Kids singing in the Monastery of Saint Theodoras, Thessaloniki, Greece
Walking down the sidewalk we saw this monastery (almost missed it!). Within were a few buildings including a beautiful church. Inside some kids were sitting on the floor chanting and singing.
Thessaloniki - St Theodora church
July 2009
St. Theodora church in Vasta Megalopolis, Arcadia, Greece
Saint Theodora of the book Guinness World Records. The church was built between 1050-1100 in honor of Martyr Theodora. Located near the village of Vasta Megalopolis in an idyllic wooded ravine with dense forest of enormous oaks. the church even though small in size impresses every visitor trying to justify the existence of the 17 towering trees on the roof without root trace at the bottom of the roof or inside the temple. Visiting Agia Theodora is a great trip on the same day from Athens. It is worth visiting the spot even as detour on the road to Kalamata.
eupribeag.com (GR) Miracle church of Aghia Theodora Vastas
The miracle church of Aghia Theodora Vastas has 17 enormous maple trees growing on its roof. Most of them are taller than 30 meters. Saint Theodora has become an important saint of the Greek Orthodox Church and the site has become important for religious pilgrims.
St. Theodora's Chapel.
Details:
Saint Theodora of Vasta, Greece || by Gieliace
Miracle Church in Arcadia,Greece
In a gully near Vasta village in Central Peloponese, St Theodora’s tiny chapel dating from the 11th or the 12th century is certainly a miracle of nature, and for the faithful, a sign of God’s power.
Welcome or Welcome Back! Hello ♥️
If you’re still reading this , always remember you’re blessed!
xoxo, bonita
Kirche zur Heiligen Theodora in Thessaloniki
Kirche zur Heiligen Theodora in Thessaloniki
Saint Theodora
Feasts and Saints (English)
February 11
Saint Theodora
Feasts and Saints (English)
September 11
Sermon: 9-11-16 - Saint Theodora and the Trees - Rev. Dr. Peter J. Spiro
Sermon: 9-11-16 - Saint Theodora and the Trees - Rev. Dr. Peter J. Spiro
Driving to Saints Theodoroi Orthodox Monastery (mountain road driving, Greece) - onboard camera
Driving to Saints Theodoroi Orthodox Monastery near the village of Anastasi, Achaea.
Car:
Mitsubishi Lancer 1.5L Invite (model of 2010)
Engine — 4A91
Power — 108 hp (81 kW; 109 PS) at 6000 rpm
Torque — 143 N·m (105 lb·ft) at 4000 rpm
EBC UPR rotors
EBC Yellowstuff pads
Dunlop Sport Maxx RT 225/55R16 tires
Camera:
GoPro HD HERO2
Video Specifications:
30 fps @ 1080p
FOV: 170º
Spot Meter: OFF
Soundtrack:
I Dunno by grapes ( - 0:00
Gm115 by Kevin MacLeod ( - 2:45
Undercover by Citizen Nyx ( - 4:57
Miri's Magic Dance by Kevin MacLeod ( - 8:37
Last Kiss Goodnight by Kevin MacLeod ( - 10:11
Connection by Brian Boyko ( - 13:17
HIKE TO ST THEODORA (Agia Theodora) VASTA, GREECE 6 2001 Βάστα Αρκαδίας
The wonder of the Church of St. Theodora. This almost ancient little church sits on the top of some gigantic unexplored caverns with some 17 big trees rising from it roof, and from its cornerstone is gushing the beginning of Pamissos River, that empties in to the Aegean sea after it passes through the olive groves of Kalamata.
About 40 years ago, a local land owner (Mitsios Papakostantinou) found three small statues in the mysterious and unexplored caverns. The statues were claimed by the museum of Sparta.
SEE: WWW.BASTAVILLAGE.COM
BY Άγγελος Μπάκας
Tour in Thessaloniki - St. Dimitrios Church
Agia Theodora church - Vasta, Greece [HD video]
π.Βαρνάβας 19-1-20The nobility of thanksgivingμε Αγγλικούς υπότιτλους
... It is the quality of the person who has inside them spiritual ripeness. They know their limit; they are honestly humble; they ask for God’s mercy. They are happy with other persons, whether they receive from them or not. Because they know their limit. And, simultaneously, they thank God...
