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November 1, 2023

A Vision of Venerable David in the Form of Saint Iakovos of Evia


The late Father Seraphim, a monk of the Monastery of Venerable David in Evia and a subordinate of Saint Iakovos of Evia, spoke of the following miraculous vision he behld at the Monastery around 1988:

One day, on the eve of the feast of Venerable David, I was so tired that I begged the Saint to comfort me, to give me strength. As I was standing at the door of the Sanctuary, I see Father Iakovos with the skoufi (monastic cap) on his head passing in front of me and going towards the entrance of the church.

It struck me that on such an official day, and in fact just before Vespers, the Elder did not wear his epanokalimavkion (monastic veil).

So I called him:

"Father Iakovos, Father Iakovos, come by here. I have the door of the Sanctuary open."

I saw him turn back and when he disappeared behind the belfry I did not see him again. I was afraid that something had happened and I went to see what was going on. But there was no one.

At that moment I see Father Iakovos with his epanokalimavkion coming down the stairs with that solemnity and seriousness he had.

And I asked him:

Father Iakovos, where did you go before, when you came down with the skoufi and suddenly disappeared?"

Then the Elder smiled and said:

"Was it me, Father Seraphim? It was the Saint in my form. Did you not supplicate him to see him and to comfort you? It was him."

The Elder knew the request of my prayer, being the clairvoyant that he was. What I do know is that the Elder diligently hid his gifts. He did not show them, because he was a humble man.

We would hear from the people going to confession to him saying to us" "I went and he told me everything I had a problem with." And he, when we asked him, pretended he didn't know anything.

Source: From the book Ένας άγιος Γέροντας, ο μακαριστός π. Ιάκωβος. Translation by John Sanidopoulos.