Saint Nikon le Métanoïète
Moine en Grèce (+ 998)
En Arménie, surnommé le "métanoïète" ce qui signifie "convertissez-vous" (metanoia en grec) car il prêchait le repentir.
À Sparte dans le Péloponnèse, en 998, saint Nikon, moine. Après avoir mené en
Asie la vie cénobitique et érémitique, il trouva un champ d'apostolat dans
l'île de Crète, qui venait d'être libérée du joug des Sarrasins et qu'il
fallait ramener aux mœurs chrétiennes par un zèle évangélique. De là, il
parcourut la Grèce, prêchant la pénitence, et mourut dans le monastère qu'il
avait construit à Sparte.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/132/Saint-Nikon-le-Metanoiete.html
Saint Nikon le Métanoïète (+998)
26 novembre
Il naquit en Arménie.
Poussé par les paroles du Seigneur : "Celui qui quitte père ou mère
recevra au centuple, et héritera la vie éternelle". (Matt. 19,29), Nikon
quitta en effet tout pour l'amour du Christ et entra au monastère, où il devint
moine. Ayant atteint la perfection dans toutes les vertus, il quitta le
monastère et partit prêcher l'Evangile au peuple. Il criait sans cesse
"Repentez-vous!", et dès lors fut appelé "le prêcheur de la
Repentance' (d'où son nom "métanoïete"). En tant que prédicateur, il
parcourut toute l'Anatolie et le Péloponèse, accomplissant beaucoup de
merveilles au Nom du Christ. Il partit en paix vers son bien-aimé Seigneur, à
Sparte, en 998.
SOURCE : http://religion-orthodoxe.eu/article-saint-nikon-le-metanoiete-998-89979481.html
Nikon Metanoite (RM)
(also known as Nicon)
Born in Pontus (now in
Armenia); died in Peloponnesus, Greece, in 998. Nikon received his surname from
the Greek 'metanoia' (change of heart) because penance was always the theme of
his preaching. In his youth, he secretly ran away from his wealthy family to an
Armenian monastery called Khrysopetro (Stone of God), where he engaged in
austere penance and humble prayer for 12 years. The purity of his love of God
when he spoke about virtue caused his superiors to send him out into the world
to preach the Word of God as a missionary, first in Armenia and later on the
Saracen-held island of Crete for 20 years, then in Greece.
In imitation of Saint
John the Baptist, Saint Nikon began every sermon with a call to conversion and
the necessity for sincere repentance and penance. He taught that earnest
prayer, mortification, alms, and holy meditation are needed to allow the
resolution of conversion to take root in the heart. The sweetness with which
Nikon recommended the most severe maxims of the Gospel, made our faith appear
amiable to the Islamics themselves. The words he preached were confirmed by
many miracles (Attwater 2, Benedictines, Coulson, Husenbeth).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/1126.shtml
November 26
St. Nicon, Surnamed
Metanoite, Confessor
NICON, a native of
Pontus, and of a noble family, in his youth fled privately from his friends to
monastery called the stone of God, where he lived twelve years in the practice
of the most austere penance and humble prayer, by which he studied perfectly to
die to himself. His heart became quite penetrated with holy compunction and the
purest love of God, and he spoke on virtue with an unction which pierced the
souls of those that heard him discourse on heavenly things. The incredible
spiritual fruit which his conferences and private exhortations produced,
induced his superiors to employ him in preaching the word of God to the people.
This office he exercised in quality of apostolic missionary in most parts of
Armenia, and afterwards passed into Crete, which island was then in the hands
of the Saracens. Penance was the great duty which the saint announced to the
people in imitation of St. John Baptist, and he began all his sermons with
these words: Metanoite, or do penance; whence this surname was given
him. The necessity and obligation that all men lie under of doing penance, he
inculcated according to the maxims of the gospel; and he excellently explained
the conditions of sincere repentance. For thousands and thousands befool
themselves, and mock God in this point, when, by venting a few sighs and groans
they persuade themselves that they have repented, though their hearts all the
while deceive them. A true penitent must apply himself to the difficult work of
self-examination by a strict scrutiny into, and survey of, the whole state of
his soul in order to discover every latent inordinate affection or passion. He
must pursue sin home to his inclinations, and dislodge it thence; otherwise all
he does will be to little purpose; so long as the root of sin remains lurking
in the affections, it will shoot out again, and God who sees it there, pays no
regard to lying vows and protestations. By earnest prayer, mortification, alms,
and holy meditation the penitential sorrow must be improved, till it has forced
its way into the very innermost corners and recesses of the soul, shaken all
the powers of sin, and formed that new creature which is little understood
among Christians, though the very essence of a Christian life. By teaching
penitents thus to lay the axe to the very root of sin, St. Nicon had the
comfort to see many wonderful conversions wrought amongst Christians, by which
the face of religion seemed changed amongst them through the whole island. The
saint, fearing lest the infant-principles of conversion might be stifled and overlaid
by the cares of the world, was infinitely solicitous to engage penitents to cut
off and renounce all occasions of sin, to strengthen their souls in the fervent
practice of all virtues and good works, and to cultivate the seeds of piety
which the divine grace had sown in them. The sweetness with which the holy
preacher recommended the most severe maxims of the gospel, made our faith
appear amiable to the Mahometans themselves. After having preached in Crete
almost twenty years, and settled all the churches of that island in good order,
he passed to the continent in Europe, and announced the divine word in
Peloponnesus, Achaia, Epirus, and other parts of Greece, confirming his
doctrine with miracles. He died in a monastery in Peloponnesus in 998, and is
honoured both in the Greek and Roman Calendars. See his authentic life in
Baronius Annal. t. 10.
