE

1886-1974

Dear People,

            I recently discovered the life of this saintly woman, The Eldress Myrtidiotissa, on the internet from Greece and I was taken by the great effort this holy woman made to be totally committed to Jesus Christ during her earthly life.  Like all ascetics of the Orthodox Church, they have come to the realization that the primary purpose of our existence in this world is to become Christ-like. In order to accomplish this, they disdain all the comforts of the material world in order to reach the heights of divine grace. In achieving their goal, they were granted the heavenly gifts of discernment, prophecy, miracles and living beyond the realm of the material world while still in the flesh.  These are truly extraordinary men and women who are called to this unique kind of life.  Not all of us are made to live like they do. But I do believe that they are called to live this way in order to be an example for the rest us so that the rest of in the Church can be taught what it means to live a saintly life. We are all called to salvation, each in our own unique way.  Every one of us is gifted by our Creator for a specific mission in life that will help all human beings find salvation.

            Much of what these ascetic men and women of the Orthodox Church accomplished in their blessed lives is unknown to most Christian people of the Western world. It is good to know what Christians are capable of accomplishing especially in a world where most people do not even know what the purpose of life is all about.  We are all called to seek eternal life in the loving embrace of our Creator.  Eternity is a special gift that we must acquire through great spiritual and physical struggle. For we are reminded in scripture: “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Mt 11:12). Surely the Eldress Myrtidiotissa gained the kingdom of heaven by force submitting her human weaknesses totally to the will and love of Jesus Christ.  May we all learn from her struggles and take to heart the special messages she received from the Mother of Jesus. May we all have a most blessed Lenten Fast.

Transliterated from the Greek video by:

+Fr. Constantine J. Simones (Charles), March 19, 2013 USA

            The Eldress Myrtidiotissa was born in the northern part of the ancient Hellenistic world of Pontos on the Black Sea, south of Trapezounta in 1886.  From a very young age she showed signs that she was destined for a virtuous and holy life.  She was hindered in following this path by being married off by her parents. Her parents married her off at a young age so that she could not become a nun. But the will of God is in control of all of our lives and it was His will that her husband and her two young children would die so that she would be free to pursue a saintly life. After these great tragedies in her life, she was now free to dedicate the rest of life totally to God. 

            In 1923, during the destruction of Hellenism in Asia Minor, she arrived in Western Macedonia as a refugee. The Pontians put down their new roots in Western Macedonia. She lived with her brother but she was not able to adjust to the secular world. She was a very attractive young widow and her family urged her constantly to get married again. She firmly refused for she felt that there was nothing in the world that attracted her. Divine grace was driving her into the wilderness. She initially lived as a hermit in the region of Florina until 1926.  Then following a direct invitation from the Holy Mother in 1927, she dedicated herself totally to the Monastery of the Birth of the Holy Mother near Klissoura, which is twenty kilometers away from Ptolemais, Macedonia.

            She lived at this Monastery for approximately fifty years. She struggled terribly between the years 1927 to 1950 because she found the Monastery in decline and there was no sisterhood there.  Her food was frugal: bread, sugar, tomatoes, grapes, greens without olive oil and pickles. She would often not eat for many days at a time.  She slept very little.  She never felt cold even during the bitter winters of Macedonia because, as she told the Bishop, she was on fire for Jesus Christ. After enduring these privations for three years, she gave up hope and decided to go back to her family.  During her journey back to the world, she stopped to rest and fell asleep. While fast asleep she was suddenly awoken by someone who touched her.  She then heard the austere voice of the Virgin Mary urging her to go back and to be more patient in her struggle at the Monastery.  She returned to the Monastery and she began to neglect herself purposely in order to hide her physical beauty.  She wore old clothing; she did not wash herself and looked terribly disheveled. She truly became a fool for Christ.  She wanted people to mock her and make fun of her. In this way, she concealed the inner spiritual life that consumed her being.  Those who met her now looked upon her as a crazy woman, a crank.   It was a life of severe asceticism in which she lived close to nature.