The V.R. Archimandrite Varnavas YIANGOU, is the Director for the Youth Ministry of the Holy Archdiocese of Thessaloniki and the Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. Theodora also in Thessaloniki Greece.
In his speech on the last Sunday of the year, he shared with us his thoughts on why everything is Christ
We are particularly thankful to our brothers/volunteers for their efforts. Nikolaus and Tsampikos for the translation. Dimitris and Panayiotis for the uploads.
SUMMARY OF THE SPEECH:
Ten lepers approached the Lord and asked Him to cure them. And He told them to go and show themselves to the priest . And as they went, they were healed; they were cleansed of the leprosy. And only one returned to thank the Lord. And the Lord mentioned it: “Ten were restored to health. Where are the other nine? Only one came to thank, to praise God.” Afterwards, the Lord blessed him and He told him that he is blessed thanks to his faith.
First of all, we observe some good elements in the lepers’ character. They recognize their problem and request the Lord’s assistance. Despite their despair, they have a mood of hope, they ask for aid, and they turn to the Lord. And the Lord tells them to go and show their face to the priests. And they obey. They have good qualities.
Nevertheless, this is not enough. In the end, what indicates our spiritual health, our maturity, is not our entreaties towards the Lord, but something else: the spirit of thanksgiving. The balanced person, the humble person, is not the one who whines, the one who moans, the one who complains. It is not the one who seemingly asks for help from other persons or from God. But it is the one who expresses gratitude.
Why? Why is this the case? Because your plea has already been satisfied. The egoist stops at this point. “My job is done,” they say. We have the same attitude towards God. However, the one who really gets outside themself is humble and possesses an existential dignity. And they honour the relationship; and they are capable of relating. It is the one who does not stop at the point which marks the solution of their problem; at the point which secures the gratification of their selfish desire. But the one who gives thanks.
Another habit of ours, especially of those belonging to the Church: We think that everyone owes us. And we feel that we should be the centre of the world and to demand. And, as long as we receive what we ask for and we think that we deserve it and that it is our right and that they owe it to us, we are fine. At the very moment, though, that somebody deprives us of something, and our desire is not gratified, an outburst takes place! We react. Gentle talk, until our job is done. As soon as we are deprived of something, there appears a reaction.
But there is something even slier: We incorporate the expression of gratitude into a bigger tactic, into a deceitful plan, in order to continuously receive and to manipulate the others. This is, indeed, a method, too! But the real thanksgiving is something else. It is the quality of the person who has inside them spiritual ripeness. They know their limit; they are honestly humble; they ask for God’s mercy. They are happy with other persons, whether they receive from them or not. Because they know their limit. And, simultaneously, they thank God. The kind soul, the wealthy soul is this one.
But is not just the product of our character’s cultivation; an improvement of our psychological state. It is, of course, about this, as well. It is, nonetheless, connected not so much with the behaviour, but with the whole life attitude; the existential life attitude: To know who I am, whence I come, and whither I head; and what my rock is. All of this is gratis. It is neither a conquest nor a demand. This is why we do not demand from God. We ask humbly for His mercy and we thank Him for everything: for what He gives us, as well as for what He does not give us.
That is why… What do we do in the Divine Liturgy? It is indicator of life. How is the Divine Liturgy called? “Divine Eucharist ”. This is what we do. Do we comprehend it? This is the essence of the spiritual life. We have an egocentric mentality, according to which we want to maintain our wishes. We have a god who can serve our needs and we implore him for this gift. And our standing with God depends on whether He offers or not. While the point lies elsewhere. It is about what kind of relationship I have with the other person; or, rather, with God Himself. Consequently, my request regulates the sort of my attitude. Do I focus on the request? Or on the Person?....
