Seventy-six years have passed since the discovery of the holy relics of Saint Ephraim the New at the monastery where he was martyred, near the town of Nea Makri, Greece.
In 1945, the nun Makaria settled among the ruins of the former Monastery of the Annunciation, where she began rebuilding the monastic settlement in which Saint Ephraim had lived and suffered martyrdom. After years of ascetic struggle and prayer, on 3 January 1950 she was miraculously shown the place where she was to dig.
With great difficulty, she persuaded a worker to begin the excavation, and the first discovery in the earth was a human skull. Frightened, the man refused to continue, but the nun dug on and found the sleeves of the saint’s monastic robe, while sensing a strong and sweet fragrance.
That same evening, during the Vespers service, Saint Ephraim appeared to the nun, revealing to her his name, his life and the sufferings he endured for his faith in Christ. The relics were placed in a reliquary and are preserved to this day in the main church of the Monastery of Saint Ephraim the New in Nea Makri.
The Life of Saint Ephraim the New
Saint Ephraim the New entered monastic life at the age of 14 at the Monastery of the Annunciation near Nea Makri. In 1424, Ottoman forces attacked the monastery, killing the monastic community. Saint Ephraim escaped and withdrew into prayer in a cave.
A year later, on 14 September 1425—the very day he turned 41—he was captured and subjected to severe tortures in an attempt to force him to renounce the Christian faith. After eight and a half months of captivity, on 5 May 1426, he gave his soul into the hands of the Lord.
Saint Ephraim the New was included in the calendar of the Romanian Orthodox Church in May 2014, and since 3 May 2015, a fragment of his holy relics has been kept at Radu Vodă Monastery.
Troparion
You shone forth like the sun on Mount Amómon, O God-bearer, and through martyrdom you departed unto God. You endured the invasion of the barbarians, O Ephraim, Great Martyr of Christ. Therefore, you gush forth grace forever to those who devoutly call upon you. Glory to Him Who gave you strength. Glory to Him Who magnified you. Glory to Him Who, through you, grants healing to all.
Photo: Doxologia
