Venerable Saint Nikon/Nicon "Metanoeite," the Preacher of Repentance

Which the Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates on November 26 th /December 9th (OS)
And The Second Sunday of Great Lent

PATRON SAINT and ENLIGHTENER OF SPARTANS, MANIATES, LAKONIANS and EPIDAVROS LIMIROTES (MOLAI, PAPADIANIKA, SYKIA,
NEAPOLIS, AND MONEMVASSIA) SPARTA, MANI, LAKONIA and EPIDAVROS LIMIRAS
"Flee pride, cleave to humility; do not despise the poor; keep clear of all evil, of all envy and of the remembrance of wrongs; forgive your brethren.
Go regularly to church and confess your sins often to the priests and spiritual fathers. If you keep to these counsels, I will never abandon you."

Apolytikion in the Third Tone

Lacedaemon doth rejoice with gladness in the godly shrine of thy blest relics, which doth make streams of healings to overflow
and doth preserve from affliction and sore distress all them that hasten, O Father, to thee with faith. Righteous Nicon/Nikon ,
intercede with Christ God in our behalf that His great mercy may be granted unto us.

. '. . . Intonation Nah - - nah

, , , , ,
, . , ,
.

Troparion of St Nikon tone 3

Sparta rejoices in holding the shrine of thy relics,/ a source of healing for those who run to thee./ Holy Nikon, intercede with
Christ our God to grant us His great mercy.

Kontakion in the Second Tone

Emulating the life of the Angels, thou didst esteem the world's delights as dross, while showing us the paths of repentance, O
righteous and God-bearing Nicon/Nikon. Wherefore, as we now celebrate thy memorial, we honour thee; for thou in truth art a
fountain of healings.

Kontakion of St Nikon tone 6

Thou didst despise the world's delights,/ thou didst show us the path of repentance, emulating the Angelic life,/ O Nikon. We
praise thee and celebrate thy memory;/ thou art a fountain of healing.

. . .
, , ,
, , , .

.
, , , ,
.

Megalynarion in the Plagal of the Second Tone

O Righteous Father Nikon, into all the earth hath the sound of thine achievements gone forth; wherefore thou hast found in the
Heavens the reward of thy labours. Thou didst destroy the ranks of the demons; thou didst attain to the orders of the Angels,
whose life thou didst emulate without blame. Since thou hast boldness with Christ God, pray that peace be granted unto our
souls.

:
, . / .

Verses:
Wherefore hath Lacedaemon (Sparta) a loss of demons?/ Nikon hath frightened them away with his wonders.

SYNAXARION
Verses:
Wherefore hath Lacedaemon (Sparta) a loss of demons?
Nikon hath frightened them away with his wonders.

St. Nicon/Nikon
Feastday: November 26 (Old Style December 9th)
Missionary, called Metanoite(Repent). A Greek, he was born in the Greek Region of Pontus, on the Black Sea, in Asia Minor and entered a
monastery at Khrysopetro. He was then sent as a preacher to Crete, and after enjoying considerable success, he went to his native country and
Greece. He illuminated the people in Sparta and the Mani Peninsula. He was given the title Metanoite because of his common use of penance
as a theme for his sermons. He was noted for his miracles. He died in Peloponnisos.

+++
Saint Nikon Metanoeite ("the Preacher of Repentance") was born at Pontus Polemoniacus (Armenian Pontos) at the
beginning of the tenth century. He was the son of a wealthy landowner, and he was given the name Nicetas in Baptism.

Since he had no desire to take over the management of his family's wealth and estates, Nicetas entered the monastery of Chrysopetro, where
he shone forth in prayer and asceticism. When he received the monastic tonsure, he was given the new name Nikon. The new name
symbolizes a new life in the Spirit (Romans 7:6), and the birth of the new man (Ephesians 4:24). A monk is expected to stop associating
himself with the old personality connected to his former life in the world, and to devote himself entirely to God.
St Nikon had a remarkable gift for preaching. When he spoke of virtue and spiritual matters, his listeners were filled with heartfelt
compunction and love for God. His words produced such spiritual fruit in those who heard him that he was asked to travel through the
eastern regions to preach. He visited Armenia, Crete, Euboea, Aegina, and the Peloponnesus, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.
"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." This was the message of St John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), and of Christ Himself (Matthew
4:17). This was also the message of St Nikon. Wherever he went, he would begin his sermons with "Repent," hence he was called "Nikon
Metanoeite," or "Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance."
At first, people paid little heed to his message. Then gradually he won their hearts through his preaching, his miracles, and his gentle, loving
nature. He stressed the necessity for everyone to repent, warning that those who utter a few sighs and groans and think that they have
achieved true repentance have deluded themselves. St Nikon told the people that true sorrow for one's sins is cultivated by prayer, self-denial,
almsgiving, ascetical efforts, and by confession to one's spiritual Father.
After sowing the seeds of piety, St Nikon began to see them bear fruit. People started to change their lives, but he urged them to strengthen
their souls in virtue and good works so that they would not be overwhelmed by the cares of this world.
Eventually, St Nikon settled in a cave outside Sparta. Soon he moved into the city, because so many people were coming to hear him. In the
center of Sparta, he built a church dedicated to Christ the Savior. In time a monastery grew up around the church.
St Nikon never ceased to preach the Word of God, and to lead people back to the spiritual life of the Church. He also healed the sick, and
performed many other miracles.
St Nikon fell asleep in the Lord in 998, and his memory was honored by the people around Sparta. During the Turkish occupation of Greece,
however, he was all but forgotten, except in Sparta. After the Greek Revolution in 1821, a service to St Nikon was composed by Father Daniel
Georgopoulos, and was based on the saint's Life, which had been written by Igumen Gregory of St Nikon's Monastery in 1142.
St Nikon was recognized as the patron saint of the diocese of Monemvasia and Lakedaimonia in 1893 when the cathedral church in Sparta was
dedicated to St Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance.

