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SAINT HARALAMBOS OF MAGNESIA IN ASIA MINOR
How He
Saved the town of Filiatra in Greece: The miracle took place in the small
Peloponnesian town of Filiatra in 1943, during the dark days of the occupation
of Greece by the Germans. This miracle has moved and continues to move, to this
today, not only the people of Filiatra but also the people of all Greece.
From the German
Headquarters in Tripoli, orders were issued to Officer Kondau, in charge in
Filiatra, to burn the town, because of a sabotage that the rebels had
instigated. The Commandant was ordered to kill a certain number of notable
Filiatrians, to take as prisoners the 1,500 other citizens, and to send them to
Germany, after which it is was obvious they would never return.
Officer Kondau, feeling no pity, in turn, gave the orders to his soldiers to
follow through with implementing the destruction, on the following day at 6:00AM
in the morning.
In Tripol, the
Priest, Archimandrite Theodore Kotsakis, who was originally from Filiatra,
learned of this plan. Grief and worry overcame everyone; no one knew what to do
to save Filiatra and its people. So, the priest Theodore found someone who knew
German, and together they went to the house of the German Officer in Tripoli.
But while they waited outside his office, loud voices, cursing and a great
upheaval were heard. A Greek woman pulled on the priest's cassock, urging him to
leave, so that they might not be killed there, right on the spot!
Thereby, upon leaving, the Priest notified all the people from Filiatra who were
living in Tripoli, to pray that night to Saint Charalambos, who was Patron Saint
of Filiatra, asking him to intercede for the town and its people. Then the
Priest Theodore closed himself in his room and prayed with much pain and sorrow.
And the citizens of Filiatra did the same, as they had caught wind of something
going on, themselves.
Saint Charalambos heard their prayers and performed the miracle! The Saint then
appeared that night to Officer Kondau while he was sleeping. He appeared to him
as a serious, old and dignified man of holy countenance, dressed in priestly
robes and having a long white beard. This German conqueror, who was a
protestant, had never seen such a face or such an appearance ever before in his
life. The solemn Elder then said to him with such sweetness: "Listen, my
son, do not carry out the orders you were given."
The dream was so real that it created a great impression on him. He awakened
suddenly and then went back to sleep, but, with determination, however, to carry
out the order he was given. Then once again the Saint appeared to him in his
sleep and said: "That which I have told you to do, do it. Do not execute
the order. Do not be afraid. I will make sure that you are not punished."
Again, he awakened, and the words spoken to him were whirling around in his
mind. But it was impossible for him not to carry out the order, after all the
Germans would execute him if he didn't. Once again he fell asleep. And once
again the solemn Elder appeared to him for a third time, saying: "I told
you not to be afraid. I will see to it that you are not punished. I will protect
you and all your men. You will all return to your homes and nothing will happen
to you."
At first, the Commandant wanted to ignore the order of Saint Charalambos, in
order to appear the giant. But despite all his intransigence, he yielded,
because afterwards, as this German Officer himself related, he heard in his
sleep shouts and cries, as if coming from people being tortured right in his own
courtyard. Then, real life figures appeared like women, many women, who were
beating themselves on the heads and
chests out of unbearable misfortune and pain.
They were mourning, showing desperation, and cursing, out of agony in
anticipation of the slaughter of their children and grandchildren that was to
take place. All of these voices then became like a big cloud that ascended on
high, into the heavens, without anything falling to the earth.
And furthermore, as he slept, the German Officer saw long black clouds that were
coming out of his room, ascending, and casting a shadow upon the sun, with the
sun trying to hide from the clouds as if it were a person who in turn was
casting shadows on the faces of his soldiers. Some of soldiers were afraid,
while others were asking for help as they made the sign of the cross. And still
others were running and hiding behind the olive groves.
From his fright he woke up. He tried to speak but couldn't, rather his mouth was
agape as he looked at the image in his dream, the old man that he saw three
times in his dream who had the appearance of a Saint of the Orthodox church.
