Saint Matrona of Chios (also called "Saint Matrona Chiopolitis") was born during the 15th century in the village of Volissos on the island of Chios, Greece. This is the same village in which St. Markella was

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

ed in 1462. The Church celebrates her memory on October 20, and the finding of her head on July 15.

Life

Saint Matrona was born in the village of Volissos on Chios sometime in the fourteenth century. Her parents, Leon and Anna, were highly respected and well-to-do Christians."Venerable Matrona of Chios", Orthodox Church in America
/ref> Mary was the youngest of seven children. From her youth, she showed an interest in monasticism. When the time came for her parents to arrange her

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

, she refused because she wanted to remain a virgin. To avoid this marriage, she left Volissos and went to an area overlooking the village, called Katavasis, where there was a women's monastery. Her parents searched everywhere to find her. After locating her, they convinced her to return home. Mary complied with her parents' wishes, except for one—she refused to wed. Her parents, seeing that she still desired to lead a

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

life, gave her their consent to pursue her ambition. When Mary's parents died, she gave much of her inheritance to the poor and spent the rest building a monastery in the Palaiókastro quarter of the town of

Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of masti ...

.Argenti, Philip P., ''The Folk-lore of Chios''
CUP Archive, 1949, p. 179 At this point Mary's name was changed to Matrona. Matrona surpassed the other nuns in her devotion, spirituality, and understanding. Her sincerity convinced other girls to come to this monastery and lead the same type of life. The church itself was small, and so the

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Copt ...

agreed with Matrona's plan to enlarge it and to build cells for the nuns. Any remaining farmland and personal belongings Matrona sold, and the monastery built a public bath with the money received from this sale so that the poor and wayfarers could bathe. These baths were very common at this time. After this, the renovation of the

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

began. When the church was completed (with the help of St. Artemios, to whom it was dedicated), the abbess of the monastery died. The nuns then elected Matrona as the new abbess. Matrona was revered throughout Chios for her virtuous life and holiness. She showed charity to the poor, and was able to heal the sick.'St. Matrona of Chios", Anthiochian Orthodox Christian Church of North America
/ref> After these events, St. Matrona dreamt of her own death. She suffered from an illness for seven days. In the seven days she advised the other nuns as a mother would advise her children. She died sometime before 1455. She was buried in the monastery's church, in which she had spent the greater part of her life. To honor this great saint, Miracles are said to have occurred after her death. Many people with all manner of afflictions came to the church and were cured. In the village of Katavasis, there was a church built to honor the place where St. Matrona had first started her spiritual struggles. Later, a larger church was built and the smaller one was used as a cemetery chapel.

Monastery of St. Matrona

The Holy Monastery of St. Matrona was built by the noble Roidis in 1470 near the village of Mesa Didima. He originally intended to build a summer villa; however, St. Matrona appeared to him in a dream and instructed him to build the monastery instead. His sisters were the first two nuns to enter the monastery. The abbot of the monastery during the Turkish Occupation was the Holy

Nikephoros of Chios Father Nikephoros of Chios (1750–1821; also ''Nicephoros, Nicephorus, Nikephorus'') was the spiritual son and disciple of Macarius of Corinth and known for his holy life and character. He was regarded as a saint already during his lifetime. His ...

. Nikiforos wrote the 24 Hymns of Agia Matrona. Today, four nuns dwell in the monastery. The monastery celebrates the saint's feast day on October 20 each year.

References

Sources

* {{authority control 15th-century births 1462 deaths 15th-century Christian saints 15th-century Greek people Christian female saints of the Middle Ages People from Chios Saints of medieval Greece 15th-century Greek women