A monastery founded through the Mother of God's insistence

The Monastery of Panaghia Phaneromeni (the Apparition of the Mother of God) on the island of Salamis, was founded by Hosios Lavrentios (or the Venerable Laurentius of Megara), in the first half of the 16th century. A married man and father of two children, Laurentius worked as a hired mason and ploughman. The Mother of God appeared to him three times during the night to ask him to build a church for her on Salamis. But as Laurentius remained hesitant, she came back, and sternly showed him the exact plan of the church and monastery she had in mind.

When Laurentius finally decided to sail to the island, he was prevented by a storm. He then heard a heavenly voice ordering him to spread his cloak over the sea. He obeyed, this time without hesitation, and found himself miraculously transported to Salamis. He easily found the place where he had to build the church, over the still visible ruins of an ancient church. There he also discovered an icon of the Mother of God.

Laurentius became a monk, convinced his wife to also embrace the religious life, and devoted all his resources to the construction of the monastery.

A few men from the island who helped him in this enterprise joined his community, placed under the protection of the Mother of God, and their number grew rapidly. The Virgin Mary granted Laurentius the grace to perform many healing, for Christians and Muslims alike. For example, he cured the wife of a dignitary of the Ottoman court of a deadly disease. As a sign of gratitude, her husband returned to the monastery some property that had been confiscated.

The saint completed the construction of the monastery in 1682. He died in peace on March 9, 1707, receiving in Heaven the crown of the faithful servants of the Mother of God.

The Marie de Nazareth Editorial Team