             She hid within herself a wealth of spirituality; a life of Christian virtue and grace. She hid this by acting very strange.  In the Orthodox Christian tradition, this is called becoming a fool for Christ while praying constantly for the salvation of the world.  She preached the saving message of Jesus Christ to whoever came into contact with her. She performed miracles and received many revelations and prophesies about future events.  The greatest characteristic of her miraculous life was her closeness to the Mother of God and to Saint George, the Great Martyr. Both of these holy beings would visit her constantly and were close companions of hers throughout her life at the Monastery. She reposed in the Lord on the feast day of Saint George in 1974.

            The Monastery of the Birth of the Holy Mother was situated two miles below the village of Klissoura in a dense forest filled with oak trees.  This Monastery was established in the fifteenth century by the priest monk Isaiah of Mount Athos. The Holy Mother had appeared to him at his Monastery on the Holy Mountain and told him to return to his homeland in Macedonia in order to build a Monastery on her behalf.  He returned to his homeland and built the Monastery as requested of him by the Virgin Mary.  The Eldress Sophia, as she was known in the world, was also guided to this same Monastery by the Holy Mother in 1927.

            The message to Sophia from the Holy Mother was: “Patience! Much Patience! Pride is an evil thing.  Dust to dust.  Pride casts the soul into Hades.” The Most Holy Mother appeared to her constantly telling her; “Advise people to be patient in life.  Speak to people about the evil of short skirts.  Talk to them about their apostasy from faith in Jesus Christ.  Preach repentance.”  Another time Mary told her: “Tell the people to keep the fasts of Wednesdays and Fridays and eat very little on these days. Attend Church regularly.  Men and women should not wear immodest clothing. Dress humbly.”  Mary also told her that the Old Calendar (Julian) is the right calendar to follow.  Her other constant companion at the Monastery was St. George. He once took her up on a heavenly journey and showed her the horrors of hell so that she could see the damned.  She never forgot the suffering of the souls of the people that she saw there. During this same journey, St. George also took her to see Paradise and she also never forgot the joy of the souls that dwelled there. 

            The Eldress often said to women: “Be careful not to tempt men. Do not wear short sleeves, short dresses and short hair.  The Panagia (Holy Mother) is very saddened by these things.”  The Holy Mother revealed to her that God would destroy the world because people do not pray and repent for their sins. She would tell people that the knees of the Holy Mother have become bloodied because of her constant praying for the sins of the world.  She taught the faithful to repent and to be good to one another.  She admonished us to fast for we are only temporary residents of this world. She asked us to pray constantly and honor the Ten Commandments.  We are to have compassion for one another for the wrath of God is coming upon us.  She told young people to keep themselves chaste until the day of their marriage so that they may have the blessing of the Lord. 

HER PROPHESIES: “I saw black clouds gathering and the wrath of God coming down upon the earth. I saw these clouds slowly; slowly coming down to the earth and when they arrive, the war will start. I beg you, my dear people, change your way of life and seek repentance.  I saw the tears of the Holy Mother.  She cries for our sins day and night.  Please God, do not destroy our world.” The Eldress began to cry again as she spoke to the Bishop: “I do not say these things to frighten people. I say these things to warn them and because the Holy Mother says there will be a world war and two thirds of the world’s population will be destroyed.” She continued to cry and said: “My Monastery will become ashes. What can I do but pray to the Holy Mother for the salvation of the world.”   

            On the day of her repose (death), St. George himself took her up and escorted her on the great journey to eternal life. In fact, she died on the feast day of St. George.  To this day her tomb is at the Church of St. John the Forerunner which is up on the mountain side above the Monastery. Eight years after her repose, the Eldress appeared to her people and asked them to exhume her body.  She asked them to tell the Bishop to come and exhume her body on the Feast Day of St. George according to the Old Calendar.  At the moment of her exhumation from the grave, the whole area became fragrant with an ineffable aroma like that of roses.  A heavenly light also enveloped the area and her bones gave off a brightness like that of the sun.

HOLY SAINT MYRTIDIOTISSA PRAY TO GOD FOR US

ΔΟΞΑ ΤΩ ΘΕΩ ΕΝ ΤΟΙΣ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΑΥΤΟΥ

GOD IS GLORIFIED IN HIS HOLY SAINTS