St. Dionysios, who is the patron saint of Zakynthos, was born in Zakynthos in 1547.\u00a0 In 1568, at the age of 21, following the death of his parents, he decided to enter the priesthood and to assume a life of monasticism. At this time he was given the name of Daniel.<\/p>\n
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He spent the next few years travelling between Zakynthos and Strofades (two small islands south of Zakynthos), <\/em>as he served at the two monasteries. The monastery at Anafonitria was built in the 15th<\/sup> century and was home to St Dionysios for many years, especially towards the end of his life.\u00a0 Relics and artifacts belonging to the saint can still be seen at the monastery along with original frescoes from the 15th<\/sup> century which were discovered during a recent renovation.\u00a0 The monastery in Strofades was built in the 12th<\/sup> century and used to house over a hundred monks, now it is inhabited by one monk.\u00a0 The monastery still contains many artifacts dating back many centuries. The islands are part of the National Marine Park as they are a resting place for many migratory birds and also have rich, fertile soil with many rare plants.<\/p>\n St Dionysios gained much respect from the clergy and people in both places, and in 1577 he was ordained Archbishop of Aegina-Poros. His name was changed to Dionysios in honor of St. DionysiosAeropagitis. With the ordinations that were bestowed upon St Dionysios, it seemed that a special gift was also bestowed upon him.\u00a0 The many blessings, which he granted to his people seemed to produce miracles and caused his popularity to grow even more.\u00a0 He served as the Archbishop of Aegina for one year before feeling the need to return to Zakynthos.\u00a0 On returning to Zakynthos he was elected as Bishop of Zakynthos and President of Zakynthos and he became the official priest of the church of St. Nicholas on the Mole\u00a0 inSolomos Square.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Among the many blessings and miracles for which St Dionysios will be remembered is his unbelievable act of forgiveness.\u00a0 In December 1580, St Dionysios’ brother, Konstantinos, was murdered by a man, who in trying to flee from the authorities, found refuge at the monastery where St Dionysios served as abbot.\u00a0 While at the monastery, the murderer confessed the sin to St Dionysios, who not only forgave him of the crime, but hid him from the soldiers and helped him escape across the sea to the shores of Kefalonia.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the spring of 1622 he was faced with serious health problems and on the 17th<\/sup> December 1622 he passed away.\u00a0 At his request he was buried at the Monastery in Strofades.\u00a0 Several years later, when his body was removed from its grave, his remains were not only found to be intact, but his body emitted a mixed fragrance of flowers and frankincense. In 1703, the Orthodox Church in Constantinople declared him a Saint and the protectorate of Zakynthos.\u00a0 In 1717, on 24th<\/sup> of August<\/em>, his remains where brought to Zakynthos and in 1764 they were permanently moved to the church of St. Dionysios in Zakynthos Town which bears his name.\u00a0 The memory of St. Dionysios is celebrated on the 17th<\/sup> of December, the day of his death, and on the 24th<\/sup> of August the day he returned to Zakynthos.\u00a0 On his celebrations days he is placed upright in a glass casket and there is a procession through the streets of Zakynthos Town, anyone wishing to be healed from illness will lie down in the road as the casket is passed over the top of them.\u00a0 Many believers also pay homage to the saint by visiting in the church during the 3-day celebrations and kissing his slippers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n St Dionysios\u2019 body now resides intact in a mummified form in a locked, viewable tomb at the Church of St Dionysios. Sometimes, his tomb is unable to be opened.\u00a0 Many believe that this happens when St Dionysios is out walking to perform a needed miracle.\u00a0 This is because often when the tomb is unlocked and opened, seaweed is found on his feet and his slippers are worn thin.\u00a0 In fact, his slippers need continual replacement because they receive so much wear and these are made by the local women of the island.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" St. Dionysios, who is the patron saint of Zakynthos, was born in Zakynthos in 1547.\u00a0 In 1568, at the age of 21, following the death of his parents, he decided to enter the priesthood and to assume a life of monasticism. At this time he was given the name of Daniel. He spent the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-updates-fr"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n