The women’s monastery in Vasilika, near Thessaloniki, receives thousands of pilgrims each year. The faithful arrive there to venerate the grave of Saint Paisios the Athonite and receive his blessing.
The women’s monastery of Souroti is dedicated to Saint John the Theologian and Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia, whose relics are kept in the main church. For several years, Saint Paisios served as the spiritual father and supporter of the monastery’s sisterhood.
On 12 July 1994, he passed away and was buried beside the church of Saint Arsenios.
Saint Paisios is one of the most beloved modern saints of the Orthodox Church. Those who knew him and had spiritual experiences with him still remember his charismatic personality. Many of his miracles and prophecies are widely known. In 2015, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople officially recognized him as a saint. His feast day is on July 12.
Where is the Monastery Located?
The Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and the grave of Saint Paisios are located about 20 kilometers outside Thessaloniki. It is an idyllic place, with a stone-paved entrance and the church rising amid the trees.
The Life of Saint Paisios
Arsenios Eznepidis (the saint’s secular name) was born on 25 July 1924 in Farasa, in Cappadocia.
On 7 August 1924, during the Greek–Turkish population exchange, his family was forced to leave for Greece. A week earlier, the infant Arsenios had been baptized by the parish priest, Father Arsenios (later canonized as a saint), who gave him his name in the hope of leaving behind a faithful successor.
Until he was called to military service, Arsenios worked in various sectors. He had also been a carpenter. In 1945, he enlisted in the army and served as a radio operator during the Greek Civil War.
He was discharged in 1949, and the very next year he went to Mount Athos to become a monk.
From 1964 onward, Saint Paisios remained on Athos. In 1966, he fell seriously ill and was hospitalized at Papanikolaou Hospital in Thessaloniki, where he underwent surgery to remove part of a lung.
His recovery took place at the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Souroti. Soon afterward, the elder returned to Mount Athos.
In 1993, his health deteriorated. Doctors diagnosed colon cancer, so that on 4 February 1994 he underwent another operation. The cancer was already at an advanced stage. By late June he was told that he had only two to three weeks to live.
In the final days of his life, the elder asked not to be given painkillers, despite the severe pain he endured. On 12 July 1994, he passed away. Saint Paisios was buried at the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Souroti.
On 13 January 2015, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople proclaimed the canonization of the monk Paisios the Athonite.
Feast of Saint Paisios in Souroti
Every year on 11 and 12 July, an all-night vigil is held at the monastery, attended by hundreds of faithful who come to honor Saint Paisios the Athonite and receive his grace.
