With enthusiasm and hope, hundreds of believers from all corners of free Cyprus, flock to the celebrating Holy Monastery of Agios Kendeas despite the community Avgorou, to honor the memory of one of the Saints Alamani, a group of Saints with inaccurate numerical identification, who came from various places -especially Jerusalem-, came and martyred in Cyprus.
Near her cave where he lived and slept Saint Kendeas, here where his presence is always felt, a few meters from the dead zone and the Turkish outpost of Attila, was erected with much effort and toil in difficult times, by the Blessed Elder Christofora Nun and the monastic fraternity about it, a guarded sacred institution, a spiritual beacon in His honor.
Although the life of the Saint is not widely known, nevertheless in the consciousness of the Cypriots his name was associated with the algae (pains) of the human body, the so-called "jiegs" in the local dialect (Agios Kendeas-> Ai Tziegias), that is why the pious people come with faith, reverence and hope, lighting a candle and invoking the cure of their diseases, but also a shortening of the ordeal of our special homeland that for more than forty-five years is still experiencing the consequences of the invasion with illegal military occupation, the massive violations of the human rights of the Cypriot people, the illegal settlement and the ongoing destruction of its Greek and Orthodox cultural heritage.
This prominent monastery is a large pan-Cypriot pilgrimage, especially on the day of its remembrance, the 2nd in a row we would say without exaggeration, after Saints Kyprianos and Justin in the community of Meniko in the province of Nicosia, who also celebrated four days ago.
On the evening of the eve of the feast, Tuesday, October 5, 2021, the solemn Vespers were celebrated by the local Metropolitan of Constantia and Famagusta, Mr. Vassilios, accompanied by the pastor of the Holy Monastery, Fr. Kyprianos and other clergy of the Diocese.
Before the dismissal, a trishagio was chanted in favor of the rest of the deceased members of the fraternity and of all those who served in the holy Monastery.
The cantors in the sacred pulpit were accompanied by members of the School of Byzantine Music in Talanton under the direction of Mr. Evangelos Georgiou.
The procession was also attended by the Honorable Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis, Commander of the National Guard, the Secretary of the Council of Ministers Mr. Theodosis Tsiolas, the Famagusta MP Georgios Karoullas and others.
A piece of the relics of Saint Kendeas, which is kept in the Holy Monastery of Kykkos, has been transferred to the Holy Monastery for worship and blessing of the faithful.
Text: Deacon Epiphanius Papantoniou / Images: Andreas Flokkas