Ayios Haralambos - The Church of Saint Haralambos
Dedication: "With grateful thanks from one who entered this Church for Prayer when on holiday, on crutches and in pain, not knowing anything of St Haralambos, and who ended the holiday able to walk without crutches and with very little remaining pain."
This page is dedicated to Ian Reid, who died in April 2000
The Church of St Haralambos is situated in the grounds of "On The Rocks" Bar. Partially ruined, it is still an important religious location on the island and used on certain festival days. The proprietor of On the Rocks, George Trikilis will be happy to give you access to the church.
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Saint Haralambos was Bishop of Magnesia (now Manisa in Turkey, about 100 miles NNE of Telendos) circa 160 years after the crucifixion of Christ. That was some 350 years before this church was built and about 400 years before St Augustine and his forty monks set out from Italy to bring Christianity to the British Isles. At that time the Northern British tribes had just broken through Hadrian’s wall destroying nearly every Roman fort as far South as York and Emperor Septimus Severus ruled in Rome. Emperor Severus persecuted anyone who would not sacrifice to the idols of "the gods" recognised by the Roman State, namely Zeus, Apollo and the other members of their pantheon.
Saint Haralambos preached against the Emperor's persecution. He was eventually arrested and brought before the provincial governor, Lucian and his military commander, Lucius. When St Haralambos refused at his trial to sacrifice to the Roman gods he was flayed but not only did he remain alive, he also seemed to be unharmed. Seeing this, the two soldiers who were torturing him and three bystanders confessed their belief in Christ. All five converts were beheaded on the spot. Then commander Lucius went to torture the Saint himself. As he attempted to do so both his arms separated from his body at the elbows and remained clinging to the Saint. The governor, Lucian, spat at the Saint and his head turned round on his body so that it pointed over his back.
Lucius and Lucian pleaded with the Saint for help. He prayed for their relief and a voice was heard from heaven saying: -
I have heard thy prayer and accepted thy words. Let this thy supplication be unto the healing of those that are in pain.
Commander Lucius and Governor Lucian were healed at once and became Christians. Governor Lucian wrote a letter of resignation to Emperor Severus, explaining what had happened. Severus sent soldiers to arrest Saint Haralambos and bring him to Antioch, where Severus then was. Severus made several attempts to torture the Saint, but they did not work. The torturers could not even set fire to the Saint's beard. The Emperor's own daughter became a Christian and, when taken to the temple to sacrifice to Zeus and Apollo, she smashed their idols. The Emperor did not know what to make of all this. He swung backwards and forwards, sometimes believing that Saint Haralambos was a holy man and marveling at the miracles, such as raising the dead, that God performed at Saint Haralambos' request - and sometimes believing that he was a sorcerer and torturing him.
Eventually the Emperor sent soldiers to behead the Saint. Saint Haralambos was overjoyed when the soldiers reached him. He gave thanks to God and God came down from heaven with a company of angels and told the Saint to ask a boon. The Saint asked for peace, prosperity, abundance and salvation where his memory would be honoured, concluding with the request that '... the dew from heaven should be for their healing...'. God agreed to his request and then ascended into heaven with the soul of Saint Haralambos following after him.
Longer summaries of the life of Saint Haralambos in English are available in 'Lives of Saints' Vol. 13, published by: 'The Archangel Michael Orthodox Mission', P.O. Box 554, Marrickville, Sydney Australia or in 'Living Orthodoxy', Vol.13 published by 'The Saint John of Kronstadt Press', 1180, Orthodox Way, Liberty, TN37095, USA.