On the Greek island of Amorgos, nestled within a cliffside monastery seemingly untouched by time, Father Spyridon Denaxas stands as a steadfast symbol of faith and community.
For more than half a century, he has devoted his life to prayer and service within the ancient walls of Panagia Hozoviotissa, a sanctuary that has endured for over a thousand years.
While much of Europe, including Greece, has experienced a wave of secularisation, and neighboring islands like Santorini grapple with the overwhelming influx of beach-centric tourism, Amorgos holds onto its spiritual roots. The island's Orthodox Christian monks, particularly Father Spyridon, remain deeply revered figures in the local community.
This reverence was strikingly evident during a recent period of intense seismic activity. When a series of earthquakes rattled the island, Father Spyridon was away dealing with a medical emergency. His absence, though necessary, sparked widespread concern and anticipation among the islanders, regardless of their religious beliefs.
"I wanted to be here with my community, feel their emotions, because I’m responsible. God put me here to care for them," he explained upon his return to the monastery, remarkably unscathed by the tremors. He noted that not even a single rock had fallen.
Even during his longest absence last year, a five-month period spent on the mainland for surgeries, the island buzzed with speculation about his return.
This sentiment echoes the islanders' deep connection to the monk. As local resident Mina Mavrou simply put it, "He’s part of the island." His return, a long ferry journey from Athens, was a welcome event for the entire community.
Orthodox monk welcomes the world to island monastery
Settled back at his whitewashed monastery perched between sky and sea, the monk was elated.
“I feel spiritual euphoria having met the people of the village again, those who were searching for me and missed me,” he said. “I am overjoyed with the monastic life and my return to my natural environment.”
Tradition holds that Byzantine monks fleeing persecution in the Middle East in the 9th century sailed to this mountainous island with an icon of the Virgin Mary. They were building a shelter in a cave when falling rocks revealed a chisel hanging farther up the cliffside.
Taking it as a sign, they spent the next decades constructing the monastery more than 150 meters (500 feet) above the sea, where both the icon and the chisel are still on view in the small chapel that anchors the complex.
Spyridon, who was born on Amorgos, joined the monastery straight out of high school in 1971, when he was 18. He’s now one of only two monks there, plus an assistant, 35-year-old Constantin Papakonstantinou, who hopes one day to join them. For now, he tells visitors the monastery’s history in the various languages he learned during a previous career in fashion.
Seated at the chapel’s entrance, Spyridon welcomes pilgrims with a smile.
Many are still puffing after climbing almost 1,000 feet of stepstones from a parking lot, squeezing through the tiny entrance door, and climbing again a narrow staircase to the dark chapel. There, they pay homage to the icon before stepping into the blinding sunshine of the terrace.
The stunning views of the sea shimmering far below are a major draw for tourists, too, coming from nearby, often overrun destinations in the Cyclades islands.
Whether they’re on a quest to nourish their spiritual life or their Instagram feed, Spyridon is eager to welcome all visitors, offering cold water, sweets and shots of homemade honey-flavored raki liqueur.
“The Virgin Mary extends her hand and pours healing balm into the souls of all people,” he said. “This is an ecumenical monastery, open to the whole world. ... Everyone receives something from her grace.”
Island life continues to revolve around beloved monastery
Panagia Hozoviotissa, whose image is on the cover of the current Lonely Planet Greece guide, is far from the only house of worship in Europe that’s also a tourist attraction.
But Amorgos’ monastery serves another function too — a crucial reference point for locals, who seek the monks’ help, both material and spiritual, as Eastern Christians have for nearly 2,000 years.
“People would go seek them out in the desert or caves for wisdom, become attached to them as spiritual guides,” said Ed Siecienski, a Stockton University religion professor. “There is a sense of the monks out there as super-Christian.”
Even when Spyridon was away for knee and dental surgeries, islanders like Mavrou called him often to ask about his recovery and receive his blessing, she said.
Unlike Orthodox parish priests, who often are married, monks remain celibate — a decision that Spyridon pondered as a teen. He has no regrets, he said, viewing his flock as his family.
“Their children would be my children. I would rejoice with everyone, mourn with everyone, and be with them according to their circumstances,” he said.
On “name day” when people celebrate their namesake saints — in traditional Greek culture a bigger feast than birthdays — Spyridon calls with congratulations. If it’s a popular name like Vangelis, celebrated in late March, he makes dozens of calls, starting before dawn to catch those in Australia or the Americas.
He often visits in person, making his way with a gnarled stick to remote chapels in the rock-strewn hillsides and the villages scattered around Amorgos.
After he stopped at a coffee shop recently, the owner said he has three photos on display — portraying his mother, his father and the monastery.
“I want a photograph of Father Spyridon to place next to my father. Because I love him deeply,” Nikolaos Economides said.
Days of work and prayer starting well before dawn
Monks' days tend to be anchored in busy schedules of worship and work, since the monasteries have to support themselves.
“There is no time for boredom. Nor for melancholy,” Spyridon said. He rises daily at 3 a.m. for the first prayer service and doesn’t go to sleep until after 9 p.m.
Michalis Giannakos left Amorgos after high school 20 years ago, but remembers visiting the monastery as a child and seeing Spyridon hurrying up and down its rocky slopes, tending to animals like the monastery’s donkey and greeting pilgrims.
“Spyridon was there taking care of people, making sure people visiting were happy,” Giannakos said while vacationing on Amorgos.
While many urban Greeks are distanced from or even hostile to the church, “for smaller places, it’s still important. It’s not just about the faith and religion,” he added.
That’s because on an island like Amorgos — population 2,000, divided among a main mountaintop village and smaller hamlets — clergy can be called upon to manage conflicts and provide advice.
The monastery gave some of its land to build a school, Giannakos recalled, and hosts most of the population during its feast days in November.
“Spyridon gives a lot to people,” said Cristina Astrecha, who teaches religion in Amorgos' school. “That’s spirituality, you can see it from the acts of a person.”
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