Hundreds of faithful flocked to the Metropolis of the Greek island of Zakynthos on Tuesday to mark the feast day of Saint Dionysios, the patron saint of the Ionian island.
Later, thousands joined a procession on the streets of the island as members of the Orthodox clergy carried aloft the relics of Saint Dionysios. His body is still almost intact five centuries after his death.
Saint Dionysios, who was born on the island in 1546, was the very symbol of Orthodox Christianity in the Ionian Sea Islands and on Zakynthos (also called Zante) in particular.
In his early life, Dionysios joined a monastery in an islet located a few miles off the coast of Zakynthos. After living there a while, he was encouraged by his fellow monks to be ordained as a priest, which he soon did.
Dionysios eventually decided to travel to the Holy Land by way of Athens. After arriving in Athens, he was made Archbishop of Aigina despite his personal protests, made in all humility. In about the year 1589, the Patriarch of Constantinople made Archbishop Dionysios the Archbishop of Zakynthos, and he remained in this position until a permanent Archbishop arrived.
Afterward, he returned to his island monastery, where he lived out the rest of his life until his death at age 78 on December 17, 1624.