Nikon Metanoite (also known as Nicon)

Born in Pontus (now in Armenia); died in Peloponnesus, Greece, in 998. Nikon received his surname from the Greek 'metanoia' (change of
heart) because penance was always the theme of his preaching. In his youth, he secretly ran away from his wealthy family to an Armenian
monastery called Khrysopetro (Stone of God), where he engaged in austere penance and humble prayer for 12 years. The purity of his love of
God when he spoke about virtue caused his superiors to send him out into the world to preach the Word of God as a missionary, first in
Armenia and later on the Saracen-held island of Crete for 20 years, then in Greece.
In imitation of Saint John the Baptist, Saint Nikon began every sermon with a call to conversion and the necessity for sincere repentance and
penance. He taught that earnest prayer, mortification, alms, and holy meditation are needed to allow the resolution of conversion to take root
in the heart. The sweetness with which Nikon recommended the most severe maxims of the Gospel, made our faith appear amiable to the
Islamics themselves. The words he preached were confirmed by many miracles (Attwater 2, Benedictines, Coulson, Husenbeth).

St Nikon Metanoite ("Repent!") (~1000)

He was born about 930 to a pious and wealthy family near Trebizond, Pontos (In Turkish occupied Anatolia). Once, making an inspection of
the family's estates, he was so affected by the wretched conditions of the poor fieldworkers that he despaired of happiness in this world and
determined to live a monastic life.

After years spent in a monastery, where he shone in obedience, prayer and self-denial, the Saint was given leave to travel in the ministry of
the Gospel of Christ. For three years he wandered the East, without home or possessions, crying to everyone he met, "Repent!" and
proclaiming with tears the message of salvation in Christ. He then spent seven years in Crete, then went to Greece, walking barefoot from
place to place, preaching repentance and becoming so well known that he acquired the nickname "Metanoite," meaning "Repent!"
After driving a great plague from Sparta through his prayers, he settled near that city, building a great church dedicated to Christ the Savior,
and living in the church for the remainder of his life. In time, a monastery was attached to the church for his disciples. His last counsel to his
disciples was: "Flee pride, cleave to humility; do not despise the poor; keep clear of all evil, of all envy and of the remembrance of wrongs;
forgive your brethren. Go regularly to church and confess your sins often to the priests and spiritual fathers. If you keep to these counsels, I
will never abandon you." He then gave his soul back to God.
Saint Nikon was immediately venerated as a saint by the people of Sparta, and is regarded as the protector of the city, where his relics are
venerated to this day.
(from Abbamoses.com)

The Venerable Nicon, the Preacher of Repentance

Nicon was born in Armenia. Awakened by the words of the Lord, Every one that hath forsaken father or mother shall receive an
hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life (Matthew 19:29), Nicon indeed forsook all for the sake of Christ, and went to a monastery,
where he was tonsured a monk. When he was perfected in all virtues, he left the monastery and went to preach the Gospel among the people.
He ceaselessly cried out, ``Repent!'' for which he was also called the ``the Preacher of Repentance.'' As a preacher, he visited all of Anatolia
and the Peloponnese. He worked miracles by prayer in the name of Christ and peacefully went to his beloved Lord. He reposed in Sparta in
the year 998.
(from Prologue of Ohrid)

Our Righteous Father Nikon/Nicon Repent Ye

Saint Nikon / Nicon, the son of a certain noble, was from Byzantine Armenia / Pontos Polemoniakos, forsaking his parents and homeland, he
passed throughout the parts of the East, crying to all men, Repent Ye , because of which he received his name. Finally he came to
Lacedaemonia (Sparta, Lakonia and Mani) of the Peloponnisos, where he built a Church in honour of Christ our Savior. After having dwelt
there many years in solitude, and having converted many from paganism, he departed to the Lord about the end of the ninth century (998
A..D.).

