Saints indirectly associated with the Monastery – Epilogue

This relatively brief account of the lives and personalities of the better-known saints of Vatopaidi will, we hope, have made it clear that its saints are linked with every phase of its varied history, from the 10th to the 19th century.

The stage of this history of ten centuries has been crossed by Arab pirates who looted the Monastery, by kings and rulers who restored it, by supporters of the union of the Churches who tortured and put to death monks who were opposed, by Hesychasts and teachers with a rich spiritual tradition and achievements, by learned monks who were an adornment to the patriarchal throne of Constantinople, by latter-day martyrs and confessors of the Orthodox Faith during the period of Turkish rule, and by inspired teachers at the Athonite School. During the whole of that time, Vatopaidi has proved itself a bright spiritual beacon light and a workshop in which sanctity is constantly forged, giving to the Church saints who have left their indelible mark not only on the spiritual life of the Monastery, but also on that of Orthodoxy and the Greek nation. Seen in this light, there are strong grounds for concluding that the contribution of the Monastery of Vatopaidi to the cultivation and preservation of the religious, cultural and intellectual wealth of Orthodoxy and the nation has been vast. This fact draws attention not only to the historical value of the Monastery, but also to its spiritual responsibility in the critical times through which Church and nation are passing.