The Holy Monastery of St
Gerasimos at Omala is undoubtedly the religious centre of the Ionian Island of
Kefalonia. St Gerasimos, born in 1503 AD in Trikala (Korinthias), is the
protector Saint of Kefalonia. St Gerasimos was ordained a monk at Mount Athos.
He later went to Jerusalem where he lived for 12 years, passed to Crete and
Zakynthos and finally arrived in Kefalonia, where he died on August 15th
1579. He was declared a Saint of the Orthodox Church in 1622. St Gerasimos is known for his miraculous
abilities to cure people with mental illnesses. That is why many, till this
day, visit the Saint to receive his blessing and try to cure their loved ones.
The Saint founded a nunnery in
the valley at Omala, interestingly calling it the New Jerusalem. The monastery
is located near the imposing Mount Ainos, near the villages of Fragata and
Valsamata.
This monastic community has two
churches, the old one, where the Saint lies, and the new church building. The
latter is much larger; however, the old one retains the traditional
architectural and iconographic tradition of the Ionian Islands. A number of
miracles have been attributed to this local Saint, who attracts thousands of
faithful to this monastery and to Kefalonia in general, on an annual basis.
Interestingly enough, and many
visitors do not actually see this due to it being hidden within the floor of
the church, there is the Saint’s hermitage – two rooms divided by a narrow
hole. It is located 3 metres beneath the church’s floor.
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