April 3, 2018

Saint Illyrios of Myrsinonos

St. Illyrios of Myrsinonos (Feast Day - April 3)

Verses

From Myrsinonos Illyrios went to the heavens,
Not unlike Christ who was brought from Olivet.

No information has been handed down to us about Saint Illyrios, except that he lived in asceticism on Mount Myrsinonos and he reposed in peace.

As for the location of Mount Myrsinonos, it seems that it was at what was first called the mountains of Latmos in Asia Minor, but due to the numerous monastics that lived there it was renamed Latros, and it was popularly known as the "Holy Mountain of Ephesus" by the 10th century. There was located a monastery known as the Great Lavra of the Most Holy Theotokos of Myrsinonos, and was probably the location where Saint Illyrios lived and reposed. Today this monastery is in ruins, and Myrsinonos is known in Turkish as Mersinet İskelesi in the village of Pınarcık. (A photo from the monastery can be seen above.)