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The feast of Agios Mamandos in the Metropolis of Petratranslated

September 7, 2026 · 1 min read

On the afternoon of Thursday, September 1, Rev. Metropolitan of Petra and Herronissos, Mr. Gerasimos officiated at the Solemn Vespers which was held at the Holy Cemetery Church of Agios Mamatos of Sfendyli Parish. His Eminence referred to the life of Saint Mamatos, and taking the occasion of the cemetery that surrounds the Holy Church, he concluded: "Saint Mama we honor and celebrate in this place, which for your village is sacred, because this is where your forefathers and relatives lie. It is a place of contemplation and silence, and for this reason we should always visit him with the corresponding respect and when they are present services, but also when we simply come to light the candle of the Saint and at the graves of our people and invoke the mercy and grace of God to rest them after the Saints and the righteous ".

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Ilie Stoica

St. Mamant is a saint that we rarely mention in our country, but this text drew my attention to the cemetery around the church. Metropolitan Gerasim said it well: the place is for silence and peace, not only at services, but also when we light a candle at the graves of our loved ones. At Sfendili, it seems they knew how to keep that respect.

Margaret Anderson

The part about the cemetery being a place of silence and reflection really stuck with me. We have the same thing at our little parish cemetery here in Chicago — you go to light a candle for your folks and it naturally turns into quiet prayer. Makes you think twice about just rushing in and out. Thanks for sharing the Metropolitan’s words.

Mark Baker

That bit about treating the cemetery as a place of silence really hits home. Our parish in Sydney has a small graveyard behind the church where I sometimes stop after Liturgy just to light a candle and sit for a minute; it does make you slow down. Do you find the same thing happens more in autumn when the leaves start dropping?

Alexandru Barbu

Yes Elijah, I noticed the same thing at the cemetery around the church. Here in Iași, when we go to the Eternitatea cemetery to light a candle, it is exactly the same silence that Metropolitan Gerasim was talking about. Have you ever been to a church with a cemetery so close to the village, as in Sfendili?

Αντώνης Παπαγεωργίου

I agree with Metropolitan Gerasimos. In Sfendyli, the cemetery around Agios Mamadas is indeed a place of silence; I remember when my wife and I went last year to light a candle for her parents and no one was left talking loudly. Only the birds could be heard.