Tuesday, 30 January 2007 |
Not far from St. Andrew’s
skete a cell of St. Ignatius of Antioch towers above Karyes. The cell belongs
to the monastery of Hilandar; it was founded by St. Savva’s father, The tsar of Serbia
Stephan Nemani in the end of the 11th century.
The restorer of
the cell celibate monk Moysis served as
a penman in Russia. He arrived to the Mount
Athos with his elderly father in 1884. Despite of his age his father (monastic name Iakov) was
strict during the Lent spending the 1st and the 7th weeks of the Lent without any food. After
three years of temptations Moysis was
made a monk and later a celibate monk.
Originally the
monk Moysis had lodged in the cell of Christmas
of the Virgin of the Pantokrator monastery.
But subsequently he had selected a deserted Serbian cell belonging to the monastery of Hilandar. In a short while a spacious new
temple of Ignatius of Antioch was
constructed. The old temple dedicated to this Saint had been renamed into a
temple of Christmas of the Virgin.
Besides on the
Hilandar request the monk Moysis built a cell named after All saints in the
place called Jovannica. In this cell the monk Moysis was
killed by an unknown murderer.
Among the treasures held within the cell are the relics of 18
Saints and a miracle-working icon of the Theotokos.
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