Early Life and Monastic Beginnings
Argyrios Vagianos was born on July 1, 1869, near Saint Luke at Livadion on Chios, the child of devout peasants. He left school early and worked as a shoe mender, a trade he would continue even after embracing the monastic ideal.
His turn toward monasticism came in 1888, at the age of nineteen, when a visit to the Monastery of the Holy Fathers — established by Saint Pachomios of Chios — left a deep impression on him. He built a small hermitage near the monastery, where a wonder-working icon of the Mother of God, the Panagia Voithitria, was placed and drew many seeking miracles. He entered the monastery and was tonsured by Pachomios, receiving the name Anthimus. When illness obliged him to leave, the Elder permitted him to return home, where he kept monastic discipline while caring for his aging parents and continuing his trade.
Ordination and Ministry
In 1909 Anthimus received the Great Schema from Hieromonk Andronikos, who had succeeded Pachomios. Though he lacked formal education, he was ordained to the priesthood at the insistence of his godfather, by the Bishop of Smyrna.
After a pilgrimage to Mount Athos, Anthimus was appointed chaplain to a neglected leper hospital, which under his care was transformed into a spiritual center; numerous healings are recorded from this period. He was widely sought as a confessor and healer, and the sources relate that he received up to sixty or seventy visitors daily, sustaining this ministry for more than thirty years. In advanced age he withdrew to his cell to continue in intercessory prayer.
The Monastery of Panagia Voethia
The Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 brought to Chios refugee nuns and displaced girls. By tradition, Anthimus received a vision of the Mother of God directing him to build a monastery to receive them.
In 1930 he established what became the Monastery of Panagia Voethia — the Virgin of Assistance. Despite considerable opposition, it flourished to some eighty nuns and became known throughout Greece as a model of monastic life.
Relics & Shrines
Saint Anthimus was buried inside the church of the monastery he founded. His relics are reported to continue working miracles together with the holy icon Panagia Voethia. A separate liturgical commemoration marks the translation of his relics on September 3.
Veneration and Glorification
Saint Anthimus was glorified by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on August 13, 1992, and is venerated within Eastern Orthodox tradition as Venerable Anthimos (Vagianos) of Chios.
His principal feast is celebrated on February 15. An additional commemoration appears on February 2, and the translation of his relics is observed on September 3.
