Joseph the Hesychast (; born Fragkiskos Kottis, ; 12 February 1897 – 15 August 1959) was a Greek Orthodox monk and elder who led a small group of monks at

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...

. He was

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...

as a

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

by the

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is heade ...

in 2020. His

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

is celebrated on

16 August Events Pre-1600 *1 BC – Wang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs. * 942 – Start of the four-day Battle of al-Mada'in, between the Hamdani ...

Early life

He was born Fragkiskos (Francis) Kottis () on 12 February 1897 in Lefkes, a village on the Greek Aegean island of

Paros Paros (; ; ) is a Greek island in the central Aegean Sea. Part of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos (island), Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about wide. It lies approximately south-east of Piraeus. The Co ...

. His parents were Georgios and Maria Kottis. He was the third of seven children in his family. When he was a child, Francis' father died, leaving his mother Maria to care for the family. Until his teenage years, he remained in the village, helping his mother and his family with various tasks for a living. He attended school until second grade. He also served in the

Greek Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence ...

. At approximately the age of 23, he worked as a vendor in

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...

and

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. While in Athens, he began to read about the

lives of saints A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...

and ascetics. On

Mount Penteli Mount Pentelicus or Pentelikon (, or ) is a mountain in Attica, Greece, situated northeast of Athens and southwest of Marathon. Its highest point is the peak ''Pyrgari'', with an elevation of 1,109 m. The mountain is covered in large part wi ...

, he would stay up all night praying in caves or even on trees, similar to the medieval

anchorites In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress); () is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. Anchorites are frequ ...

and

stylites A stylite ( () "pillar dweller", derived from () "pillar" and ()) or pillar-saint is a type of Asceticism#Christianity, Christian ascetic who lives on pillars, preaching, fasting and praying. Stylites believe that the Mortification of the fle ...

. Afterwards, he went to Mount Athos to become a monk.

Monastic life

In 1921, his first destination was

Katounakia Katounakia () is an Eastern Orthodox skete of the Monastic community of Mount Athos, community of Mount Athos that is subordinate to the Great Lavra. The skete is located between Little Saint Anne's Skete and Karoulia. The skete consists of 22 cel ...

in the

region. He joined the and stayed for a time in their

skete A skete () is a monastic community in Eastern Christianity that allows relative isolation for monks, but also allows for communal services and the safety of shared resources and protection. It is one of four types of early monastic orders, alo ...

under the spiritual guidance of

Daniel Katounakiotis Saint Daniel Katounakiotis of Smyrna (, also known as Daniel of Katounakia; born Dimitrios Dimitriadis, ) (Smyrna, 1846 – Mount Athos, 8 September 1929) was a Greek Orthodox monk who lived on Mount Athos. He was canonized as a saint by the Ecum ...

of Smyrna, the founder of the brotherhood. He left with the blessing of Daniel as he moved on to pursue a more ascetic lifestyle. A year later, he came to Mount Athos on the

Feast of the Transfiguration The Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated by various Christian communities in honor of the transfiguration of Jesus. The origins of the feast are less than certain and may have derived from the dedication of three basilicas on Mount Tabor.' ...

, celebrated at the summit of Mount Athos in the Chapel of the Transfiguration. There, he met Arsenios the Cave Dweller (1886–1983), a monk at

Stavronikita Monastery Stavronikita Monastery (, ''Moní Stavronikíta'') is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece, dedicated to Saint Nicholas. It is built on top of a rock near the sea near the middle of the eastern shore of the ...

who would later become his disciple. Looking for a disciplined elder who would help him with

asceticism Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...

, in 1924 he went with Arsenios to the Cell of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in Katounakia, to become followers of the two elders Ephraim and Joseph. On 31 August 1925, at the age of 28, he was given the name Joseph of Vigla in the cave of

Athanasius the Athonite Athanasius the Athonite (; ), was a Byzantine monk who is considered the founder of the monastic community on the peninsula of Mount Athos, which has since evolved into the greatest centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism.Donald Nicol, Βιογρ� ...

. In mid-1928, Joseph and Arsenios decided to move to a more mountainous and remote area around the Skete of St. Basil After about ten years of intensive spiritual practice,

fasting Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic sta ...

, and prayer with Arsenios, as well as many experiences of divine grace, Monk Joseph agreed to accompany and become the spiritual guide of any monk who would follow him. During the period of his stay in the Skete of St. Basil, Joseph Kottis was also the spiritual guide of Ephraim Katounakiotis. During the same period, Joseph's brother, Nicholas Kottis, left the secular world to join his brother's group as a monk, and took the name Athanasios. Cell of Saint Joseph the Hesychast 2

In January 1938, the small group led by Joseph went to Little St. Anne's Skete, where they settled in caves near a chapel of Timios Prodromos, which they had built themselves. His first disciple during the group's stay at Little St. Anne's Skete was the Cypriot monk Sophronios, who took the name

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

and later served as elder of the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos until his death in 2009. Another member of the group was

Ephraim Ephraim (; , in pausa: ''ʾEp̄rāyīm'') was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph ben Jacob and Asenath, as well as the adopted son of his biological grandfather Jacob, making him the progenitor of the Tribe of Ephrai ...

