Nikephoros of Chios

Our venerable and God-bearing Father St. Nikephoros of Chios, was a hieromonk born around 1750 in the town of Kardamyla, in the northeastern part of the famous Aegean island of Chios. He was educated in Chios, taught and wrote in Chios, led a life of spiritual endeavor there. He loved Chios as his fatherland, and as a place where piety and learning were flourishing. For this reason, and because no occasion arose for him to leave the island, he remained within its confines throughout his lifetime. Although St Nicephorus probably reposed in the summer of 1821, his feast day is designated as May 1. He died in a home near the church of St Paraskeve, where he sometimes stayed overnight when he was unable to get back to Resta. His body was brought back to Resta, and was placed in a grave where both St. Athanasius Parios and the monk Nilus had once been buried. The holy relics of Nikephorus were uncovered in 1845 and brought to the Metropolitan church of Chios. Many years later, the Guild of Tanners asked for the relics and placed them in the church of St. George. In 1907, an icon of St Nicephorus was painted, and a church service was composed in his honour.

Bibliography

• Church Service and Hymns to St. Niketas, John and Joseph (May 20)
• Church Service and Hymns to St. Matrona of Chios (October 20).
• Church Service and Hymns to new-martyr St. Nicholas the New (October 31), published in Venice in 1791.

"The New Leimonarion"

• In 1805, on his deathbed, St. Macarius entrusted St. Nikephorus with the task of completing and publishing his book "The New Leimonarion". This book contained the Llives and church services of various martyrs, ascetics, and other saints. It is remarkable that three saints collaborated on this book about saints, St. Macarius, St. Nikephorus and St. Athanasius Parios.

Relationships

• Metropolis of Chios
• The greatest influence on his life was St. Macarius of Corinth (April 17), whom he met even before he met St. Athanasius. Macarius was at Chios in 1780, left for a time, then returned in 1790. Nicephorus saw St Macarius frequently, and learned much from him.
• He also met St. Athanasius Parios (June 24), who was the Director of the school in the city of Chios.

External link

• St. Nikephoros of Chios (OCA).

Further reading

• Saint Nikephoros of Chios (Modern Orthodox Saints, vol. 4) by Constantine Cavarnos. ISBN 0-914744-74-7 Paperbound.

An account of the of the life, character, and message of St. Nikephoros of Chios (1750-1821) — outstanding writer of liturgical poetry and lives of saints, educator, spiritual striver, and trainer of martyrs—together with a comprehensive list of his publications, selections from them, and brief biographies of eleven neo-martyrs and other Orthodox saints who are treated in his works. - 1976. 2nd, augmented edition, 1986. 124 pp., 2 illus.

• St. Nikephoros of Chios, outstanding writer of litrugical poetry and lives of saints, educator, spiritual striver, and traner of martyrs by Constantine Cavarnos. Publisher: Belmont, Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, c. 1976. ISBN 0914744321. pp. 111-114.