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A Crown Of Martyrdom

A Crown Of Martyrdom

But soon afterward, the desire for martyrdom made Gedeon once again leave the Monastery, where he had lived for a total of thirty-five years. He returned to the villages of Zagora and Velestino, presented himself to the judge, and confessed his faith to Christ. Instead of receiving the judgement he desired, he was simply driven out of the area by force. He next arrived at the town of Agia, where he presented himself to an official and attacked his religion. The governor reported the events to Veli Pasha of Tirnavos, who had Gedeon arrested at Kanalia, where he was brought before the ruler and boldly confessed his faith.
The ruler initially tried to change Gedeon's mind, but his efforts were in vain. Gedeon was subjected to many tortures, after which his limbs are amputated and he was left to die slowly and painfully. On, Gedeon died on 30 December 1818, and received the crown of martyrdom. The Christians secretly removed and buried his body behind the church of the Holy Apostles of Tyrnavos, which soon became the site of miracles. His memory is venerated on 30 December, especially in the Karakallos Monastery, where he spent most of his life and where most of his relics are kept.
The excesses and provocations in St Gedeon's behaviour are reminiscent of the so-called Fools for Christ, such as St Simeon the Stylite of the 6th century, or St Andrew of the 10th. They were devoutly religious eccentrics who, through the public humiliation they brought upon themselves by their deliberate actions, focused attention on the salvation of the soul as having priority over social normalcy, and revealed the moral self-esteem and hypocrisy of many.

Spring is coming to the Monastery.

A Wreath Of Flowers

A Wreath Of Flowers

After many years at the Monastery, he decided to seek martyrdom as atonement for his early denial of faith, and asked a blessing to leave the Monastery for this purpose. He went to Zagora and from there to Velestino, the place where he had denounced his faith. On Holy Thursday, wearing a wreath of flowers on his head, he went to the house of his former Ottoman employers, and began to pound on the door so fiercely that he almost broke it down. Upon learning Gedeon's identity, his old master reported the incident to the Ottoman authorities, and he was arrested. On the morning of Holy Friday, soldiers brought him in front of a judge. Gedeon gave two red-dyed eggs to the judge, and said 'Christ is risen, judge, so live long!'
The judge ordered Gedeon to be given something to drink; as soon as he had the cup in his hands, he threw it into the judge's face. Instead of ordering his execution, the judge simply had him thrown out of the court. Gedeon roamed through the town, and in front of the mosque, hit a woman so hard that her mouth bled. The townspeople beat him mercilessly and left him half-dead. The Christians took him to the house of his sister Daphne, in a village an hour's walk from Velestino.
For a while, he worked in the village of Kanalia helping the fishermen. He continued to create problems for the Ottomans in order to provoke their anger and to thus obtain martyrdom, but his efforts always failed. He returned to the Karakallos Monastery for a while, where he again assumed the duty of maintaining the church.

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Gedeon

Gedeon

Two months later, Nikolaos regretted his decision and escaped. He found his father, who secretly helped him flee to the village of Keramidi. From there, along with some craftsmen, he travelled to Crete. The craftsmen mistreated him, and he left them. After wandering around in a forest, the young Nicholas met a priest living near a small chapel. The priest had recently lost his only son and adopted Nicholas. When the priest died three years later, Nicholas left for Mt Athos. Eventually he reached the Karakallos Monastery, where he confessed, repented, and became a monk two months later, taking the name Gedeon.
He became a trusted and respected member of the faith, and in 1797 was appointed, along with the elderly Abbot Gabriel, to a dependency of the Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) Monastery, in the area of Rethymno, Crete. He returned to the Karakallos Monastery six years later, where he continued his practice. He was constantly remorseful about the denial of his faith.

The cross at the dome.

Nikolaos Ibrahim

Nikolaos Ibrahim

The first of eight brothers, Nikolaos was born to Avgerinos and Kyritsa in the village of Kapourna near Makrynitsa, on Mt Pelion, during the era of Ottoman rule. Due to financial necessity, the family moved to another village, and from there when he was 12 years old, Nikolaos went to the city of Velestino, to work in a store belonging to a relative. An Ottoman customer saw Nikolaos' intelligence and aptitude and wanted to take him to work in his harem. Nikolaos' uncle repeatedly refused, but finally the child was taken by force.
About a year later, Nikolaos' father went to get him back, but the Ottoman managed to keep Nicholas, saying that when his own son returned from the war, he would free Nicholas. When the Ottoman's son returned from the war, he proposed to convert Nicholas to Islam and keep him. They succeeded in convincing him, and he agreed to be circumcised; his name was changed to Ibrahim.

