Mother Stavritsa the Missionary and the Miracle of the Archangel Michael the Taxiarch
The wondrous icon of the Holy Archangel Michael, Mantamados, Mytilene (Lesvos). “Where your grace casts its shade, Archangel, there the devil’s power is chased away; for the fallen Morning Star cannot endure in your light.” May he intercede for us all and protect us! The Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers is one of the major feasts of the Holy Archangel Michael the Taxiarch, Mantamados, Mytilene (Lesvos). This is because that church was consecrated on this day. Thousands of pilgrims flock to celebrate this feast, seek the intercessions of the great Taxiarch, and thank him for his prayer and his protection.
Days of travelling, days of mourning (+ my father-in-law, Pericles), days of new beginnings, new home and new job, arduous, exhausting days, yet such hope and inspiration in Mama Stavritsa’s faith and courage!
Mama Stavritsa with the 1st Orthodox Bishop of Uganda, Theodoros
Miracles of the Archangel Michael the Taxiarch to Mother Stavritsa the Missionary (+2000) (1)
My name is Stavritsa Zachariou, and I am a Greek American. In
1969 I went to Africa as a missionary. I am 75 years old, and 15 years I
spent in Africa, near our suffering brothers, sowing the seed of the
Gospel. I stay by myself in Nairobi, Kenya, and from there I go to
Kampala, Cameroon, and other places, where the seed of the Gospel of
Christ needs to be sowed.
I am a missionary of the Archdiocese of America. With the help
of God and of benefactors, we built 12 holy Churches in [Africa]. We
built the 10th holy church in honor of the Archangel Michael,
and I wanted to paint his icon from the prototype from the north gate
of the Patriarchate. As I was finishing the icon, when I went to the
post office, I received a letter from Fr. Soterios Trampa. I know
Archimandrite Fr. Soterios, who was a missionary for many years in
Korea, and who also served as a preacher of your Metropolis, along with
Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Athens from 1968-1973. In his letter
was a small booklet on the Taxiarch of Mantamados. Then I learned about
Mantamados, and the bas-relief icon of the Archangel Michael. Fr.
Soterios wrote: “I am sending you the information on the Taxiarch of
Mantamados, that you might come to know his wondrous icon. Within this
you will see one of his many miracles, which occur daily to the glory of
God. I served there in the past, and I especially honor him…”
I began to read the booklet on the Taxiarch, including the
miracle of the sword. As I continued reading, I reached the place
regarding the passing of the sword from some unknown person to Mr.
Diamante, when there was as if some marked commotion in the icon [that
she had painted]. I turned around to see what was happening then and, O
my God!!!! The Archangel of the icon began to come to life, to take on
flesh and bones! I was astonished! I knelt before it and began to pray
with tears and to ask for his help and his protection. After a short
while, slowly the icon began to return to its natural state.
I was supposed to go for a trip to Kampala. I always thought
that when I would go on some trip, that I should take with me the icon
of some Saint from my icon corner. That time, I took with me the little
icon of the Taxiarch of Mantamados.
We reached the border of Kampala and Kenya, and Kampala at that
time (1988) had a military regime. When we speak about a military
regime in the center of Africa, it means that human life is cheaper than
the life of a blackbird!
As we were passing through, my driver (a Kenyan and my
Koumbaro) did not notice that at one place there was a stop sign and he
kept going. Five wild motorcyclists surrounded us. They got off their
motorcycles, drew their weapons, and knelt, preparing to fire at us and
to take our car and our possessions as spoil. That is what usually
occurred there…
Then, I don’t know what strength was within me, but I opened
the door of the car..I exited with the icon of the Taxiarch in my hands,
and approached them, crying out:
“For God’s sake, stop! I have with me the Taxiarch of God, who is dark-colored (2) like you, come see him!!!”
Automatically, it was as if someone grabbed them by the hands.