From the Life of St. Nikon "Metanoeite"* (Tenth Century, Commemorated on 26 November/9 December)
When, therefore, the Saint had arrived in Evia and had stood on the top of a rampart, as though on a pulpit, in order that his preaching might
be heard, he called out Repent ye [Metanoeite] all day and night long, as was his custom. The children of Evia, taking his unusual
preaching for a game, as is often the case, all flocked together to the place where the Saint was standing. But what did the envious enemy
Belial do? Not enduring the sight of the return and salvation of sinners, he hastened to show his maliciousness here as well. That is why, then,
the homicidal one invisibly thrust one of the small children from high off the rampart wall, tossing him to the ground.
When a great tumult arose and a large crowd had gathered, no one doubted that the child who had fallen to the ground had been dashed to
pieces and, unseen, had died a bitter death. The child's parents were nearly ready to rip the Saint to shreds, because he was, supposedly, to
blame for the misfortune.
But he, calmly and quietly, said to them: "Your child lives. He is alive and has suffered no harm, as you imagine." When the boys parents and
the rest of the crowd saw the boy safe and sound, they were dumbstruck, marveling and taken aback at the event. Judging well that the
wondrous miracle did not occur without the aid of Divine power, they took up the boy with great astonishment.
As for the boy, he said: That monk who calls out Repent ye reached into the air and held me, not allowing me to fall to the ground. Thus,
all being conquered by a great fear, they henceforth looked upon the blessed one as an Angel.
After a short while, the small boy, desiring the life without cares, was tonsured and lived in accordance with the vows of monastic life. And,
having pleased God in this way, he departed to the Lord.

Nikon the Penitent (Metanoiete) , Born in Pontos, Died in the Pelopponisos, 998. The son of a wealthy land owner, he was born in
what is now ethnic Hellenic Land occupied by Turks. He entered a monastery as a Young man and lived there for a dozen years, but so
successful was his preaching that he was sent as a missionary, first to Crete, then to The Mani, Sparta and the rest of Laconia, and afterwards
to other places in Hellas. His name recalls the constant theme of his preaching, Repentance, he died in a Monastery (Feast, November 26th)
(Saints East and West)

Hotasia (Mani)- According the lore, Saint Nikonas Metanoite, went ashore at the Bay of Hotasia and used it as his base. Saint Nikon acted
during the 10th century for the Enlightenment and the Christianization of the Slavs and the Greek residents of the peninsula of Mani. There
are two caves, not far from the sea, up on the cliffs. There was the place of his ascetic and prayer. He founded the churches Panagitsa and
Taxiarhi. There are two cistern dated at his time, built by himself, to save rain because since that time, there was lack of water. The churches
of Prophet Elia and Panagia Pantanassa are a place of worship and prayer for the residents of the region. During the local fair on 15th August,
a lot of people come from all around the area.

Saint Nikon "the Metanoite" (Greek: , Nikon ho Metanoeite) (died 998) was a Greek Orthodox
monk and saint born in Byzantine Pontus (Pontus Polemoniacus, modern north-eastern Turkey). Perhaps Nikon's most notable historical
impact, according to Andrew Louth was the light his Life, the biography of Nikon written after his death by a successor abbot in his
monastery, shed on the re-Christianizing of reconquered sections of the Byzantine empire. It is also special in its references of localities in

Crete and the central Greek mainland. Nikon himself was special in that he was represented as a missionary monk, one who was constantly
preaching rather than constantly praying.
When he was still a young man Nikon went to a monastery known as Khrysopetro ("Golden Stone") on the borders Pontos and Paphlagonia.
He spent twelve years there, living an ascetic life of prayer and penance, so extreme that his brothers tried to persuade him to lesson his
regimen. His abbot, impressed by his spiritual conferences and worried that his newly returned father would draw him from the ascetic life,
sent him out into the world to preach. After his departure, he traveled to Asia Minor and preached repentance there for three years before
moving on. Following the expulsion of the Arabs from Crete in 961 by Nikephoros Phokas, he became active as a missionary preacher on the
island, struggling to return recent converts of Islam back to Christianity. The area had been under Muslim control for 300 years or so, and in
that time Christianity in the area weakened, many former Christians having converted to Islam. Even those who remained faithful to
Christianity had somewhat lost contact with the living tradition, churches and monasteries having fallen into decay. The people in the region
were, quoted from Nikon's biography, not Islamic, but rather Christians who had been corrupted "by time and long fellowship with the
Saracens." Nikon was forced to change his tactics on Crete, now having to use his wit to lead his listeners to repentance, rather than just
preaching the message of repentance. It was there that he acquired the nickname "metanoite" (Greek for "repent") for his habit of using it as a
preface to all his sermons.
After five years on Crete he went on to Epidauros, Athens and Euboea. Then on to Thebes and Corinth, and finally down into the
Peloponnese, particularly to Sparta, which he reputably saved from a plague. There he also built three churches and a monastery continuing
his preaching and teachings, which were reportedly confirmed by miracles. The Peloponnese is represented as a land full of demons, of which
Nikon is constantly struggling against. He ended his life in mainland Greece, in the province of Lakonia, where he exerted considerable
influence on both clergy and laity, founding a large number of churches. As a result, after his sanctification by the Greek Orthodox Church, he
eventually became patron saint of the town of Sparta. His feast is celebrated each year on November 26. After thirty or so years of preaching
in the Peloponnese he died in a monastery there on the 26th of November, 998 B.C.E. According to his biography, Nikon continued to grant
miracles posthumously, in fact, much of the account deals solely with these posthumous miracles. Nikon is pictured in mosaics in the
monastery of Hosios Loukas, or Saint Luke.
WIKIPEDIA
I am part Lakonian, the sole young nun at the monastery above the port in Gythion told me of this miraculous saint who she exclaimed we
owe our Orthodoxy too as he brought the light of Christ to our region, a region that was the last in Greece to become Orthodox according
to her account, as they were a hearty people spread throughout the mountains, and a people that held onto their pagan beliefs, however
she said when the conversion of our ancestors occurred by the work of this Saint and his holy prayers, as much as they fought Christ, when
they finally embraced his teachings, they did it with such a zeal and the faith spread through the region as a fire captivating their hearts
and they became truly Orthodox and would preserve it (Their Christian Orthodox faith) to their last breath. I had never heard about this
saint before that day but her words and the way she spoke them with such authority and power pierced my heart as if at that moment
from this monastery on the mountain top she called all Laconians to preserve the faith, honor this Saint and uphold, a love of our Lord till
our death. Glory be to God for Saint Nikon who was ordained to shed light on such a barren land, he was given the grace, zeal and love to
struggle for our Lord and shed light on the Spartans.