The notes at the end of codex 17.

For The Requiem

For The Requiem

Iakovos Malaspina himself explains precisely how and why Isaak's book came to be in his possession in a handwritten note – and with a much poorer spelling – which follows Isaak's at the bottom of the same page:
In the year 7000 (1492 AD)
the present holy gospel is found in the hands of Iakovos Malaspina.
He purchased it in Constantinople and for the memorial service (requiem) of the same Iakovos and Georgios
we want it to safely return to the
holy monastery and if anybody puts impediment or keeps it and does not give it, may he receive the curses of the three hundred and eight holy fathers and the anathema of the seven (ecumenical) Councils
+ Iakovos Malaspinas
his son Georgios, now deceased we are sending the present (book) so that we have our requiem in your liturgy.

Reading and prayer.

Despite The Protection

Despite The Protection

Isaak assigns responsibility to the monks, saints, and apostles to safeguard the precious book he is donating to the fraternity, and forbids it to be offered, sold, exchanged, or secretly appropriated. It is customary in Byzantium that at the end of a book, the donor draws attention to the necessity of preserving it, sometimes even with threats or curses. However, despite the precautions taken by Isaak, the manuscript was removed at an unknown time and under obscure circumstances from the library of the Monastery. Surprisingly, it was later found in Konstantinople, and the Lord Iakovos Malaspina bought it in 1492 and sent it back to the Monastery, where it is still kept today. It is an example of the relationship the Monastery maintained with wealthy aristocrats, even after the end of Byzantium.

The notes at the end of codex 17.

Calligraphy

Calligraphy

Although the scribe is the same, the difference in the handwriting between the note and the manuscript body text is enormous. This is because the note naturally and freely follows the handwriting of Isaak, but the body of the text in the book is in calligraphy, implementing morphological and aesthetic norms. One may easily make out the incisions that define the margins, the lines and the spaces between (i.e. the page layout), which were made during the preparation of the parchment sheet.

A page from codex 17.

Isaak

Isaak

Among the many manuscripts produced by the scriptorium at the Karakallos Monastery, a particularly well-made book of the Gospel is preserved: cod. 17 (20 in the number of Sp. Lambrou). It was written by the calligrapher monk Isaak in 1289-90. He assumed both the labour and the expenses in order to offer the book to the Monastery. On the last page, in a distinct note, is his dedication:
The present Holy Gospel has been copied by me, the sinner Isaak, with the expenses and the labor and the love, yet unwilling to possess it.
Yet it is attached and dedicated to the sanctified monastery of the holy and great Apostles, of Karakallos ...

A page of a manuscript kept in the Monastery.

Scriptorium

Scriptorium

The library of the Karakallos Monastery contains 331 manuscript codices (bound books) dating from the 9th to the 18th centuries, and 400 others from the 19th century onwards. The books were skilfully created by calligraphers, usually on parchment foils (i.e. treated animal skin, usually sheepskin). They were always considered to be rare and precious objects because of the cost of the materials, the effort and the skill required of the calligrapher, and also because there were not many scriptoria (i.e. the rooms set aside for the writing of manuscripts) in which to produce them. In the Karakallos Monastery, however, there was such a scriptorium.

The sea as seen from the Monastery.

‘Time To Be In Peace’

'Time To Be In Peace'

In 1923, the well-known writer Fotis Kontoglou visited Mt Athos for the first time, where he spent two months. Several other visits would follow. He writes:
'I walked to the monastery of Karakallos. There I had some great time; the fathers treated me as one of their own. This monastery is a cenobium, and the abbot then was a holy man, his name was Kordatos; a quiet elder, peaceful, a true shepherd, he was born in Alatsata. The port house was ceremonious, a Byzantine tower built on a rock. I stayed there too for several days.'
(This description would apply to the current Abbot of the Monastery, Archimandrite Philotheos, as well.)
While a guest in the Karakallos Monastery, Kontoglou comments:
'I am sitting in the window of my cell. Time to be in peace. My eye goes down to the sea, which is not further than a gunshot. Between two shadowy green hills, I see the waves bursting out, with white foams and heavy roar, at the edge of the ravine. Further to the right, a downy bump hides up to the middle the tower of the port house. I see only its upper part, and its ramparts make me find myself in years old ... '