The Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. Lavra, in the northwest Peloponnese, Archimandrite Eusevios Spanos, provides an exclusive interview this week to the Orthodoxia news agency and journalist Nikos Zaimis.
Among others, the Abbot of the historic monastery, considered as the location from where the Greek independence struggle was proclaimed in the Peloponnese in March 1821, emphasized that “…Orthodox monasticism has not only defended our Church’s tradition over the past 2,000 years, but the honor of your homeland.”
The Very Reverend Archimandrite also referred to the tragic events of December 1943, in the waning months of the Nazi occupation of Greece.
Fr. Eusevios recounts how that after German forces destroyed much of the nearby town of Kalavryta and surrounding villages, and after executing nearly 700 civilians, they then turned against the monastery, which they set ablaze.
The Axis occupiers executed seven of the monastery’s Fathers in front of a centuries-old oak tree.
Seventy-six years later, the Abbot of St. Lavra recounts the tragic events, while also expressing sorrow over the fact that no heartfelt apology has even been issued.