, later abbot of the Monastery of Philotheou on Mount Athos, and also the founder of over 19 monasteries in the United States and Canada. Another one of Joseph's disciples was Haralambos of Dionysiou, who would later become the abbot of

Dionysiou Monastery Dionysiou Monastery () is an Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Monastic community of Mount Athos, Mount Athos in Greece, at the southwest part of the Athos peninsula. The monastery ranks fifth in the hier ...

. Ephraim of Arizona (2008). ''My Elder Joseph the Hesychast and Cave Dweller (1897-1959)''. Arizona, U.S. . In 1953, Joseph's group settled in the New Skete of Athos, which was the final skete that he stayed at during his lifetime.

Death and burial

A month before his burial, he claimed to have been informed of the exact time by the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

herself. On 14 August 1959, he attended the

vigil A vigil, from the Latin meaning 'wakefulness' ( Greek: , or ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word has become generalized in this sense and means 'eve' (as in "on t ...

in honor of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary and took the

Blessed Sacrament The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

. He died from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

on 15 August. He was laid to rest that same day in a tomb in the chapel of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in the New Skete of Mount Athos, near the Tower of the Skete. His

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

are kept in various monasteries, including St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery in

Florence, Arizona Florence ( O'odham: S-auppag) is a town in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. Florence, which is the county seat of Pinal County, is one of the oldest towns in that county and includes a National Historic District with over 25 buildings li ...

, United States. Today, his tomb, enshrined in a chapel, can be visited at the northern edge of New Skete on Mount Athos. The hermitage of Saint Joseph the Hesychast, a hut on a cliff overlooking the sea, is located in a steep area with dense vegetation that is just north of Little Saint Anne's Skete.

Canonization

On 20 October 2019, Ecumenical Patriarch

Bartholomew I of Constantinople Bartholomew (born Dimitrios Archontonis, 29 February 1940) is the current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''primus inter pares'' (first among equals) in the Eastern Orthodox ...

announced the

beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

of Joseph the Hesychast at

Karyes, Mount Athos Karyes () is a settlement in Mount Athos of the Athonite monastic community. The 2021 Greek census reported a population of 135 inhabitants. It is the largest settlement in Mount Athos. The major church at Karyes is the Protaton, which is the ch ...

. His remains are kept in

Vatopedi Monastery The Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi (, ) is an Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos, Greece. The monastery was expanded several times during its history, particularly during the Byzantine period and in the 18t ...

. On 9 March 2020, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, by the Patriarchal and Synodal Act, inscribed Elder Joseph in the Holy Calendar of the Orthodox Church.http://www.ec-patr.org/docdisplay.php?lang=gr&id=3036&tla=gr/

Legacy

His teachings and spiritual work are preserved in 65 letters published by the Monastery of Philotheou, as well as in various books. He is also known for his mystical approach to advocating for the use of the

Jesus Prayer The Jesus Prayer, also known as The Prayer, is a short formulaic prayer and is especially esteemed and advocated in Eastern Christianity and Catholicism. There are multiple versions of this prayer, however the most widely used version is as follo ...

at Mount Athos. Joseph the Hesychast played a key role in the repopulation of six monasteries at Mount Athos, as well as many nunneries in Greece. His life and spiritual legacy are presented in a documentary film titled ''Elder Joseph the Hesychast'' (2019), which was produced, written and edited by the Monastery of Vatopedi. The documentary won four awards from the jury at the

London Greek Film Festival The London Greek Film Festival is an international film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some f ...

in London.

References

Sources

*Mesa Potamos Kyprou, Holy Monastery of Timios Prodromos (2018). ''Saint Elder Joseph the Hesychast''. Athens: Athos Ltd. (Stamouli SA). . *Lekkos, Evangelos P. (2011). ''Elder Joseph the Hesychast''. Athens: Saitis. . *Elder Ephraim Philotheitis (2008). ''My Elder Joseph the Hesychast and Cave Dweller (1897-1959)''. Arizona, U.S. . * *Triantaphyllos, Prot. Georgios (2007). ''Elder Joseph the Hesychast, the Neptic Father and Teacher''. Paros: Panagia Myrtidiotissa Holy Hermitage. . *Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi (1999). ''Elder Joseph the Hesychast: Struggles, Experiences, Teachings (1898-1959)''. Mount Athos: The Great and Holy Monastery of Vatopaidi. 236 p. . (English translation of the original Greek by Elizabeth Theokritoff)

External links

''Elder Joseph the Hesychast''
(film) *

Joseph the Hesychast Joseph the Hesychast (; born Fragkiskos Kottis, ; 12 February 1897 – 15 August 1959) was a Greek Orthodox monk and elder who led a small group of monks at Monastic community of Mount Athos, Mount Athos. He was canonized as a saint by the Ecumen ...

on OrthodoxWiki {{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph The Hesychast 1897 births 1959 deaths 20th-century Christian saints 20th-century Christian mystics Christian ascetics Athonite Fathers Eastern Orthodox mystics Eastern Orthodox monks Greek saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Hesychasts Saints of modern Greece People from Paros Panentheists People associated with Stavronikita Monastery People associated with Great Lavra Eastern Orthodox saints