Deposition of the Holy Relics of Saint Joseph Samakos the Sanctified (1669)

Saint Joseph the Sanctified reposed on January 22, 1511 when he was about seventy years old, and was buried in his monastery. His holiness was recognized at the recovery of his relics, because they were found incorrupt and emitting a divine fragrance. They were deposited in the katholikon of the monastery. Even after his death he established his reputation as a miracle worker. There were continuous miracles where many sick persons were healed, including the blind and possessed.

In 1669 the Ottomans occupied Heraklion in Crete, and so the devout clergyman Anthony Armakis transferred the sacred relics of Saint Joseph to Zakynthos on August 29, 1669 and placed them in the Monastery of Saint John of Mantineos in Xerobounia. There the Saint's relics remained until 1915, when they were placed in the parish church of the Pantokrator at Gaitanios, Zakynthos.