Saint Dionysios the Rhetorician and his disciple Saint Mētrophánēs
The Little Skḗtē of Saint Anne is a dependency of the Great Skḗtē of Saint Anne, and is located between Saint Anne's and Katounákia, on a rocky slope with little greenery, because of the rocky soil. It consists of ten Kalyves (cells gathered around a church), two of which do not have a temple.
According to written testimonies and Tradition, life at the Little Skḗtē of Saint Anne (Μικραγιάννα) began with the settlement of its first known inhabitants and ascetics: the great luminaries and Spiritual Fathers Saints Dionysios the Rhetorician and his disciple Saint Mētrophánēs. These two Saints came from a dependency of Stoudion Monastery in Constantinople, and they were searching for a quiet, remote place to live. After passing through Karyes and Saint Anne's, they reached a spot which, at that time, was called the Skḗtē of the Lavra.
Saint Dionysios was tonsured at the renowned Stoudion Monastery in Constantinople, where he and Saint Mētrophánēs lived. Desiring a more intensive life of prayer and solitude, the two Saints left the Monastery of their repentance and journeyed to the peninsula of Mount Athos, establishing themselves in a cell near Karyes at the end of the XV or early XVI century. There they devoted themselves to prayer, fasting, and vigilance.
Saint Dionysios was known for his virtue and wisdom, and many disciples were drawn to him. Training others in the monastic life left him with very little time for his own spiritual struggles, and with so many people around him, his soul was not at peace. Therefore, Saint Dionysios and Saint Mētrophánēs went into the wilderness of Mount Athos in search of even greater solitude. Somewhere between Saint Anne’s and Katounákia, they found a cave and made it their abode. This would be the future site of Little Saint Anne’s Skḗtē, and they were the first to settle at this place. In the small and humble cave, they lived a godly life which was equal to that of the Angels.
In their spiritual struggles they fought against the stomach’s need for food, and the body’s need for sleep. Not only did they restrict the types of food they ate, but also the amount they consumed at meals. By limiting their time for sleep, they were able to devote themselves more to repentance and prayer.
Saint Dionysios was honored with the office of Rhetorician by the Great Church of Constantinople, and both he and Saint Mētrophánēs were esteemed as learned men. They attained even greater wisdom, however, by the true philosophy of monasticism, which has been called “life according to the Gospel.” They made such progress in the monastic life, excelling in virtue and holiness, that they became teachers of many holy ascetics, offering them help, encouragement, and support.
By humbling themselves, these Saints were exalted by God, acquiring the richest spiritual gifts, and the grace of the Holy Spirit. Just as no one lights a candle and then covers it, or puts it under a bed, “but sets it on a candlestick, that those who enter in may see the light” (Luke 8:16), so the Lord did not permit the virtue of these Saints to remain hidden. The light of their holy life so shone before men that those who beheld it glorified God (Matthew 5:16). Like most luminous lamps, these Saints shone forth on the Holy Mountain with the radiance of their holiness.
Having Saint Dionysios as his Elder, Saint Mētrophánēs excelled as his disciple, Later, Saint Mētrophánēs, with the blessing of the Athonite Fathers, and of his Elder Saint Dionysios, was asked to leave Mount Athos for a time in order to preach the Word of God in the neighboring villages of Halkidiki. He was also a Spiritual Father, hearing Confessions and ministering to his flock in the Turkish-occupied country.
After fulfilling this obedience, Saint Mētrophánēs returned to the Holy Mountain. and he also made known a famous vision of Hell and Paradise, seen by a certain man named Dēmḗtrios from Stratonίkē.
Saint Dionysios was an excellent calligrapher and writer, and his books may be found in the Greatest Lavra, and in other monasteries, as well as in the Skḗtē of Saint Anne. A manuscript book has been preserved in the Skete’s library with the signature of Venerable Dionysios. The title is "Kouvaras," which is a guide on how to benefit and instruct the brethren. Saint Dionysios describes the art of inner watchfulness and noetic prayer, and he himself was proficient in these disciplines. He also rendered many writings of the Holy Fathers into a simpler form of Greek so that ordinary people could understand them. In modern times, some of these have been printed in Greek theological publications, but many of his writings remain unpublished.
Saint Dionysios was admired by many, and his repose was regarded as something special in the codices of the Monasteries of Dionysiou and Docheiariou. Both of these luminaries lived godly and ascetical lives. Saint Dionysios reposed peacefully on July 9, 1606, although other manuscripts give the date of his repose as October 6, 1596 or 1602. Saint Mētrophánēs went to the Lord shortly afterward.
According to the ever-memorable Father Gerasimos of the Little Skḗtē of Saint Anne, the XX century hymnographer of the Great Church, who composed more than 2,000 Services (including the Service in honor of Saint Dionysios and Saint Mētrophánēs), Hieromonk Dionysios fell asleep in the Lord on October 6, 1606, and his disciple Saint Mētrophánēs reposed shortly thereafter. At Little Saint Anne’s Skḗtē, both Saint Dionysios and Saint Mētrophánēs are commemorated together on July 9 with a solemn celebration in the cave where there was once a temple, in addition to their cell. Proof of their presence is a surviving washbasin from their temple.
Elder Gerasimos, and his equally pious entourage, managed to clean the cave in which Saints Dionysios and Mētrophánēs had spent their ascetic life, through much labor, and then by an appearance and revelation of these Saints. They built a church dedicated to both of these Saints. The roof of the cave has an extension of rock which covers the church. At a certain place water drips constantly, which the Fathers collect and give to devout pilgrims as holy water for their sanctification.
According to Tradition, Saint Dionysios the Rhetorician is depicted standing up straight, with a broad forehead, a large mustache, and a square beard.