(OLGA)
Saint Nikon Metanoiete
He is called the "Metanoiete," the "Repent-Ye," because he tramped the length and breadth of Crete for seven years after Nikeforos Phokas
took it back from the Arabs in 961, calling for repentence. Once he had them all quailing in terror of Hellfire, he went on to Negroponte
and did the same there.
He stood on the city wall, over where the water of Evripos keeps changing its direction though not as many as the seven claimed, and
preached "Metanoiete!" all day and all night. The crowds scrambled up on the walls, too, and a child was pushed off by "the malignant
enemy, Beliar." The crowd assumed a person as cranky as Nikon would naturally have shoved a child off the wall, assumed the child was
smashed to pieces, and were ready to tear Nikon to pieces himself, but the child stood up and and said that Nikon had caught him in the
air and did not allow him to be hurt. Whereupon the crowd repented and converted quite efficiently. There are a lot of this kind of miracle
cited in his Vita.
He went on to Thebes, a short trip from Negroponte, and then over the mountains to Corinth, and worked his way down through the
Morea shedding doom and miracles across the countryside, while at the same time traveling from Corinth to Sparta in an instant. A farmer
saw him aloft and in the air, illuminated by torchlight.
He stopped off in Argos and Nauplion and visited a John Blabenterios. Because of a sorcerer, this John Blabenterios and his daughter had a
disease which had left them as corpses, except that they were still breathing. Nikon healed them and miraculously located the sorcerer's
spell buried in the roots of a tree in their courtyard.
Ag. Nikon, like every other earnest Orthodox Christian Greek, was under attack by black demons. His appeared in the form of rock wasps.
This is a harsh thing to say about demons, considering the nature of the Greek rock wasp which attack with the force and noise of Stukas.
Nikon healed those who had been stung and drove the black demons groaning back into the bottomless depths.
This icon detail shows black demons afflicting various individuals who are trying to get to Heaven. Demons also appear as black crows

