Saint Patapios

Handmade Orthodox Icon Saint Patapios in natural rombolo pine wood. This Icon is handcrafted on canvas by a craftsman and embossed according to the style and tradition of Byzantine art.

Agios Patapios or Saint Patapios was born in the 4th AD. century, in Thebes, Egypt from rich parents, who were good Christians. They nurtured Saint Patapios with Christian principles. Agios Patapios at an early age went to the desert, where he devoted himself entirely to prayer. Many people visited him to receive his advice and hear his preaching.

Saint Patapios left for Constantinople to continue his life. There he met 2 other ascetics, Vara and Ravulas (who later also became Saints). They lived outside the wall of Constantinople. Saint Varas founded the monastery of Saint John (the Holy Forerunner) of Petra. Agios Ravoulas was an ascetic near the gate of Romanos.

Many people followed Saint Patapius who settled near Vlachernes on Xiro Oros. He founded a monastery, the Monastery of the Egyptians, where he preached and directed many. There he slept (died).

After the sleep of Saint Patapius, and the destruction of the Egyptian monastery in 536 AD, his spiritual brother Osios Varas transferred the relics of Saint Patapios to the monastery of Saint John of Petra which was under the protection of the royal family of of Constantinople, Paleologu and especially of Queen Eleni Dragasi – Paleologu who later became a nun and took the name Agia Hipomoni. Helen was the mother of the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine Palaiologos. She became empress of Byzantium as the wife of Manuel II Palaiologos.