John Papadatos
June 21, 2014
The apple tree "spoke" and showed the secret it hid in its roots for years! A truly beautiful story was revealed a few days ago outside the church of Valsamata (Pammegiston Taxiarchon = All-Great Ruling Order of Archangels).
"At a scheduled tree planting, a sacred icon of St. Irene Chrysovalantou was discovered in a wondrous way", explained the priest of the church, Fr. Xenophondas Zarkadas. He continued: "It was found by the team of tree planters with a small apple twig protruding, that was decided to be replanted. At the root was found a parcel carefully wrapped in which was the icon of St. Irene."
Fr. Xenophondas continues the wondrous story of the discovery of the icon, saying: "The icon is not old, but dates to the second half of the last century. It seems obvious that it was crafted by a female hand. It is uniquely beautiful and says 'Saint Chrysovalantou'."
Yesterday, Friday 20 June, the church in Valsamata (Pammegiston Taxiarchon) celebrated the first Supplication Service in honor of St. Irene, Abbess of the Sacred Monastery of the Pammegiston Taxiarchon in Constantinople (Chrysovalantou Monastery).
"The people of the region embraced the wondrous discovery of the icon, which blesses and sanctifies this blessed land of Omalon," said the priest of the church, while the commissioner of the church, Demetrios Kalogiras, spoke of, as you will see below in the very interesting video, the prophetic dream he had a few days ago. [He had a vision of the back of the church where the icon was found four days in a row until the day the icon was discovered.]
Many scenarios have been given about why the icon was found there. The most prevalent is that in the past there was a large stream of pilgrims from Omala who went to Lykovrisi, where there is the Monastery of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou. Perhaps someone brought the icon from there to Kefallonia and for some reason buried it at the spot where it was found.
According to the opinion of the priest: "The dating of the icon and the scenarios about it are completely irrelevant. What is interesting is the fact that the wondrous icon wanted to reveal itself with the beloved apple tree of the Saint."
The icon of St. Chrysovalantou and the apple tree sanctify with their grace the Sacred Church of the Pammegiston Taxiarchon in Valsamata.
Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
 |
| The twig that led to the discovery of the icon. |
