Venerable Dionysius 7/8/2013
Dionysius was the founder of the monastery of St. John (Dionysiat) on Mt. Athos. He was born in Koritza in Albania. His older brother Theodosius withdrew to Mt. Athos where, in time, he became the abbot of the monastery Philotheou. When St. Dionysius had matured he went to his brother in Philotheou and his brother tonsured him a monk. By divine providence, while in Constantinople on a work assignment for the monastery, Theodosius was chosen and consecrated as metropolitan of Trebizond. A wondrous light began to appear every night to Dionysius on the spot where he later built the monastery of St. John the Forerunner. Explaining the appearance of this light as a sign from heaven that he should build a monastery there, Dionysius traveled to Trebizond to seek help from his brother Theodosius and Emperor Alexius Comnenis. The emperor gave him both money and a royal charter, which is still preserved in the monastery. Dionysius founded the monastery of St. John the Forerunner in the year 1380 A.D. At one time, when pirates plundered the monastery, Dionysius again traveled to Trebizond and died there at the age of seventy-two. The monastery of Dionysiat still continues and flourishes even today. There is an icon of the All-holy Birth-giver of God in that monastery called "The Praise" which Emperor Alexius Comnenis donated to Dionysius. According to tradition, the Akathist to the Theotokos (Birth-giver of God) composed by Patriarch Sergius was read for the first time.
