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Our Venerable and God-bearing Father '''Luke the Younger''', also ''' ''Luke of Steiris, Luke of Steirion, Luke the New of Mount Stirion, Osios Loukas O Steiriotis, Luke the Wonderworker, Luke Thaumaturgus, '' ''' or ''' ''Luke of Hellas'' ''' (896-953 AD) was a Byzantine [[saint]] of the tenth century AD, who founded the [[w:Hosios Loukas|Monastery of Osios Loukas]] (Venerable Luke) on the slopes of the ''"great and godly [[w:Mount Helicon|mount of Helicon]]"''<ref>Hesiod. ''[[w:Theogony|Theogony]]''. Transl. Dorothea Wender. Penguin Classics, 1973. p.23.</ref><ref group="note">The [[monastery]] of Hosίos Loukas, built οn the west-slopes of [[w:Mount Helicon|Mount Helίkon]], near ancient Stiris, is perhaps the most important monument of the Middle Byzantίne period in Greece. During the roughly ten centuries since its foundation, the monastery has played α leading role in the historical vicissitudes of the area. It won the favour of emperors and officials during the Byzantine period. During the Frankish period it passed into the possession of an order of Roman Catholic [[monk]]s and subsequently suffered the destructive frenzy and plundering of Catalan and Turkish conquerors. During the Greek Uprising of 1821 it was a base for "armatoloi" and "klephtes" (freedom fighters). (''[http://www.distomo.gr/english/osios_loukas_en.htm ΟΣΙΟΣ ΛΟΥΚΑΣ - HOSIOS LOUKAS]. Municipality of [[w:Distomo|Distomo]], [[w:Boeotia Prefecture|Boeotia Prefecture]], Greece.'')</ref> between Delphi and Levadia, near the coast of the Gulf of Corinth in Boeotia, Greece. He was also one of the earliest saints to be seen [[w:Saints and levitation|levitating in prayer]].<ref group="note">St. [[Ioannikios the Great|Joannicius the Great]] (752, Bithynia - † 4 November, 846, Antidium), one of the greatest monks of Christian East, levitated above the ground when he prayed. St. [[Seraphim of Sarov]] also reportedly levitated during his strolls (Valentine Zander. ''Saint Seraphim of Sarov: His Life.'' London, 1968. pp.39-40.)</ref>

==Hosios Loukas==

Eventually Luke's disciples persuaded him to leave, and he returned to the mainland and settled for the remainder of his life in the far more amenable environment of the present [[w:Hosios Loukas|Hosios Loukas]], where he founded his hermitage ca. 946 AD in the area of Stiris (''which may be a corruption of Soterion, or place of healing'').<ref name=DISTOMO>[http://www.distomo.gr/english/osios_loukas_en.htm ΟΣΙΟΣ ΛΟΥΚΑΣ - HOSIOS LOUKAS].</ref><ref group="note">Midway between [[w:Distomo|Distomo]] (ancient Ambryssos) and the monastery of [[w:Hosios Loukas|Osios Loukas]], lies the [http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-ca&q=distomo&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl village of Stiri], which is named after, but does not occupy, the site of ancient Stiris. (Jeremy McInerney. ''[http://books.google.ca/books?id=IbNyCyYmq4cC&dq=%22ancient+stiris%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s The Folds of Parnassos: Land and Ethnicity in Ancient Phokis].'' University of Texas Press, 1999. p.317.)</ref>

==Death==

Saint Luke fell ill in his seventh year at Stirion. Foreseeing his end, the saint confined himself in a [[cell]] and for three months prepared for his departure. When asked where he was to be buried, the monk replied, ''"Throw my body into a ravine to be eaten by wild beasts."'' When the brethren begged him to change these instructions, he commanded them to bury his body on the spot where he lay. Embracing his disciples, he asked them to pray for him, prophesying that the place where he died would someday be the site of a great church and monastery. Then raising his eyes to heaven, he said, ''"Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit!"'' and reposed in peace and joy. St Luke fell asleep in the Lord on [[February 7]], 953.

==Troparion, Kontakion==

'''In Greek'''<br>

:A brief life of the saint is given by [[w:Photios Kontoglou|Photios Kontoglou]]:

==Notes==

* [[w:Hosios Loukas|Hosios Loukas]]

'''Other'''

* [http://www.abbamoses.com/months/february.html Our Venerable Father Luke the New of Mount Stirion (~950)]. God is Wonderful in His Saints Orthodox Resources: Orthodox Saints commemorated in February.

* Aaron Taylor. [http://logismoitouaaron.blogspot.com/2009/02/his-faith-in-god-shonest-luke-younger.html 'His Faith in God Shone' — St Luke the Younger]. Logismoi tou Aaron. 19 February 2009.

* [http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com/2010/02/st-luke-righteous-of-mount-steirion-and.html St. Luke the Righteous of Mount Steirion, and his Monastery]. Full of Grace and Truth Blogspot. Saturday February 6, 2010.

* [http://home.iprimus.com.au/xenos/parthenios.html St Parthenios, Bishop of Lampsacos. Our Righteous Father Luke of Mount Stirion]. Commemorated February 7. [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia]].

* [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4354 St. Luke the Younger]. February 7. Catholic Online.

* Jeremy McInerney. [http://books.google.ca/books?id=IbNyCyYmq4cC&dq=%22ancient+stiris%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s The Folds of Parnassos: Land and Ethnicity in Ancient Phokis]. University of Texas Press, 1999. 391pp. ISBN 9780292752306

==External Links==

* [[w:Saints and levitation|Saints and Levitation]]

'''Other'''

* [http://www.oramaworld.com/en/p/110043/Saint_Luke_of_Mount_Steirion_-_Hand-Painted_Icon Saint Luke of Mount Steirion - Hand-Painted Icon] Orama World.

* [http://www.nonsolosalento.it/la_storia_di_San_Luca_il_Giovane_Eremita_302.html Oggi San Luca il Giovane Eremita]. ''(Italian)''.

[[Category:Asceticism]]

[[Category:Greek Saints]]

[[Category:Hermits]]

[[Category:Monastics]]

[[Category:Wonderworkers]]