Compline in St Dimitrios church in Thessaloniki; Απόδειπνον
July 2009
Saint Theodora of Aegina
Feasts and Saints (English)
August 29
Everything is Christ (Τα πάντα Χριστός)
The V.R. Archimandrite Varnavas YIANGOU, is the Director for the Youth Ministry of the Holy Archdiocese of Thessaloniki and the Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. Theodora also in Thessaloniki Greece.
In his speech on the last Sunday of the year, he shared with us his thoughts on why everything is Christ
His youtube channel is here:
His speeches in Greek can be found here:
Verbal abstracts & Summaries here:
His blogspot is here:
His Facebook is here:
A summary of the present speech in english follows:
...We usually say that the man who has spiritual foundations and is on a good spiritual course, handles very correctly the temptations, the sorrows and the trials. However it is more difficult to handle the gifts of God. The joy that Christ gives us.We can tiresomely bare sorrow. But with difficulty can we deal with the celebration, the God’s gifts, the joy, no matter how strange this may seem. We often waste it [id est: the joy], we spend it, because we do not comprehend its real cause, its secret content. This is why, before the feast days, we conduct a fasting struggle, we possess some internal decency and, maybe, even some worthwhile ability to pray. Afterwards, however, during the feast day, there comes a feeling of waste and a spiritual ennui.
In the end, we could say that spiritual person is the one who is able to celebrate, whose celebration can have continuation, bear fruits, show progress in their love towards the Person who spares the feast, namely, Christ...That is why this is not a system. The system indicates for you a way to become, maybe, better; a way to face your life, and become, maybe, more functional in your daily routine; a way, maybe, to feel better.
However, here is something different. Existentially, ontologically, we are something else. We constitute members of the Body of Christ. It is different from an ethical approach pertaining to human improvement. But, since we become members of the Body of Christ, Death ceases to exist. There is no more decline. And the proposition which is revealed by Christ, His Commandments, His Word, is not just a code of good behavior, but the way for us to be able to acquire and retain a relationship with Him. It is the way to remain in His Body, to form its members....What is significant for anything to take place in harmony with Christ, is to shift the centre of our existence from ourselves to Christ. And this is, actually, metanoia . “μετανοέω” means “to change one’s mind”, to change course in one’s life navigation. I abandon myself and I turn to Christ. And there, in His Body, I discover my true self.
Afterwards, joy is not a psychological fact, which will drift away because of a feeble reason. It is, instead, a stable situation which exists inside my existence, because it excels the external phenomena. There is a treasure in my heart: it is the Birth of Christ, it is the Presence of Christ. And the meaning of my whole effort is to open my heart and empty it from myself in order for Christ to fit in.
We are particularly thankful to our brothers/volunteers for their efforts. Nikolaus and Akis for the translation. Dimitris and Panayiotis for the uploads.
Αγία Θεοδώρα, η βασίλισσα του Δεσποτάτου της Ηπείρου | St. Theodora the Queen with a golden heart
Ο αρχικός ναός ιδρύθηκε προς τιμή του Αγίου Γεωργίου. Σήμερα όμως τιμά την Αγία Θεοδώρα της Άρτας, τη βασίλισσα και πολιούχο της, συνδέοντας το παρελθόν, το παρόν και το μέλλον της πόλης. Ο αρχικός ναός κτίστηκε το 11ο αιώνα. Το 1270 η βασίλισσα Θεοδώρα ανακαίνισε την εκκλησία, που λειτουργούσε σαν γυναικείο μοναστήριΌπως μας πληροφορεί ο βιογράφος της Αγίας Θεοδώρας ο μοναχός Ιώβ, η βασίλισσα μετά το θάνατο του συζύγου της Μιχαήλ, μόνασε στη μονή μέχρι την κοίμηση της (1281), ενταφιάστηκε εκεί, και μετά την επίσημη ανακήρυξη της ως Αγίας, ο ναός τιμάται πλέον στο όνομα της.
Ancient Philippi in Greece with Dr. Joe Olachea
Down by the River-Lydia's Baptismal Site