Venerable Neophytos of Vatopaidi

Life and Service at Vatopaidi

Neophytos lived during the fourteenth century at the Vatopaidi Monastery on Mount Athos. His monastic office was that of prosmonarios — described in the sources as the keeper of the church, the monk who waited for and received those who came to attend the services. The role is also rendered as church caretaker or sacristan.

For a time he was stationed away from the main monastery at one of its dependencies. The sources place this metochion in Euboia (Evia); one account specifies that it was dedicated to Saint Athanasius.

Traditional Accounts

According to the synaxarion, while serving at the dependency in Euboia, Neophytos became seriously ill. He prayed before an icon of the Mother of God, asking to be allowed to return to his own monastery and to die there. He is said to have heard the voice of the Theotokos telling him to return to Vatopaidi and to prepare himself for death within a year. He recovered and went back to the monastery at once.

One account identifies the icon as the Paramythia icon of the Mother of God, and reports that after his healing Neophytos intensified his ascetic practice during the year that followed.

Exactly one year later, after receiving Holy Communion, he is said to have again heard the voice of the Theotokos coming from her holy icon, telling him that the time of his departure had come. He then became gravely ill once more, asked the brethren for forgiveness, and died.

The Paramythia Icon

The icon associated with Neophytos in one of the sources, the Paramythia, is one of seven icons of the Mother of God kept at Vatopaidi that are venerated as miracle-working. The others named are the Elaiovrytissa, the Ktetorissa (Vimatarissa), the Esphagmeni, the Pantanassa, the Pyrovolitheisa, and the Antiphonitria.