Monk Pakhomios Pantokratorinos (1880-22 April 1974)

The Kelli of Saint George the Manifested at Pantokratoran Kapsala

Born Nikolaos Triandafyllou, he was from the village of Kalyvia in Northern Evia. He emigrated to America and was a married man with a child. After the death of his child, he returned to Greece and abandoned worldly things, after suffering other unpleasant experiences in his life. At first he went to the Monastery of Koutloumousiou, where a virtuous compatriot of his, Ioasaf († 1928) was living the monastic life. He fell ill there and was visited by Elder Evloyios, from the Kelli of the Manifested, who, as a practical doctor, looked after him. They thus became acquainted and formed a friendship, so Nikolaos went with him to the Kelli of Saint George the Manifested in 1908. He was tonsured a monk in 1912.

Elder Pakhomios was a spiritual grand-child of Elder Hatzi-Yorgi. He was uncomplicated, calm and tranquil.  He had a blessed end to his life. Three days before his departure, he called his disciple, Yeoryios († 1982) and told him to go and get some fish for the imminent feast of Saint George and for his funeral. ‘I’ll celebrate the feast in heaven with Saint George. I won’t be here with you’. And so it came to pass. With joy in his soul, he received holy communion, glorifying our All-Good God from the depths of his heart. At the time when his soul departed, on 22/4/1974, the angelic salutation could be heard: ‘Hail, soul of the departed’. Monk Yeoryios, who served him, heard it clearly. At the same time the whole kelli, particularly Elder Pakhomios’ room, was filled was fragrance, whereas before it had smelt badly because of the Elder’s long illness, when he’d been bed-ridden. Writing of virtuous Athonites, Saint Païsios says: ‘Father Pakhomios celebrated with Saint George in heaven as he’d said he would. He was sated with the beauty of Paradise and intoxicated with the spiritual wine of the love of God, together with Saint George. May the good Lord grant that we, too, may taste a little of that’.