and there was one in a well he had to handle at Euripos that had flown up and terrified a girl who only wanted to draw water.
The rock wasps were impeding the building of a church in Sparta -- you can visit this very lovely site on a hill out beside the Roman ruins.
Nikon had marked out the shape of the church on the ground with a rope. Believers in Sparta brought out food and wine to feed the
workmen on the church. One gift, from the poorest of the poor, was of wine so acrid it was undrinkable, and the less said about the smell
the better. Nikon changed this into unlimited amounts of splendid wine.
The volunteer construction workers got quite tired before the end, and tried to fudge the column work for the altar by piecing together one
column instead of cutting it from a single piece of stone. Another miracle solved this problem. The church, when finished, is reported to
have had gleaming and colorful columns, bright stones, and paintings. Also, a golden dove flew about in the sanctuary and the lamps
swung of their own accord without any wind.
These vitae give invaluable glimpses of the worlds in which their saints moved, and this one tells us that below the church was a field
given over to ball players and horse racing. This is precisely the site of the Sparta soccer field today. The strategos of Sparta, Gregorios, was
wrapped up in a ball game and did not pay attention to Nikon who was reproaching the players for making so much noise it was
disrupting the service. Gregorios ordered Nikon out of town, and as soon as he turned to strike the ball with his hand, first the hand was
paralyzed and then his whole body. He was in awful pain and was carried into the church begging for help. Nikon healed Gregorios,
Gregorios repented of his arrogance, and forever dedicated himself to the service of the saint.
When Nikon died, his body gave off a miraculous oil that cured. There were a lot of miracles from this oil, a grab-bag of sensational effects,
including a terminal female cancer and two individuals, one vomiting (a man from Helos) and one defecating (a man from Kalamata)
gigantic worms. In fact, the writer of this Life personally testified to the miraculous effect of this oil, because he had a massive abscess in
the bone on the left side of his face, which caused excruciating pain. He would have starved to death -- being unable to move his jaws -had he not prayed to Nikon, rubbed on some oil, and been instantly relieved of his pain. He wrote that he had the sense of a cooling breeze
passing over his face. An icon of Nikon grasped by humble peasants kept their daughter from being raped when she was seized by
bandits. The bandits were blinded and had to release her.
There are many more miracles, which we will not go into, he also took an interest in sailing and has been reported standing watch,
steering, and even lifting galleys in a crisis.
He diagnosed a problem in Sparta as having been caused by the Jews there, and called on the citizens to drive them out. Which they did.
One nobleman, John Aratos, (A Medieval Greek Jew-Lover) "pricked by the goad of envy, and moved by demonic evil," was so rash as to assert that
this action was neither just nor reasonable.
The Fate of one John Aratos: One man however, was found at that time who wanted to hinder the church from being built at that place which I had
indicated. God knows that I neither cursed that man nor held anything against him, yet he happened to die. As God and the all-holy Mother of God
wished, they did bring me to Peloponnisos, where I taught for two years,1 during the time of lord Nicholas the Judge. When I came to Amykleion, I
proclaimed the divine words.2 At that time the leading men of Lakedaimon assembled in the church of St. Barbara and told me that such a plague had
fallen upon Lakedaimon that "we are unable to bury the dead. Therefore, make every effort to come yourself, [and be] with us, otherwise even we
ourselves are going to depart from there." I answered them that, "since, in fact, the anger is from God, you cannot escape because God, who dwells in the
heavens, holds sway over both the East and the West and to whatever place you wish to go he will find you. However, on your part, make an
agreement with me written by your own hand to the effect that you will obey me in those things that I am about to do, which is this: I
[will] expel the Jews from the area3 so that they [will] depart and tear down the slaughter houses which are in the vicinity of St.
Epiphanios and that they slaughter on Saturday and observe the feast of Sunday. Then I, too, will make an agreement with you written by my
own hand to the effect that no one will die."
(From http://surprisedbytime.blogspot.com/2009/11/ag-nikon-of-sparta.html, All Jew-Loving and Blaspheming comments against this
Glorious Saint has been edited out.)

Ven. Nikon Metanoite (that means the repentant)

Born in Pontus, in his youth he accepted monasticism in the Monastery "the Golden Stone" and practiced asceticism there for 12 years. Then,
with the blessing of the Hegumen, he went to preach repentance to Armenia. Ven. Nikon went about preaching repentance on the island of
Crete, Achaia, Epirus, Peloponnesus and died in Lacedaemon in 988.

Nikon Metanoite (RM)

(also known as Nicon) Born in Pontus (now in Turkish Occupied Anatolia); died in Peloponnesus, Greece, in 998. Nikon received his surname
from the Greek 'metanoia' (change of heart) because penance/repentance was always the theme of his preaching. In his youth, he secretly ran
away from his wealthy family to an Armenian monastery called Khrysopetro (Stone of God), where he engaged in austere penance and
humble prayer for 12 years. The purity of his love of God when he spoke about virtue caused his superiors to send him out into the world to
preach the Word of God as a missionary, first in Armenia and later on the Saracen-held island of Crete for 20 years, then in Greece. In
imitation of Saint John the Baptist, Saint Nikon began every sermon with a call to conversion and the necessity for sincere repentance and
penance. He taught that earnest prayer, mortification, alms, and holy meditation are needed to allow the resolution of conversion to take root
in the heart. The sweetness with which Nikon recommended the most severe maxims of the Gospel, made our faith appear amiable to the
Moslems themselves. The words he preached were confirmed by many miracles

Saint Nikon

Nikon was from Pontos, son of nobleman. He abandoned his parents and fatherland and travelled through the regions of the East, crying out
to everyone, 'Repent!', from this he gained his epithet. Finally he reached Sparta in the Peloponnese and there raise a church to "Christ our
Saviour", where he lived as a solitary until his death. He departed to the Lord around the end of the 9th century.

Nikon o Metanoeite
Nikon o Metanoeite (you should repent) was born ca. 930-935 in Asia Minor, in eastern Pontus. As a youth he ran away from home and
entered the monastery of Chryse Petra on the border of Pontos and Paphlagonia. After twelve years at the monastery, he began to travel
throughout the eastern regions (i.e., Anatolia), preaching his message of repentance. Following Nikephoros Phokas recovery of Crete from
the Arabs in 961, he spent seven years on the island as a missionary. He then travelled in central and southern Greece, settling ca. 970 in
Sparta where he founded a monastery. He died in the very late 10th or early 11th century, a sufficient time (cf. ch. 44.1) after the arrest of
John Malakenos, known to have taken place in 997. A healing cult developed at his tomb which became the site of numerous miracles.
The date of composition of his vita by an anonymous hagiographer, an abbot of Nikons monastery, has been much disputed. In ch. 68 the
author claims that he became abbot in the year 6650 in the 11th indiction. Since the indiction does not coincide with the year, various
corrections to the date have been proposed. Lampsides corrects to 6656 (= 1148) and argues that the final part of the vita was written in the
mid-12th c. C. Mango and R. Jenkins (DOP 15 [1961] 238f), followed by Sullivan, emend the date to 6550 (= 1042) and support a date of
composition in the mid-11th c. The vita is preserved in two slightly different versions, one in a 15th-c. Barberini manuscript, the other in a
17thc. manuscript from Koutloumousiou.
(D-Oaks-Hagiography)

