Life and Ascetic Labors
Nilus was born in the village of Hagios Petros in the Zakoneia diocese of the Kynouria region in the Peloponnese, Greece. Orphaned in youth, he was raised by his uncle, the hieromonk Makarios, under whose guidance he was formed in the monastic life.
According to one account, in 1601 he moved with his uncle to the Holy Monastery of Malevi, dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos. On reaching maturity he received monastic tonsure and was subsequently ordained deacon and then priest.
The two ascetics settled on Mount Athos, one account placing their arrival in 1615. They lived at a site known as the Holy Rocks, or Hagios Petros, identified with the location of the later Skete of Kavsokalyvia. There, having purchased land from the Great Lavra for a single gold coin, Nilus built a kellion.
After the repose of Makarios, Nilus withdrew to a more isolated and nearly inaccessible location, a cliff cave, for more intense spiritual practice. Within the cave he built an altar dedicated to the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple. He reposed in 1651.
The Myrrh-Streaming and Its Wonders
Upon his repose, an abundant flow of fragrant, curative myrrh is said to have begun issuing from his grave, from which he takes the epithet "the Myrrhgusher." By tradition, the myrrh streamed through the opening of the cave and down the cliff face into the sea.
The place where it reached the water came to be called Karavostasion, meaning "boat stop," because pilgrims arrived there by boat. The synaxarion relates that Christians traveled from the most distant lands of the East to be healed by the myrrh.
A hymnographic verse composed for the saint plays on his name and the river Nile: "Water is not seen to flow forth from Nilus, but sweet-smelling myrrh, perfuming grace."
Relics & Shrines
The cave of Saint Nilus lies at the southern edge of the Athonite peninsula, about an hour's walk from the Skete of Kavsokalyvia toward the Great Lavra. It stands in a place of striking natural beauty, near the peak of a mountain roughly 250 meters above sea level, and has been described as situated "literally between heaven and earth." It served as his hermitage after the repose of his uncle Makarios.
Several churches and chapels are dedicated to the saint, including a church in Kallipoli of Piraeus and chapels in his native village of Hagios Petros and in Tripoli in the Peloponnese. An icon of the saint is reported to gush myrrh in his native village.
Prophecies Attributed to the Saint
Traditional Accounts: A body of prophecies has been attributed to Saint Nilus, said to foretell conditions of the mid-twentieth century, including the telephone, the airplane, and the submarine, along with a foretold moral decline among clergy and laity.
Historically Documented: These prophecies are treated with caution and are disputed by scholars; one assessment concludes that the so-called prophecies of Saint Nilus are "not very trustworthy."