When he came to his senses, he began thinking of the evil that was about to
happen: the slaughter of human beings, like dogs to remain on the streets
without burial and of houses burning in seconds which had taken centuries to be
built!
These reflections stirred him. But still he said to himself: "I said I was
going to burn this town and burn it I will!"
Then he closed his eyes. And the old man, Saint Charalambos, appeared once again
before him, in a threatening and persistent manner. In a loud and emphatic
voice, the Saint said to him: "Be careful! This town is not going to burn
and its people are not going to be captured. They are innocent. Do you hear
me?"
The German Officer stood up, steadied himself, as his knees were shaking from
fright and he picked up the telephone. With a trembling voice, he called Tripoli
to speak to the German Commandant of all Peloponesos. And when this commandant
tried to respond to give orders, he faltered. He tried to get fierce so that his
orders would be carried out, but he wasn't able to! So what was going on? That
same night he also had also seen Saint Charalambos in his sleep, just as the
Officer Kondau from Filiatra had described him on the telephone. And finally,
the Commandant resolutely told the Officer in Filiatra: "Write this down. I
am suspending the destruction of the town. Come immediately to see me tomorrow
at noon!"
At daybreak, the decision by the Germans to revoke the order was announced. ''Το
εσπερας αυλισθησεται κλαυθμος και εις το
πρωι αγαλλιασις.''
Everywhere there were shouts of joy to be heard by the townspeople, in the
cafes, in the square, in the streets....
One battalion, then, of German soldiers with Officer Kondau and two Orthodox
priests in the middle, walked down the street going from Church to Church. They
started at Saint John's, then Saint Nicholas', then Saint Athanasios' and
finally headed for the Church of the Panagia (The All holy one).
Officer Kondau was searching for the icon of the Saint that he saw in his dream.
When they opened for him he door of the Temple of the Panagia, he recognized
among the icons, Saint Charalambos, whom he had seen in his dream, who had
commanded him. His voice broke. He became ashamed of his pride. He hid his face
with his hands. Shortly, he lowered them. And this Protestant, on bended knee,
made the sign of the cross. He uttered a few prayers in his own language, of
which the priests present were unable to interpret.
Afterwards, he asked the priests to tell him who this geronda (elder) depicted
in the icon was. They related to him that it was Saint Charalambos who bore many
torments for Christ. Then they told him of the many miracles that the Saint had
performed, and still does to this day.
There are no words to describe the joy felt by the people of Filiatra and their
gratitude toward the Saint. They glorified God and they thanked Saint
Charalambos for the miracle. And just as the Saint had told Officer Kondau, the
leader of the garrison, and all his men, after the war was over, they returned
safely to Germany and to their homes, without anyone being harmed. The German
Officer, thus, preserved vividly the memory of this miracle and showed gratitude
to the Saint. He hoped to return from Germany to venerate him. And in fact,
after two years, he came with his wife to the town of Filiatra. But, on his
first pilgrimage, he didn't quite make it for the Feast Day of the Saint. He
came one day later, on February 11th.
When, however, the people of Filiatra saw him, they were so overjoyed that they
celebrated the Feast Day all over again. They chanted the doxology; they held
receptions and dinners and other festivities. And up until recent times this
German Officer with wife and family and other countrymen have come on the 10th
of February to the town of Filiatra to venerate and pay homage with faith to
this Saint. In their hearts Orthodoxy had blossomed.
Saint Haralambos the Martyr and Miracle-Worker "O wise Haralambos, you were
proven an unshakable pillar of the Church of Christ; an evershining lamp of the
universe. You shone in the world by your martyrdom. You delivered us from the
moonless night of idolatry O blessed One. Wherefore, boldly intercede to Christ
that we may be saved.
(Fourth Tone)" - Apolytikion of St. Haralambos the Martyr
Holy Saint Charalambos Pray to God for Us!
Translation by Narthex Press ~~~ Translated from the Greek by V.A.C.