Bishop & Wonderworker
Saint Nectarius of Aegina, Metropolitan of Pentapolis
A humble bishop and teacher whose patient endurance and life of prayer continue to comfort the faithful.
Core account checked against Orthodox Synaxarion (Greek). Additional ecclesiastical references appear below.
Life and Witness
Teacher and Monk
Nectarius was born Anastasios in Selybria in 1846. After years of hardship and work in Constantinople, he taught on Chios and entered monastic life. He later studied theology in Athens and served the Patriarchate of Alexandria.
Bishop and Educator
Consecrated Metropolitan of Pentapolis in 1889, he suffered slander and dismissal. Returning to Greece in poverty, he continued preaching and eventually directed the Rizarios ecclesiastical school in Athens. His teaching joined theological learning with a demanding example of humility and pastoral care.
The Monastery on Aegina
He guided a community of women at the monastery of the Holy Trinity on Aegina, sharing its difficulties and supporting its life of prayer. He also wrote theological, pastoral and devotional works.
Repose and Veneration
Nectarius reposed in Athens on November 9, 1920, and was buried at his monastery. Orthodox accounts remember healings associated with his intercession. His relics were translated in 1953, and his formal recognition as a saint followed in 1961.
Biographical information on this page is based exclusively on the Orthodox ecclesiastical sources listed below.
Orthodox Synaxarion (Greek)