Saint Porphyrios (Bairaktaris) the Kapsokalyvite (7 February 1906 – 2 December 1991) was an Athonite hieromonk known for his gifts of spiritual discernment, a type of clairvoyancewhich he sometimes called “spiritual television.”
He was born February 7 in the little village of St. John Karystia, in the province of Evia. His parents, Leonidas and Eleni Bairaktaris (daughter of Antonios Lambrou), baptized him Evangelos. He was fourth out of five siblings.
He was tonsured a monk at the age of fourteen or fifteen with the monastic name Nikitas. He served in the Athonite skete of Kafsokalyvia, in the Cell of St. George, under two spiritual fathers: Fr. Panteleimon and Fr. Ioannikios. Forced by pleurisy to depart the Holy Mountain, he returned to his birthplace, where he was unexpectedly elevated to the priesthood at the age of 21 by Porphyrios III, Archbishop of Mount Sinai and Raithu.
With the outbreak of World War II he became a hospital chaplain in Athens, in which post he continued for three decades (1940–1970). His later years were devoted to the construction of the Holy Convent of the Transfiguration of the Savior.
After 1984 he returned to Mount Athos, occupying the same cell which he had earlier in life been forced to abandon. Through his role as spiritual father, Elder Porphyrios became known to an ever-wider circle of Orthodox followers. Several compilations of stories and sayings attributed to him have been published.
His sainthood was declared by the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on November 27, 2013.[1][2] In 2014, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decreed that St. Porphyrios’ name be added to their church calendar and commemorated on December 2.[3] In 2017, the holy synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church also added him to their calendar on December 2, and included his troparion, kontakion, Synaxarion, and icon.[4]
