Description of the attraction
Saint Gerasim (Gerasim of Kefalonia) has long been considered the patron saint of the Greek island of Kefalonia and its inhabitants. This is the most revered saint of these places. Therefore, it is not surprising that the main temple of Kefalonia is dedicated to Saint Gerasimos.
Saint Gerasimus was tonsured a monk on the holy Mount Athos, after which he went to Jerusalem, where he was ordained a priest. There he served for 12 years in the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord. After Jerusalem, Saint Gerasimos lived for some time as a hermit on the islands of Crete and Zakynthos, and finally, in 1555, settled in Kefalonia. Here he lived the rest of his life. Saint Gerasimus died on August 15, 1579.
The first years that Saint Gerasimos spent in Kefalonia, he lived in a cave in Lassi (a resort suburb of Argostoli). In 1560 he founded a monastery in the Omala Valley (central Kefalonia) near the village of Valsamata and named it "New Jerusalem". A small cave-cell under the monastery building and a huge plane tree, which was planted by the saint himself, have survived to this day. During the earthquake in 1953, the monastery was severely damaged and for the most part was rebuilt.
The main relic of the monastery is the imperishable relics of St. Gerasimus. After his death, the body was exhumed twice, and each time it remained incorrupt (and so it remains). In 1622 Saint Gerasimus was canonized. Today the holy relics rest in a separate church in a glass shrine. On the day of the commemoration of St. Gerasimus, August 16, a solemn service is held and the relics of the saint are carried over the sick and the weak. Saint Gerasimus was famous for his miraculous gift of healing people (including the possessed).
The official public holiday on the island of Kefalonia is October 20 - Saint Gerasimos Day. Today, the monastery of St. Gerasimos is the most famous and most visited temple on the island. Every year a huge number of pilgrims from different countries come here, wanting to touch the shrine.
