Panagia Keratea Monastery Abbess'

[haralampopoulosjc]

First Abbess: Mother Mariam Soulakiotis (1927-1954)
Second Abbess: Mother Euphrosyne (1955-1981)
I'm not sure what the name of the current Abbess is, but she is the sister of the Archbishop Stephanos of Athens.

[haralampopoulosjc]

A short biography of Mother Euphrosyne: https://trueorthodoxchurcharchive.blogs ... /1981.html

[Barbara]

I'll look at that biography at the library - looks very interesting.

Perhaps it's talked about in there, but could you please tell us about the Panagia Keratea Convent ? I'd like to hear.
Where is it exactly ? Why the name Keratea, what does that mean ?

[haralampopoulosjc]

I'll look at that biography at the library - looks very interesting.

Perhaps it's talked about in there, but could you please tell us about the Panagia Keratea Convent ? I'd like to hear.
Where is it exactly ? Why the name Keratea, what does that mean ?

It's the main women's monastery for the Matthewite synod. Keratea is the name of the town in Greece where it's located. Here's the website for the convent: https://impefkovounogiatrissis.com/%CE% ... E%B4%CE%B1

[Barbara]

Eldress EFFROSYNI (+ 1981)
Abbess of the Holy Mother of God of Keratea, Attica

Born Irene Mendrinou in 1898 in Exo Gonia, Santorini, she was orphaned and moved to Athens, where at the age of just 17 she conceived the idea of monastic dedication. In this God-pleasing desire, she found a co-understanding in Marina Soulakiotou and other pious young women who had been placed under the spiritual fatherhood of the Athonite

Hieromonk Matthew Karpathakis (later Bishop of Vresteni and Archbishop of Athens, + 1950), who since 1917 had been the vicar of the Simonopetri Metochion of the Ascension of Byron.
When, after the introduction of the New Calendar (1924), Hieromonk Matthew came to Athens to strengthen the Struggle of the True Orthodox Christians (1926), he set as his primary goal the establishment of a monastery. Then the care of finding a suitable place was assigned to the experienced Irene Mendrinou, who after researching many locations ended up in the Bad Sea of Keratea, where the Holy Monastery of Panagia Pefkovounogiatrissis was established (1927).

One of the founding members of the monastery (second among the first seven sisters and treasurer), she endured indescribable hardships and struggles and fought superhumanly against visible and invisible enemies.

Amid the persecution of the New Church and the hardships of World War II, the Occupation and the Civil War, with non-existent financial means, but with faith in God and obedience to her spiritual father, St. Matthew, she succeeded in founding and erecting the largest monastery in the modern world (during the War it had 400 nuns!).

It is characteristic that during the German Occupation, while she was in Macedonia to ensure the livelihood of the brotherhood and the 140 families she supported (70 in Athens and another 70 in Keratea), because there was no transportation, she came from Macedonia to the monastery on foot!

After the deportation of the first Abbess of the Monastery, the martyred Elder Mariam (she died in Averof Prison in 1953), she took over the abbessship of the Monastery.

She was ordained on November 21, 1955 by the spiritual superior of the Monastery, His Eminence Metropolitan of Patras, Andreas.

During her reign, the construction of the Church of the Life-Giving Spring was completed and the monastery's buildings were improved, but her greatest work was the construction of the magnificent Katholicon Church of the Entrance of the Virgin Mary and the 5-story building complex below it.

In 1977, she was fortunate enough to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Monastery and in 1980, the 50th anniversary of the death of Archbishop Matthew I.

She fell asleep peacefully, after a long illness which she faced with patience and dignity.

At her repose, a brotherhood of 250 nuns left her! She was buried in her monastery, presided over by His Holiness Archbishop Andrew, assisted by the Venerable Hierarchs of Attica Matthew, Piraeus Nikolaos, Vresthenas Lazarus, Argolis Pachomios and Phthiotis Theodosius and 15 Priests and Deacons.

Funeral speeches were delivered by His Beatitude and Theologian Eleftherios Goutzidis.

The memory of the immortal Elder Euphrosyne is eternal.

[Barbara]

Goodness ! There was a fire right there in Keratea only 10 days ago !
Article explains that Keratea is southeast of Athens

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cev20j744leo

[Barbara]

Maybe this should be in True Orthodox Monasteries, rather than Miscellany -