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St. Nicodemus was born Nicholas Kallivourtzis c. 1749 in [[Metropolis of Paronaxia|Naxos, Greece]]. In 1775 he became a [[monk]] of [[Dionysiou Monastery (Athos)|Dionysiou]] on [[Mount Athos]]. In 1777, [[Saint]] [[Makarios Notaras of Corinth|Makarios of Corinth]] visited him and gave him three texts to edit and revise: the [[Philokalia]], a defining work on [[monastic]] spirituality, ''On Frequent Holy Communion'' and the ''Evergetinos''. He also wrote original works such as ''Lives of the Saints''.
He was, however, influenced significantly by [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] spirituality, canon law, and theology. He translated and edited ''The Spiritual Combat'' (1589) by Lorenzo Scupoli, a Catholic [[priest ]] of Venice, renaming it ''Unseen Warfare'', and the ''Spiritual Exercises'' of Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. He made use of Roman [[Canon law|canon law ]] in ''The Rudder'', and held to the Anselmian view of the Atonment. There is an extant letter by St Nicodemus to Bishop Paisios of Stagai requesting an [[Absolution Certificates|indulgence]], and promising financial payment for it. Roman influence is also found in his manual on sacramental confession, the ''Exomologetarion''. The influence of Western pietistic moralism is perhaps seen best in his ''Chrestoethia of Christians'' (1803), in which he condemns musical instruments, dancing, (non-liturgical) singing, the telling of jokes, etc., and tells Christians that such conduct will lead not only to their own punishment, but to the death of their unborn children.
St. Nicodemus reposed in the Lord in 1809 and was [[glorification|glorified]] by the Orthodox Church in 1955. He is a local saint of the [[Metropolis of Paronaxia]] and the [[Mount Athos|Holy Mountain]]. His [[feast day]] is celebrated on [[July 14]].
