Venerable Eudokimos of Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos

Nothing is known about the life and deeds of Venerable Eudokimos (Eudókimos) of Vatopedi.

On October 5, 1840,¹ the monks of the Athonite Monastery of Vatopedi were renovating the burial vault for the brethren. Suddenly, the roof collapsed, covering one of the corners of the vault. The monks began to clear the blocked corner and suddenly they smelled a wondrous fragrance.

After clearing the rubble from the vault, the monks found a human skeleton clothed in a cloth chiton. The skeleton was in a kneeling position, his hands were folded on his chest and held an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. His holy relics exuded such a fragrance that it filled everything around. The brethren of the monastery considered this as a sign that the Saint had pleased the Lord.² Judging by his clothes, he reposed during the first half of the XVII century.

Archbishop Chrysanthos of Smyrna (who was living in retirement at the Monastery), addressed Metropolitan Gregory of Adrianople and the brethren, saying: "With the dissolution of the flesh, our very bones give a certain tribute to the earth with a stench; but the relics of this unknown Saint exude a paradisiacal fragrance. Should we not conclude from this that the Spirit of God, Who dwelt in this Saint during his lifetime, has not forsaken him after his death? Therefore, let us glorify God, Who is wondrous in His Saints, and let us honor His holy servant."

The fragrant relics were transferred to the katholikon on the evening of October 4, and soon healings took place from them. With the blessing of the Patriarch of Constantinople, the brethren gave the Saint the symbolic name of Eudokimos. it was decided that if he did not wish to be glorified with that name, he would appear to the monks and reveal his true name.

It remained a mystery exactly how the relics of the unknown monk got into the tomb, because a deceased monk is first buried; and after three years, only his bones are placed in the vault. According to one version, the Saint foresaw the hour of his death, but he said nothing to anyone and, taking an icon of the Mother of God, he hid in a remote place in the burial vault, where he departed quietly and humbly to the Lord.

Since then, the Venerable Newly-Appeared Eudokimos has been honored on Mount Athos. His relics continue to emit a fragrance, and they are renowned for their numerous miraculous healings. By praying to the Saint, one of the monks on the Holy Mountain, who suffered from consumption and was near death, was healed. Another monk, Gabriel, was also healed by praying to the Saint, and in gratitude he donated a precious silver reliquary for the venerable head of Venerable Eudokimos.

Some time after the discovery of the relics, a certain monk from Vatopedi had a vision, in which the Saint said that his true name was Savva. Monastic tradition continues to identify Saint Eudokimos with a monk who lived during the XIV century: Saint Savva of Vatopedi. However, doubts were expressed about this, and the Church did not pronounce its judgment on this occasion.

Through the prayers of our Venerable Father Eudokimos, may we all be delivered from the afflictions of body and soul which we may encounter, and may we also inherit the Heavenly Kingdom. Amen.

¹ An article in Orthodox Life # 5, 1979 says that in September 1841 renovations were being carried out on the dilapidated burial vault at Vatopedi Monastery during the tenure of Archimandrite Philaret, where the bones of the Fathers and brethren were kept. When the workers started to dismantle the roof, it caved in, due to their negligence, and one corner of the vault was filled with rubble.

² Greek, εὐδοκία: i.e., "good will, glorified, pleasant, or given by grace."