THE VENERABLE ELIJAH OF CALABRIA

August 17

From the Prologue

Elijah was a Greek by descent and the abbot of the monastery Mellicia in Calabria in southern Italy. During the time of iconoclasm in the east, many eastern monks fled to Calabria with icons. In time, the monastic life was spread widely throughout Calabria. The Calabrian monks were distinguished by their great learning and austerity of life. At one time, there were so many Orthodox monasteries and monks in Calabria that Calabria was compared with Egypt of old. Later, through the centuries, Orthodox Calabria fell under the authority of the Archbishopric of Ohrid. Venerable Elijah died in Thessalonica in the year 903 A.D.