(A
painting of Saint Michael from the Taxiarchis Church in Ypsolometopo)
Today it’s
another local holiday: as many as half of the inhabitants of Lesvos (all
Michaelis’, Gavriela’s, Angelo’s etc) celebrate their names day today. But even
more important: it’s also the day that the archangel Michael, who is the patron
saint of the island, has his yearly celebration. This chief angel not only has
Lesvos under his protecting wings, but also the cities of Brussels and Kiev,
regions like Cornwall and Umbria and countries like Germany and Ukrania
To
the Greeks, the archangel Michael is also named Taxiarchis (brigadier, chief),
so monasteries and churches bear that name if they are built in the honour of
Saint Michael. On Lesvos there are many of them, like in Kagiani (suburb of Mytilini),
Molyvos, Mandamados, Ypsilometopo, Agia Paraskevi, Napi, Parakila, Asomatos and
probably many more of those small churches that decorate the Lesvorian
landscape.
It’s
easy to see into which church you have come. Go to the front to the iconostase (the
icon decorated panel that hide the altar and shrine). To the right of the
central door traditionally there is a painting of Christ (Pantokrator) and to the left one of
the Holy Mary (Panagia). At the left side of Mary you will find a picture of
the saint to whom the church is dedicated. Archangel Michael, who is said to
have thrown Satan from Heaven, is mostly depicted as a strong and handsomely dressed
warrior with large wings, killing a dragon. The dragon here is a symbol for the
Devil, so don’t confuse him with Saint George who also is
known for killing a dragon.
Perhaps the
world’s most impressive Michael-church is to be seen in Normandy, at Mont Saint-Michel.
The largest Taxiarchis church on Lesvos belongs to the monastery in Mandamados
and is easily recognizable because of the jetplane that has been placed at its
entrance by a grateful believer. Although the church might not be as impressive
as the one on Mont Saint-Michel, it is one of the more important monasteries in
Greece because of its icon of the archangel Michael. This icon apparently keeps
on producing miracles (see: The
wondrous world of bleeding icons and the most
recent miracle, of this week).
So Michael
must be a busy man, because not only is he the much appreciated patron saint of
many cities and countries but he’s also the patron saint of bakers, pharmacists,
paramedics, artists, bankers, grocers, the sick, the poor,
the dying, as well as of horsemen, soldiers, policemen, hatters, radio
mechanics, glaziers, masons and painters. He probably has to run up and down
and be present at all the wars in the world.
But
there are many believers who hope that he also will have time for their private
misery. For example in Mandamados they place a pair of iron shoes before
Michael’s icon and hope that he will resolve their problems. After some time
they look at the soles of the shoes and if they are worn, it will be a sign
that Michael has gone off to solve their problem. When the shoes remain unworn
they simply believe that Michael has not yet found time to help them. But the numbers
of people visiting the monastery in Mandamados on November 8th
proves that many people firmly believe in the miracles of this Saint Michel.
And by the way, in religions other than Orthodox, Saint Michael Day is
celebrated on September 29th.
If
you are interested in having a little time with this saint, there are certain
ways to recognize that you are, in fact in contact with dear Michael instead of
somebody else: of all angels Michael seems to have the loudest and clearest
voice, he always speaks straight to the point with a sense of humour and love:
so no voice to ignore. When there is contact, you immediately will see the truth,
even if this seems an impossible truth. You will feel surrounded by peace and
feel safe and sound. You might find a sign in the form of a feather, or see
shimmers of blue and purple. Women may think they have menopausal-like hot
flashes because of the heat you may experience. You may even meet a person
named Michael who can help you.
Well,
now we know who we have to deal with when suddenly we will hear a strange
voice, become paralyzed with fright, see strange light flashes or grow hot through
fear. I am wondering if the monks also communicate with him. As I previously
mentioned, Michael is the saint patron of the banking, a profession incidentally
also practised by monks. The Mandamados monastery is one of the richest of
Lesvos (possibly not as rich as the monastery of
Vatopedi with the banking-monks on Mount Athos) but none the less all its
money could be of great help in the Greek crisis.
The
problem is that this ready-to-fight Michael has to protect the bankers to accumulate
money. Is it not now time that God has a good chat with Michael, telling him
that this profession no longer needs any protection and that Michael should
tell the monks – who in a way take advantage of him – to start paying the same
rate of taxes that all other Greeks pay? Now that would be a real miracle,
helping the country in one fell swoop out of the crisis.
(with
thanks to Mary Staples)
©
Smitaki 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment