In this video interview, Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol reveals the hidden spiritual life and asceticism of Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra. Throughout his life, the Elder secretly prayed through the night, slept on the bare floor without a bed, and endured over two decades of profound silence and illness at Ormylia, radiating heavenly grace, tears during Holy Communion, and true Christ-like nobility until the end. Part 2/2
Romanian translation by Elena Dinu
Video source: ΙΕΡΑ ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΗ ΛΕΜΕΣΟΥ ΡΑΔΙΟΦΩΝΙΚΟΣ ΣΤΑΘΜΟΣ
A production of PemptousiaTV, interviewer: Nikos Gouraros
Interviewer: Looking back to that time, I would like you to recount this specifically—from when you first met him up until the end, as much as you were able to be with him: what was his personality like, and how did he influence you personally?
Met. Athanasios: Well, to say that his personality influenced me is too high a measure for me; I cannot compare myself to him or attain to his height. Yet the mere remembrance of him stirs positive feelings and very edifying thoughts within me—of zeal and reverence. For, looking at how this man was compared to how we are, at least we see our wretched state and are able to humble ourselves a little. Father Aimilianos was a great ascetic. I did not know this, but Father Ephraim at Katounakia revealed it to me. He once told me: “The very spirit I saw in Father Joseph the Hesychast, I have seen in Father Aimilianos. This man is of that identical spirit, my child.” And he told me that he kept vigil every night until midnight, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at midnight, and was detached from the administration of the monastery—from the daily matters of what we eat, what we drink, and practical tasks. He governed the monastery unseen. He stayed in his study, in his cell, praying, studying, and receiving the monks, but he did not wander through the monastery. In his later years, he was no longer present in the refectory or at the services; even on feast days, he remained in his cell and celebrated the Liturgy alone. And when we visited his cell, we would see him there.
Father—Saint—Ephraim told me: “When you go to his study, look and you will see that this is where Aimilianos lives. Look, and you will see that he has no bed.” And indeed, when I went to see, there was no bed anywhere. He had a table and a chair, and he had a small rolled-up mat, which he would spread out to sleep on the floor. He practiced asceticism by sleeping on the bare ground. And all the fathers there did the same, of course. He was a great ascetic. For years—around three years, I believe—he did not consume even olive oil! He ate only antidoron and a few olives. Once, when I went to see him—I had not seen him for about two years, and Geronda Joseph had sent me to see him regarding a certain matter—he received me in his cell in the evening. When I saw him, I did not even recognize that it was he: he had become an absolute skeleton. And when he spoke to me and asked, “How are you?”, the way he said it, only his voice remained unchanged. His face and his appearance were completely altered. Had he not spoken to me, I would not have known that it was the Elder. We loved him dearly, and we all held him in profound veneration, as did our own Geronda. And I recall that regarding the crucial decisions of our brotherhood, with Geronda Joseph, after Father Ephraim at Katounakia, we would go to Father Aimilianos.
And his approach left a deep impression on me! Let me give you an example. Once, our brotherhood faced a very serious problem, a great temptation. We went to Katounakia and spoke to Father Ephraim; he gave us his holy, good, and blessed counsel, and then we went to Simonopetra. We spent the night there, and in the evening we saw Elder Aimilianos. When he met us—he came to where we were staying to see us, full of joy, full of nobility—his demeanor was exceptionally gracious. And Geronda (Joseph) began to speak to him and describe the temptation we were facing; it was a very difficult situation. He listened to us with great attentiveness. When we finished—when Geronda finished speaking, for I did not speak—I was struck by the fact that he began to address us in this way: “Geronda, I have listened to everything you have said. Truly, a great temptation is testing you. The temptation you are undergoing right now is very great. Let us see how you will manage it, for it is an immense trial, and you are entirely justified. You have a great sorrow; you find yourselves in great distress.”
What moved me, what I understood immediately, was that he gave us the assurance that he truly understood our problem. We had also gone to other elders—good, holy, and graceful fathers—but they immediately told us: “These things are nothing; have patience, they will pass. Do not pay attention to them; they are not serious.” And those fathers told us these things with good intentions to help us, of course. But to us, it felt as though they did not understand us. Whereas Elder Aimilianos grasped it at once and assured us: “I understand you completely! You are entirely right; you are passing through a great temptation!”
Interviewer: That alone was a comfort, at least.
Met. Athanasios: For us it was a major issue; to others, a small one, of course. And indeed, looking back on it now, it was not actually so great. But when you are inside the cauldron, you boil along with the temptation. Afterwards, Elder Aimilianos told us what the others had said as well: prayer, patience, the necessity for Geronda Joseph to make certain decisions, and so forth.
Interviewer: Geronda, could you tell us something about the period of his illness, during which he remained for so many years at Ormylia? For we have heard—we did not know him personally then, but we heard of many wondrous occurrences.
Met. Athanasios: Yes, very much so. And I am moved when I say this, because Elder Aimilianos himself, shortly before I departed for Cyprus, when I was still serving as Protepistates, asked to come and visit me in Karyes. He arrived there with several fathers one afternoon and stayed with us, and he said to me: “I desired greatly to come see you, Holy Protos, because you are young and I want you to be steadfast.” And he counseled me at length and gave me much strength.
Let me tell you: once, when Father Aimilianos visited Cyprus to deliver some homilies, he visited the Metropolitan of Paphos at the time—who later became Archbishop Chrysostomos II, the one who expelled us from the Metropolis and from Cyprus. The archbishop, a metropolitan back then, held Elder Aimilianos in high regard. And he had taken offense because of me, for he had said to me: “Did you become a monk for Christ, or for Geronda Joseph?” Because he had told me to stay in Cyprus and not follow Geronda Joseph, but I had told him: “No, I am going with Geronda.” And then he asked me: “Did you become a monk for Christ, or for Geronda Joseph?” And I, twenty years old at that time, a novice disciple, told him: “I became a monk for Geronda Joseph.” I meant to tell him that I had seen the Elder, but I had not seen Christ. I remembered how Elder Ephraim used to say to Geronda Joseph: “Geronda, I have not seen Christ; I have seen you!” He said this often, and the fathers said it as well, and in that spirit I said it too, perhaps somewhat unrefinedly.
And the archbishop recounted this to Father Aimilianos with the intent to discredit me—and the archbishop did well, of course! But Elder Aimilianos said to him: “Seriously, did he say that to you?” The archbishop replied: “Yes, that is what he said to me!” Elder Aimilianos said: “Now, as soon as I return, I will seek him out and embrace him.” The archbishop was left stunned. And Elder Aimilianos recounted this to us later, and we laughed. But he came to our representative quarters and stayed with us the entire afternoon; it was delightful, so very beautiful. His illness had begun to show itself. And he told us: “I am not well. I am not well.”
After that, when he moved to Ormylia, I also heard of various wondrous things that occurred. But Father Eliseus, my friend and brother, a virtuous and good abbot, had the inspiration to take me into his room once, even though no one was allowed to see him anymore after he had entered an unresponsive state. Father Eliseus brought me to Ormylia, into the Elder’s room, and there I saw him in that stage of the illness.
Interviewer: How many years was he in that unresponsive state? It is edifying for this to be heard.
Met. Athanasios: Around 15, 18, 20 years. Many years. Very many years. Of course, he received Communion at every Divine Liturgy; he partook of Holy Communion, and tears streamed from his eyes.
Interviewer: Even though he was in an unresponsive state.
Met. Athanasios: They said he was unresponsive, but his soul was alive. When I saw him, they asked me to read a few prayers over him, and two tear drops filled his eyes and began to roll down. But he was like an angel. What can I tell you? I felt a holy shiver, I felt awe, I felt that—what can I say—had I not felt self-conscious, I would have kissed his feet. He was a venerable elder, completely white, immaterial, holy, who remained there because he needed to be there—for the spiritual benefit of the monks and the nuns.
Interviewer: To conclude our conversation on Geronda Aimilianos: today, after so many years, what remains most vivid in your memory of this holy man?
Met. Athanasios: His great nobility, his profound reverence, his presence filled with the Grace of God. For all of this sprang from the Grace he had within him. It was not pretense. It was not like our own case, where we pretend to be noble and good. He was inherently good by nature, and a true man of God.
Interviewer: We thank you, Geronda!
Met. Athanasios: You are most welcome!
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