St. Nicon/Nikon
Feastday: November 26 (Old Style December 9th)
Missionary, called Metanoite(Repent). A Greek, he was born in the Greek Region of Pontus, on the Black Sea, in Asia Minor and entered a
monastery at Khrysopetro. He was then sent as a preacher to Crete, and after enjoying considerable success, he went to his native country and
Greece. He illuminated the people in Sparta and the Mani Peninsula. He was given the title Metanoite because of his common use of
penance, with Saint John the Baptist, as a theme for his sermons. He was noted for his miracles. He died in Peloponnisos.

ST NIKON METANOEITE (A.D. 998)

Nikon, a native of Pontus, in his youth fled from his friends to a monastery called Khrysopetro, where he lived twelve years in the practice of
the most austere penance and prayer. The spiritual fruit which his conferences and exhortations produced induced his superiors to employ
him in preaching the word of God to the people. He therefore went as a missionary to Crete, which island had recently been recovered from
the hands of the Saracens. Here Nikon reconverted many who had apostatized to Islam. He began all his sermons with the word Metanoeite,
that is, Repent whence this surname was given him. By teaching penitents to lay the axe to the very root of sin, St Nikon had the comfort of
seeing many wonderful conversions wrought. After having preached in Crete almost twenty years, he passed to the continent of Europe, and
announced the divine word in Sparta and other parts of Greece, confirming his doctrine with miracles. He died in a monastery in
Peloponnesus in 998, and is honoured both in the Greek and Roman martyrologies.
The long Greek Life of St Nikon has been known since Martne and Durand published Sirmonds Latin translation of it in their Amplissima
collectio, vol. vi, pp. 837887. In 1906 S. Lambros edited the Greek text from another manuscript at Mount Athos. The document is of
considerable historic interest and we also possess what purports to be the spiritual will and testament of the saint. See also Prince Max of
Saxony, Das christliche Hellas (1919), pp. 529133, and DTC., vol. xi, cc. 655657.
Since he had no desire to take over the management of his family's wealth and estates, Nicetas entered the monastery of Chrysopetro, where
he shone forth in prayer and asceticism. When he received the monastic tonsure, he was given the new name Nikon. The new name
symbolizes a new life in the Spirit (Romans 7:6), and the birth of the new man (Ephesians 4:24). A monk is expected to stop associating
himself with the old personality connected to his former life in the world, and to devote himself entirely to God.
St Nikon had a remarkable gift for preaching. When he spoke of virtue and spiritual matters, his listeners were filled with heartfelt
compunction and love for God. His words produced such spiritual fruit in those who heard him that he was asked to travel through the
eastern regions to preach. He visited Armenia, Crete, Euboea, Aegina, and the Peloponnesus, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.
"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." This was the message of St John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), and of Christ Himself (Matthew
4:17). This was also the message of St Nikon. Wherever he went, he would begin his sermons with "Repent," hence he was called "Nikon
Metanoeite," or "Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance."
At first, people paid little heed to his message. Then gradually he won their hearts through his preaching, his miracles, and his gentle, loving
nature. He stressed the necessity for everyone to repent, warning that those who utter a few sighs and groans and think that they have
achieved true repentance have deluded themselves. St Nikon told the people that true sorrow for one's sins is cultivated by prayer, self-denial,
almsgiving, ascetical efforts, and by confession to one's spiritual Father.
After sowing the seeds of piety, St Nikon began to see them bear fruit. People started to change their lives, but he urged them to strengthen
their souls in virtue and good works so that they would not be overwhelmed by the cares of this world.
Eventually, St Nikon settled in a cave outside Sparta. Soon he moved into the city, because so many people were coming to hear him. In the

