Saint
Athanasia of Aegina
Born: 8th Century on Aegina Island, Greece
Died: 14th August 860, Timia
Feast Day: 18th April (15th on August
on some calendars)
Symbols in Art: Young girl weaving with a star over her heart,
with Empress Theodora
Shrine: Relics preserved at Timia
Saint Athanasia was born to Nikita and Marina, members of the nobility,
a wealthy and pious family. Legend states
that at seven years old Athanasia had a vision of a star settling on her heart
when she was learning to weave and those drew her to be a religious, by this
time she already knew all the psalms. However, at 16, she married an army
officer at her parent’s request.
Unfortunately, her new husband was killed in battle just 16 days after
their wedding.
Athanasia then thought about joining a religious order again but an
edict by Emperor Michael the Stammerer required that all women of marriage age
had to marry a soldier. Her second
marriage was deeply religious, they ran bible studies in their home and taking
in the sick and the poor and the sick. With
the influence of Athanasia, her husband wanted to become and monk and Athanasia
agreed and took the opportunity to become a nun, giving away her worldly possessions
and turning her house in to a monastery.
Her spiritual director was Matthias and she had
other sisters move into her home where she served as abbess living a life of
austerity. She refused the other sisters even to pour water on her hands and always
wore a hair shirt with rough woollen clothes over top. Athanasia was
responsible for the building of three churches and when the community moved to Timia,
she became widely known for miraculous healings. She finally felt the need to escape the throngs
of people who were attracted to her and she and two sisters ran away to
Constantinople, where she lived for seven years in a cell. During this time, she was an advisor to
Empress Theodora.
Eventually she moved back to Timia, after being
persuaded by her old order, and spent her last days there. Shortly before her death Athanasia requested
that the poor be fed for forty days after her death in her honour, however, the
sisters only fed the poor for 9 days. Two
of the sisters had a vision that Athanasia was at heaven’s gate being crown and
given a staff. Athanasia appeared to some of the other sisters and said It was wrong that you did
not fulfill my testament, the forty-day commemoration in church of those who
have fallen asleep and the feeding of the poor greatly helps sinful
souls, while heavenly mercy is sent down from righteous souls to those who
carry out the commemoration.” She jabbed her staff into the ground and became
invisible. The next day, the staff had sprouted and become a living
sapling.
A year after Athanasia’s death a possessed woman
was taken to her grave, they smelt a sweet fragrant perfume coming from the
grave and dug it up to find Athanasia’s body incorrupt. The possessed woman touched it and was
immediately cured. When these witnesses found
the body in this state, they transferred it to a new coffin. Her sisters,
wanting to clothe the body in silk, removed the hair shirt Athanasia had worn
in life and death. However, when they tried to put the silk clothes on her, the
body developed severe rigor, hands clasped to the breast, and they could not
dress her in the rich dress. The sisters took this as the Athanasia’s love of
pious poverty. One of the sisters called out to the saint, “O our lady, as thou didst
unquestioningly obey us while thou didst live with us, so even now be well
pleased to obey us and be clothed in these garments, our humble gift offered
unto thee.” The body then sat up, extended her hands, and was
dressed in the silk clothing.
References: http://saintandrewgoc.org/home/2016/11/7/holy-mothers-of-the-church-st-athanasia-of-aegina
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