The fatherland of Saint Gregory, ktitor of the Svyatogorsk monastery of Gregoriates, was Serbia. This is what legend says and this is what is said in his service. On the western side of the monastery, a quarter of an hour's journey from the monastery, they still show a cave in which the Monk Gregory labored as an angel. The monastery he built is dedicated to St. Nicholas of Christ, but both in ancient times and now, in honor of its founder, it is called Grigorieva (Grhgoriou). A recent compiler of a laudatory word in honor of this father, who gleaned scant information about him from local sources, found his signature in the acts of Athos, 1405. Unfortunately, his complete biography perished along with other acts of the monastery from fires, of which the former was especially destroyed in the second half of the last century (1761). There is a legend that at that time the relics of St. Gregory were carried away by Serbian monks from Athos.
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St. Nektary of Bitolsky, Kareysky, Athonite († 1500, commemorated December 5, December 15)
The Divine Nectarius was born in what is now called Bitolia and was named under St. baptism by Nicholas. When the Turks intended to take this place, the mother of the monk, working on the threshing floor, fell into a short sleep and saw the Most Holy Theotokos, commanding her to flee immediately with her husband and children and hide in some unknown country, declaring to her that the Turks would capture their region. As soon as the vision ended, she announced this to her husband, and they, without any delay, took their children, left their homeland and hid until the Hagarians, having captured Bitolia, after plundering and plundering it, scattered for robbery and rampages in other places. Thus, that pious family was saved through the intercession of the Mother of God, to whom from that time on they entrusted themselves with special faith, gratitude and love.
Nektarios’s parent at that time was already advanced in age, and therefore, with the consent of his wife, he left the world and those in the world and, taking with him Nicholas and another son, retired to the monastery of the Holy Unmercenaries, located near the neighboring mountain in the vicinity of Bitolia. There he took on an angelic image under the name Pachomius and, pleasing the Lord, made every possible effort to raise his children, teaching them the fear of the Lord and establishing them in the rules of Christian morality.
His life flowed so peacefully. Meanwhile, it must be said that the local Christians were in the habit of devoting part of the fruits and everything that the land gave, according to their own zeal, to the benefit of the monastery of the Holy Unmercenaries, where Pachomius labored with the children. Such an offering took place every year in memory of the holy unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian. One day, when their memory was being celebrated in this way and a meal and decent refreshments were offered, the supply of grape wine ran out. To cleanse and wash the empty vessel, Elder Pachomius, lighting a candle, went to this obedience with his children. But as soon as he took hold of the vessel, he felt that it had not yet been touched and was full of wine. The brethren and all the honored honorers of the memory of the holy Unmercenaries came to this miracle: having tasted the wine, they found that the wine was extremely light, aromatic and pleasant to the taste. Then everyone glorified God, who glorified the holy Unmercenaries with this sign.
Meanwhile, Nicholas, edified by the examples of high monastic life in the Monastery of the Unmercenaries and seeing that the silence there was unsatisfactory due to the flocking laity, withdrew from there to the Holy Mountain. Here he chose an elder named Dionysius, experienced in spiritual life, and remained with him. This Dionysius, nicknamed Jagaris, was the son of one of the famous nobles of the court of Constantinople in his time, and out of love for the Lord he despised everything and settled on the Holy Mountain, subordinating himself to the leadership of one of the Athonite elders, named Philotheus.
However, Dionysius did not suddenly accept Nicholas. He first introduced him to his elder Philotheus, who, having the gift of insight, before Nicholas said anything about himself, called him and his father by name and lovingly accepted him into his asceticism.
Thus, Nicholas, having settled on the Holy Mountain, soon took on the monastic image with the name Nektarios and unconditionally devoted himself to obedience to the will of his elders and to the strict fulfillment of his great vow.
In vain the enemy of good - the devil - first rebelled against him with his thoughts, prejudiced him against the elder and tried to separate him from him in the hope of subsequently crushing him without the protection of the elder's prayers and advice. After all, Satan knows that while the novice is with the elder, it is difficult to catch him in the net, since he has an indestructible stronghold against this - prayers and fatherly instructions. However, failure in one battle does not hinder the enemy, who is inexhaustible in inventions of malice: he attacks the obedient Nectarius from the other side. Elder Philotheus, in addition to Nektarios, also had a student. This latter was so embittered by Satan and driven to envy and hatred against Nektarios that the unfortunate man began to openly tell Philotheus and Dionysius to drive Nektarios away, otherwise he would either kill him or himself. The elders trembled with horror when they heard about such demonic plans.
In vain they admonished the unfortunate man, convinced him and begged him to reconcile his heart and suppress the feelings of anger and envy, in vain they threatened him with the judgment of God and hell: he did not want to hear anything, but demanded the fulfillment of his desire. In order to give in to anger, the elders suggested that Nektarios withdraw from them for a short time, until his envious brother came to his senses. Advising Nektarios with old man's prayers, they sent him to the then prot of the Holy Mountain, Daniel, who received him with love and with fatherly care, instructed and strengthened him in the exploits of monastic life.
During Nectarius’s stay with the prot, the God-loving Philotheus died at a ripe old age. Then Dionysius Yagaris, unable to bear the immoral behavior of his student, invited Nektarios to live with him as a brother in spirit, and left the unfortunate man to look for another place and another elder. Thus, Dionysius and Nectarius spent their lives peacefully, eating from their handicrafts and helping the poor as much as they could, while that unfortunate brother of theirs, not coming to a sense of humility and repentance, moved from place to place, then retired into the world and there, indulging in intemperance, died in a pitiful manner in the middle of the people’s square, even without the usual Christian farewell. This is what brotherly hatred and envy mean! A person fully experiences their disastrous consequences even in real life and often goes into eternity without any hope of salvation! We must protect ourselves from such god-hating vices!
Finally, blessed Dionysius, after many sorrows and cramped monastic life, achieved spiritual perfection and peacefully departed to the Lord. The loss of such a sincere friend and father greatly affected Nectarius. From that time on, all his thoughts, desires and hopes were transferred to the afterlife. Wanting to quickly unite with his beloved and loving Lord and see his elders, he devoted himself to all the severity of desert exploits: fasting and vigils exhausted his bodily strength, while his spirit became more and more courageous and inspired. The enemy saw this and was tormented. Finally, like Job, blessed Nektarios was handed over to trial and temptation. In order to arouse in him a feeling of cowardice and complaint, the enemy struck him with extreme bodily illnesses, but the true ascetic was unshakable and, in these suffering temptations, purified like gold in a crucible, he peacefully surrendered his spirit to the Lord. It was December 5, 1500. After four years, his disciples opened his grave, and a heavenly aroma poured out from his holy relics.
At the same time, a proper ark was built with the image of the sacred face of the monk on the front board. The holy relics were placed in the ark, and it was placed in the cell church. Through the prayers of the saint, may we also be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
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St. Daniel II of Serbia, Archbishop. († 1338)