center of Sparta, he built a church dedicated to Christ the Savior. In time a monastery grew up around the church.
St Nikon never ceased to preach the Word of God, and to lead people back to the spiritual life of the Church. He also healed the sick, and
performed many other miracles.
St Nikon fell asleep in the Lord in 998, and his memory was honored by the people around Sparta. During the Turkish occupation of Greece,
however, he was all but forgotten, except in Sparta. After the Greek Revolution in 1821, a service to St Nikon was composed by Father Daniel
Georgopoulos, and was based on the saint's Life, which had been written by Igumen Gregory of St Nikon's Monastery in 1142.
St Nikon was recognized as the patron saint of the diocese of Monemvasia and Lakedaimonia in 1893 when the cathedral church in Sparta was
dedicated to St Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance.
998 St. Nicon Missionary called Metanoite Armenian Pontus on the Black Sea in Asia Minor and entered a monastery at Khrysopetro. He was
then sent as a preacher to Crete, and after enjoying considerable success, he went to his native country and Greece. He was given the title
Metanoite because of his common use of penance as a theme for his sermons. He was noted for his miracles. He died in Peloponnesus.
Nikon Metanoite (RM) (also known as Nicon) Born in Pontus (now in Armenia); died in Peloponnesus, Greece, in 998. Nikon received his
surname from the Greek 'metanoeia' (change of heart) because penance was always the theme of his preaching. In his youth, he secretly ran
away from his wealthy family to an Armenian monastery called Khrysopetro (Stone of God), where he engaged in austere penance and
humble prayer for 12 years. The purity of his love of God when he spoke about virtue caused his superiors to send him out into the world to
preach the Word of God as a missionary, first in Armenia and later on the Saracen-held island of Crete for 20 years, then in Greece.
In imitation of Saint John the Baptist, Saint Nikon began every sermon with a call to conversion and the necessity for sincere repentance and
penance. He taught that earnest prayer, mortification, alms, and holy meditation are needed to allow the resolution of conversion to take root
in the heart. The sweetness with which Nikon recommended the most severe maxims of the Gospel, made our faith appear amiable to the
Islamics themselves. The words he preached were confirmed by many miracles (Attwater 2, Benedictines, Coulson, Husenbeth).

ST NIKON METANOEITE (A.D. 998)

November 26
St. Nicon, Surnamed Metanoite, Confessor
NICON, a native of Pontus, and of a noble family, in his youth fled privately from his friends to monastery called the stone of God, where he
lived twelve years in the practice of the most austere penance and humble prayer, by which he studied perfectly to die to himself. His heart
became quite penetrated with holy compunction and the purest love of God, and he spoke on virtue with an unction which pierced the souls
of those that heard him discourse on heavenly things. The incredible spiritual fruit which his conferences and private exhortations produced,
induced his superiors to employ him in preaching the word of God to the people. This office he exercised in quality of apostolic missionary in
most parts of Armenia, and afterwards passed into Crete, which island was then in the hands of the Saracens. Penance was the great duty
which the saint announced to the people in imitation of St. John Baptist, and he began all his sermons with these words: Metanoite, or do
penance; whence this surname was given him. The necessity and obligation that all men lie under of doing penance, he inculcated according
to the maxims of the gospel; and he excellently explained the conditions of sincere repentance. For thousands and thousands befool
themselves, and mock God in this point, when, by venting a few sighs and groans they persuade themselves that they have repented, though
their hearts all the while deceive them. A true penitent must apply himself to the difficult work of self-examination by a strict scrutiny into,
and survey of, the whole state of his soul in order to discover every latent inordinate affection or passion. He must pursue sin home to his
inclinations, and dislodge it thence; otherwise all he does will be to little purpose; so long as the root of sin remains lurking in the affections,
it will shoot out again, and God who sees it there, pays no regard to lying vows and protestations. By earnest prayer, mortification, alms, and
holy meditation the penitential sorrow must be improved, till it has forced its way into the very innermost corners and recesses of the soul,
shaken all the powers of sin, and formed that new creature which is little understood among Christians, though the very essence of a
Christian life. By teaching penitents thus to lay the axe to the very root of sin, St. Nicon had the comfort to see many wonderful conversions
wrought amongst Christians, by which the face of religion seemed changed amongst them through the whole island. The saint, fearing lest
the infant-principles of conversion might be stifled and overlaid by the cares of the world, was infinitely solicitous to engage penitents to cut
off and renounce all occasions of sin, to strengthen their souls in the fervent practice of all virtues and good works, and to cultivate the seeds
of piety which the divine grace had sown in them. The sweetness with which the holy preacher recommended the most severe maxims of the
gospel, made our faith appear amiable to the Mahometans themselves. After having preached in Crete almost twenty years, and settled all the
churches of that island in good order, he passed to the continent in Europe, and announced the divine word in Peloponnesus, Achaia, Epirus,
and other parts of Greece, confirming his doctrine with miracles. He died in a monastery in Peloponnesus in 998, and is honoured both in the
Greek and Roman Calendars. See his authentic life in Baronius Annal. t. 10.

Hosios Nikon the Repenter

Hosios Venerable - Nikon the Repenter is the patron saint and protector of the town of Sparta and is especially honoured by the
local church. His memory is celebrated on 26 November. He was born in a village along the Black Sea (Pontos) in the early 10th century, was
active in missionary work, and was a great preacher of the Holy Scriptures. A main focus of his preaching was repentance - hence his name
Nikon the Repenter. Nikon travelled through many countries of Anatolia, and then to Crete, Epidaurus in the Argolid, Athens, Euboea,
Thebes, Corinth, and finally reached Sparta

Nikon o Metanoite (Santo Nikon)

Nikon o Metanoite (?-998) era a Ortodoxo griego monk llevado adentro Armenia.
Despus de la expulsin del rabes de Crete en 961, l hizo activo como predicador en la isla, luchando para volver a convertidos recientes a
Islam de nuevo a Cristianismo. Era all que l adquiri el apodo metanoite (Griego: repent), una palabra que l utiliz constantemente en
sus sermones.
l termin su vida en el continente Grecia, en la provincia de Lakonia, donde l ejerci influencia considerable en el clero y el laity, fundando
una gran cantidad de iglesias. Consecuentemente, despus de su sanctification por la iglesia ortodoxa griega, l hizo eventual patrn santo de
la ciudad de Sparta. Su banquete se celebra cada ao el 26 de Noviembre.
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NAMES: Nikon, Nikonas, Nikonos, Nik, Nick,

NIKON
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Ancient Greek, Russian
Other Scripts: , (Ancient Greek), (Russian)
Derived from Greek (nike) meaning "victory".
*
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Ikon of The Righteous Saint Nikon Metanoieite

Whom the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church Celebrates on

November 26th and on the 2nd Sunday of Lent.