They calmed down, left their weapons in the grass, and ran up to me,
took the icon, like something holy and venerable, and began to examine
it carefully and to shout. They bowed their faces to the ground and
holding my hands, they asked for forgiveness. Then I saw that one of
them was injured badly in the hand by a knife. I took my first aid kit
from the car, nursed the wound and dressed it. We became friends! The
most impressive thing is that, there was sown the word of God, and the
five of them received Christ, and became Christians!
After all of this, I promised to the Archangel to come to
Greece, to Mantamados, to thank him. And today, I feel very blessed that
the Lord made me worthy to fulfill my promise. I thank Him from all my
heart!”
(1) Ed.’s Note: Excerpt not included in the Amazon book; part
of her own autobiography, yet available in a limited edition only in
Greek.
(2) Ed.’s Note: Dark-colored, because of dirt, mud and dried blood:
“There are two accounts surrounding the date of this icon, one having to do with the Ottoman Turkish occupation and destruction of 1462, and the other with Saracen pirates during the 9th and 10th centuries during which the entire island was invaded.In
either case, the story of the creation of the icon shares the theme
that the target of the raids was the monastery of the Taxiarchis. The
pirates threatened the monks with death if they would not reveal the
whereabouts of the hidden villagers. The monks refused and the invaders
slaughtered all of the monks except for one novice-monk [1]
As the pirates where leaving, the novice climbed to the roof of the monastery to be sure that the pirates had left. However, the pirates noticed him from afar and returned to kill him as well. It is at this point in the story that the Archangel Michael makes his appearance in front of the Saracens with his own sword drawn forcing them to retreat in terror[2]. Thanks to this miracle from the Archangel the monk survived and descending to the courtyard buried the bodies of his fellow brotherhood.
The monk still in deep respect and reverence for having witnessed the Archangel Michael in all his fury, gathered up the earth that was red by the blood of the martyred monks and shaped it into the icon-sculpture of the Archangel as it is today; while it was still vivid in his memory. According to legend, the monk did not have enough of this dirt-blood mix and so the head of the Archangel has turned out disproportionately larger to the rest of his body.
This icon, is now kept within the interior of the church. Many islanders claim to have had personal experiences of miracles being granted for them by Mantamados. This is evident by the numerous cabinets full of tagmata (gifts) to the Archangel housed inside the church. To this day, pilgrims to this church have mixed emotions regarding this icon. At times, the expression on the icon can appear severe, sad, or happy, according to the message that the Archangel wants to convey to that pilgrim or the faithful. This is the tradition of the much-celebrated icon of Mantamados.”
The Kingdom of Heaven, where racial discrimination has no place
"THE WAY" - An Introduction to the Orthodox Faith
How “White” is the Orthodox Church?
As the pirates where leaving, the novice climbed to the roof of the monastery to be sure that the pirates had left. However, the pirates noticed him from afar and returned to kill him as well. It is at this point in the story that the Archangel Michael makes his appearance in front of the Saracens with his own sword drawn forcing them to retreat in terror[2]. Thanks to this miracle from the Archangel the monk survived and descending to the courtyard buried the bodies of his fellow brotherhood.
The monk still in deep respect and reverence for having witnessed the Archangel Michael in all his fury, gathered up the earth that was red by the blood of the martyred monks and shaped it into the icon-sculpture of the Archangel as it is today; while it was still vivid in his memory. According to legend, the monk did not have enough of this dirt-blood mix and so the head of the Archangel has turned out disproportionately larger to the rest of his body.
This icon, is now kept within the interior of the church. Many islanders claim to have had personal experiences of miracles being granted for them by Mantamados. This is evident by the numerous cabinets full of tagmata (gifts) to the Archangel housed inside the church. To this day, pilgrims to this church have mixed emotions regarding this icon. At times, the expression on the icon can appear severe, sad, or happy, according to the message that the Archangel wants to convey to that pilgrim or the faithful. This is the tradition of the much-celebrated icon of Mantamados.”
The Kingdom of Heaven, where racial discrimination has no place
"THE WAY" - An Introduction to the Orthodox Faith
How “White” is the Orthodox Church?
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