In Daphne of Mount Athos there is a Kathisma of the Monastery of Saint Paul dedicated to Saint Spyridon. A 90 year old layman lived there who narrated the following story:
"During the war of 1940 I was the captain on a warship and we were off the coast of Kerkyra. We had run out of ammunition, that is, we were defenseless. We were then attacked by two or three German Stukas [a warplane known for its dive-bombing precision], and having no other hope, we called upon God to help us.
I then saw at the bow of the ship someone in Hierarchical uniform with his staff, and he was pushing away the bombs with his staff to the right and to the left.
Although they dropped countless bombs over a long period of time they could not find a target. Then I realized it was Saint Spyridon from Kerkyra who helped us, and I glorified God and the Saint."
From the book Από την Ασκητική και Ησυχαστική Αγιορείτικη παράδοση, Άγιον Όρος 2011.
"During the war of 1940 I was the captain on a warship and we were off the coast of Kerkyra. We had run out of ammunition, that is, we were defenseless. We were then attacked by two or three German Stukas [a warplane known for its dive-bombing precision], and having no other hope, we called upon God to help us.
I then saw at the bow of the ship someone in Hierarchical uniform with his staff, and he was pushing away the bombs with his staff to the right and to the left.
Although they dropped countless bombs over a long period of time they could not find a target. Then I realized it was Saint Spyridon from Kerkyra who helped us, and I glorified God and the Saint."
From the book Από την Ασκητική και Ησυχαστική Αγιορείτικη παράδοση, Άγιον Όρος 2011.
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| German Stukas |
In the Greco-Italian War of 1940, Kerkyra was subjected to deadly airstrikes by Italian pilots for a year, however the damage was minimal. Something strange was happening during these raids that didn't even stop on Christmas.
Although the Italian planes usually flew very low, since Kerkyra did not have air defense, the bombs hardly ever struck a city, but would land out at sea. It was as if something (or someone) was pushing them out there.
One time during a bombing a bomb fell in the women's sectiom of the Church of Saint Spyridon, which at the time was full of women and children, but the bomb did not explode. The trigger did not go off. The Saint would not allow it.
Saint Spyridon over the centuries has proven time and time again to be the guardian of the island of Kerkyra, and the people of Kerkyra are confident it was he who spared the island in 1940.
Although the Italian planes usually flew very low, since Kerkyra did not have air defense, the bombs hardly ever struck a city, but would land out at sea. It was as if something (or someone) was pushing them out there.
One time during a bombing a bomb fell in the women's sectiom of the Church of Saint Spyridon, which at the time was full of women and children, but the bomb did not explode. The trigger did not go off. The Saint would not allow it.
Saint Spyridon over the centuries has proven time and time again to be the guardian of the island of Kerkyra, and the people of Kerkyra are confident it was he who spared the island in 1940.