, . 26

/SYNAXIS OF LAKONIAN SAINTS

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Mode 1. The Citizen of the Desert

"We sing the praises of the phalanx (the ranks) of Laconian Saints, through whom we have all been filled with inexpressible gifts--Nikon, Ilias, Yiorgios,
Thomas, Theoklytos, Grigorios, Maximos, Leontios, wise saints, and Ioannes the illustrious new martyr--as we all cry out with one voice: Glory to Him who
made you strong; Glory to Him who crowned you; Glory to Him who through you works cures for all.

....
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37 40 . 20
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THE LITURGY - NOVEMBER 26TH, SAINT NIKON METANOITE

"Flee pride, cleave to humility; do not despise the poor; keep clear of all evil, of all envy and of the remembrance of wrongs; forgive
your brethren. Go regularly to church and confess your sins often to the priests and spiritual fathers. If you keep to these counsels, I
will never abandon you."
The TYPIKA, and for the BEATITUDES, Hymns from the Third and Sixth Odes of Canon of the Saint.

Beatitudes:
Ode 3:
Passing from East to West, Thou didst set all men on fire with thy preaching of repentance; wherefore, thou foundest a name suited to thy deeds, O
Righteous Nikon. Proving to be the namesake of repentance (x2)
Having the Forerunners' Zeal laid up in thy soul, O Father, thou didst proclaim Christ's second manifestation to the world, saying: With All your heart,
bring forth fruit worthy of repentance. (x2)

Ode 6:
God, who was Glorified in thy members, glorified thee with with wondrous signs. Wherefore, thou didst fill up that which was lacking in the pillar, that it
might be serviceable to thee in the house of God. (x2)
The City of Lacedaemon (Sparta) hath known thee to be another Moses, afflicting the Egypt of the Passions with the scourges of thy God-inspired teachings
of repentance, and taking away wickedness. (x2)

The Prokeimenon of the Epistle. Grave Tone

v1. What shall I render unto the Lord for all that He hath rendered unto me?
v2. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
(O Lord, I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant and the son of Thy handmaid.)
The Saints shall boast in glory, and they shall rejoice upon their beds.
Vs. Sing unto the Lord a New song; His praise is in the Church of the saints.

The Epistle of Saint Paul to Galatians (5:22-6:2) (If desired also, the Epistle of the day.)
EPISTLE: (Gal 5:22-6:2):
BRETHREN: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no
law. And those who are Christs have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become
conceited, provoking one another, envying one another Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of
gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one anothers burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Alleluia, Plagal of the Second Tone

v1. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord; in His commandments shall he greatly delight.
v2. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
(His Righteousness abideth unto ages of ages; His Horn shall be exalted with glory.)

The Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew (11:27-30) (If Desired also, The Gospel the day.)
GOSPEL: (Matt. 11:27-30):
THE LORD SAID UNTO HIS DISCIPLES: All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor
does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy
and My burden is light.

Communion Hymn
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise is meet for the upright.
(For he shall remain unshaken for ever. In everlasting remembrance shall the righteous be.)
(In everlasting remembrance shall the righteous be, He shall not be afraid of evil tidings.)

+ On This Day we commemorate our righteous Father Nikon (Metanoite) Repent-Ye.

Verses:
Wherefore hath Lacedaemon (Sparta) a loss of demons?
Nikon hath frightened them away with his wonders.

Apolytikion in the Third Tone

Lacedaemon doth rejoice with gladness in the godly shrine of thy blest relics, which doth make streams of healings to overflow and doth
preserve from affliction and sore distress all them that hasten, O Father, to thee with faith. Righteous Nicon/Nikon , intercede with Christ
God in our behalf that His great mercy may be granted unto us.

. '. .
, , , , ,
, . , , .

Kontakion in the Second Tone

Emulating the life of the Angels, thou didst esteem the world's delights as dross, while showing us the paths of repentance, O righteous
and God-bearing Nicon/Nikon. Wherefore, as we now celebrate thy memorial, we honour thee; for thou in truth art a fountain of healings.

. . .
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Megalynarion in the Plagal of the Second Tone

O Righteous Father Nikon, into all the earth hath the sound of thine achievements gone forth; wherefore thou hast found in the Heavens
the reward of thy labours. Thou didst destroy the ranks of the demons; thou didst attain to the orders of the Angels, whose life thou didsr
emulate without blame. Since thou hast boldness with Christ God, pray that peace be granted unto our souls.