In the world, he was known as Constantine, born in 1714 in Aetolia, Greece. He studied in his homeland and on the Holy Mount Athos, where he was tonsured into monasticism with the name Cosmas and ordained as a hieromonk. Striving to strengthen Christians in their faith, he preached in Constantinople and other regions, including the Danubian principalities and Macedonia. His preaching, filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, brought spiritual benefit, and he opened church schools, created shelters, and built churches. The saint taught people to perform the Jesus Prayer, which became widely practiced in Greece.
Saint Cosmas held vigils in open places where thousands of people gathered. He predicted the appearance of telephones and airplanes. In 1779, at the age of 65, he was martyred due to the slanders of the Jews and was suffocated. His body was thrown into a river, but soon it was found and buried in the Ardevuz Monastery. Parts of his relics are kept in various places, including the monastery of Cosmas of Aetolia and the cathedral in the capital of Albania.
He was canonized on April 20, 1961, and his feast day is established on August 24. On March 20, 2008, he was included in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church.
