Saint Pelagia - Tinos
Saint Pelagia was the daughter of the priest Nikiforos Negrepontis. Her mother was from Tripotamos in Tinos and belonged to the Fragkoulis family. She was born in 1752 in the village of Kampo in Tinos, and her secular name was Loukia. Various documents indicate she had three sisters. Her family was known for their pure faith and dedication to religious ideals.
A few years after Loukia's birth, her father passed away. At the age of 12, she showed signs of a strong desire to dedicate herself and serve God's will. The difficulties of life led her mother to send her to Tripotamos, to her somewhat more well-off sister.
There, Loukia stayed for three years and often visited her other aunt, who was a nun at the Kechrovouni Monastery. She then felt an urgent need to pursue the monastic life. At the age of 15, she entered the monastery as a novice under the supervision of her aunt, the nun Pelagia. When the time came, she herself became a nun, taking the name Pelagia.
As a nun, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to the worship of God and the relief of the suffering. The purity of her soul, the sanctity of her life, her self-denial, her secret life, and her longing for redemption led the nun Pelagia to become the "chosen vessel" through which the Virgin Mary revealed herself to her, leading to the discovery of her Holy Icon in the field of Doxara in the town of Tinos (January 30, 1823). This event made Tinos a sacred island and elevated Pelagia among the Saints. This occurred when the Nun was 73 years old, and the Archbishop of Tinos was Gabriel.
Saint Pelagia, with the intercession of the Virgin Mary and by God's grace, performed several miracles before and after her death, which occurred on April 28, 1834. She was buried in the church of the Taxiarches of the monastery.
In 1973, a magnificent church was built in her name, where her holy relic is preserved and worshipped today. She was declared a saint by a Synodical Patriarchal Act on September 11, 1970, and her memory is honored on July 23, the day of her vision.
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