March 27, 2025. Almaty. Upon the conclusion of the festive Divine Liturgy in the Ascension Cathedral, a sacred object was transferred to the main church of the Southern Capital for permanent presence and prayerful veneration by the faithful – an icon containing a particle of the holy relics of Saint Nectarios, Metropolitan of Pentapolis and Wonderworker of Aegina.
The event was timed to coincide with two significant historical dates – the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the canonical status of the Metropolitan District of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan and the 30th anniversary of the return of the Ascension Cathedral to the Orthodox Church.
The newly written icon was presented to the main cathedral of the Southern Capital by the monastics of the Holy Mount Athos through the efforts and with the support of the public foundation Eleos (director – V.M. Kapsamun).
After the Dismissal of the Liturgy, during the chanting of the troparion to Saint Nectarios of Aegina, the icon containing the holy relic was brought out from the altar to the center of the church, after which a prayer service was offered.
At the conclusion of the service, Protodeacon Roman Golovin read aloud the official certificate confirming the transfer of the icon to the Ascension Cathedral of the city of Almaty for reverent safeguarding and prayerful veneration.
Metropolitan Alexander then congratulated those gathered on the notable occasion – the bringing of the icon containing a particle of the holy relics of Saint Nectarios of Aegina to the Southern Capital of Kazakhstan.
The Head of the Metropolitan District and the clergy blessed the four directions of the world with the sacred icon, invoking the intercession of the God-pleasing Saint upon the city of Almaty and upon the entire land of Kazakhstan.
The icon was written in response to numerous requests from the faithful, with the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, by Monk Nicholas, a member of Dionysiou Monastery of the Holy Mount Athos. The image was laid upon the healing relics of Saint Nectarios of Aegina.
The designated place for the permanent presence of the relic is the Ascension Cathedral of the Southern Capital.
The Hagiography of Saint Nectarios of Aegina
Saint Nectarios (in the world – Anastasios Kefalas) was born on October 1, 1846, into a poor large family in the village of Silivria in Thrace, not far from Constantinople. At Baptism, the boy received the name Anastasios.
His pious parents raised their children in the love of God: from an early age, they taught them prayerful hymns and read them spiritual literature. Anastasios dreamed of receiving a Christian education, but after completing primary school, he was forced to remain in his native village, as the family had no money to send him to study in the city.
When Anastasios turned fourteen, he begged the captain of a ship bound for Constantinople to take him along.
In Constantinople, the young man managed to find work. His meager wages made it impossible to eat properly, and the idea of buying clothes was entirely out of the question. In order not to fall into despondency, Anastasios prayed unceasingly.
Soon, Anastasios was able to get a job as a caretaker at a school under the metochion of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There, he was able to continue his education.
He later obtained a position as a teacher in the village of Lithi on the island of Chios. For seven years, Anastasios not only taught but also preached the Word of God. In 1876, he became a member of the monastic brotherhood of the Nea Moni Monastery (“New Monastery”).
On November 7, 1876, Anastasios was tonsured a monk with the name Lazarus. On January 15, 1877, Metropolitan Gregory of Chios ordained Lazarus to the diaconate and gave him the new name Nectarios. The young deacon still dreamed of continuing his studies, and in his daily prayers, he asked the Lord to grant him this opportunity.
By God’s providence, a wealthy and pious Christian offered to pay for the young monk Nectarios’s travel and education. From 1882 to 1885, Deacon Nectarios studied at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Athens. After completing his education, on the recommendation of his benefactor, he moved to Alexandria.
On March 23, 1886, Deacon Nectarios was ordained to the priesthood. Father Nectarios was assigned to the Church of Saint Nicholas in Cairo. In that very same church, he was soon elevated to the rank of Archimandrite, and not long thereafter, the Patriarch decided to bestow upon him the title of Senior Archimandrite of the Alexandrian Church.
On January 15, 1889, Senior Archimandrite Nectarios was consecrated bishop and appointed Metropolitan of the Pentapolis Metropolis. The virtuous life of the hierarch, his extraordinary kindness and simplicity, evoked not only love and respect from the faithful. Influential figures in the Patriarchate feared that the universal love for the hierarch would make him a contender for the position of Patriarch of Alexandria. They slandered the saint. In his profound humility, the righteous man did not even try to defend himself…
Returning to Athens, Metropolitan Nectarios lived for seven months in extreme deprivation. One day, when Saint Nectarios of Aegina, exhausted by poverty and shaken by the betrayal and mistrust of all his friends and acquaintances, was praying in contrition, a wondrous peace descended upon his heart. It seemed to him that he could hear harmonious singing. Realizing what was happening, he lifted up his eyes and saw the Most Holy Theotokos accompanied by a host of angels. Immediately, his sorrow and memories of betrayal were transformed into such sweetness that the saint wanted only to give thanks to God for everything that had occurred.
The mayor of the city, learning of the dire circumstances in which Metropolitan Nectarios found himself, secured for him a position as a preacher in the province of Euboea. The fame of the extraordinary preacher from the provinces soon reached the capital and even the Greek royal court. Queen Olga, having met the elder, soon became his spiritual daughter. Thanks to the queen, the hierarch was appointed director of the theological school. There he became a loving father both to the students and to the staff of the school.
The saint acquired the gifts of the Holy Spirit: unceasing prayer and spiritual discernment, healing, clairvoyance, and prophecy. When he served the Divine Liturgy, being in a state of prayer, his face radiated light, which was visible to those around him.
He was a man of exceptional kindness and gave away everything he had. When he had no money for alms, he would give the needy his own clothing and shoes.
The last twelve years of his life were spent on the island of Aegina.
The spiritual children of the elder recounted that through his prayers, not only did the situation on the island improve (robbery and looting ceased), but even the climate changed. Peasants would often come to the elder seeking his prayerful help during times of drought: at the prayer of Metropolitan Nectarios, gracious rain would fall upon the land.
The blessed repose of Saint Nectarios occurred on Sunday, November 8/21, on the feast of the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the other bodiless heavenly hosts.
Having received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, Saint Nectarios of Aegina peacefully departed unto the Lord. He had just turned seventy-four years old.
Many miraculous healings occur through the prayers of Saint Nectarios even after his blessed repose.
He reposed from a severe and painful cancer, and after his departure, he intercedes for the hopelessly ill, for those doomed to an imminent death.
In 1961, Saint Nectarios of Aegina was canonized by the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece.
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