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume XI: November. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : https://www.bartleby.com/210/11/262.html
Venerable Nikon
“Metanoeite,” the Preacher of Repentance
Commemorated on November 26
Saint Nikon Metanoeite
(“the Preacher of Repentance”) was born at Pontus Polemoniacus at the beginning
of the tenth century. He was the son of a wealthy landowner, and he was given
the name Nicetas in Baptism.
Since he had no desire to
take over the management of his family’s wealth and estates, Nicetas entered
the monastery of Chrysopetro, where he shone forth in prayer and asceticism.
When he received the monastic tonsure, he was given the new name Nikon. The new
name symbolizes a new life in the Spirit (Romans 7:6), and the birth of the new
man (Ephesians 4:24). A monk is expected to stop associating himself with the
old personality connected to his former life in the world, and to devote
himself entirely to God.
Saint Nikon had a
remarkable gift for preaching. When he spoke of virtue and spiritual matters,
his listeners were filled with heartfelt compunction and love for God. His
words produced such spiritual fruit in those who heard him that he was asked to
travel through the eastern regions to preach. He visited Armenia, Crete,
Euboea, Aegina, and the Peloponnesus, proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.
“Repent, for the Kingdom
of Heaven is at hand.” This was the message of Saint John the Baptist (Matthew
3:2), and of Christ Himself (Matthew 4:17). This was also the message of Saint
Nikon. Wherever he went, he would begin his sermons with “Repent,” hence he was
called “Nikon Metanoeite,” or “Nikon, the Preacher of Repentance.”
At first, people paid
little heed to his message. Then gradually he won their hearts through his
preaching, his miracles, and his gentle, loving nature. He stressed the
necessity for everyone to repent, warning that those who utter a few sighs and
groans and think that they have achieved true repentance have deluded
themselves. Saint Nikon told the people that true sorrow for one’s sins is
cultivated by prayer, self-denial, almsgiving, ascetical efforts, and by
confession to one’s spiritual Father.
After sowing the seeds of
piety, Saint Nikon began to see them bear fruit. People started to change their
lives, but he urged them to strengthen their souls in virtue and good works so
that they would not be overwhelmed by the cares of this world.
Eventually, Saint Nikon
settled in a cave outside Sparta. Soon he moved into the city, because so many
people were coming to hear him. In the center of Sparta, he built a church
dedicated to Christ the Savior. In time a monastery grew up around the church.
Saint Nikon never ceased
to preach the Word of God, and to lead people back to the spiritual life of the
Church. He also healed the sick, and performed many other miracles.
Saint Nikon fell asleep
in the Lord in 998, and his memory was honored by the people around Sparta.
During the Turkish occupation of Greece, however, he was all but forgotten,
except in Sparta. After the Greek Revolution in 1821, a service to Saint Nikon
was composed by Father Daniel Georgopoulos, and was based on the saint’s Life,
which had been written by Igumen Gregory of Saint Nikon’s Monastery in 1142.
Saint Nikon was
recognized as the patron saint of the diocese of Monemvasia and Lakedaimonia in
1893 when the cathedral church in Sparta was dedicated to Saint Nikon, the
Preacher of Repentance.
San Nicone Monaco
Martirologio Romano: A Sparta nel Peloponneso in Grecia, san Nicone, monaco, che, dopo aver condotto in Asia vita cenobitica ed eremitica, si adoperò con zelo evangelico per riportare i costumi cristiani nell’isola di Creta liberata dal giogo dei Saraceni e percorse poi la Grecia per predicarvi la penitenza, finché morì nel monastero di Sparta da lui fondato.
Nicone, detto il «Fate penitenza», nacque nel 925, nella provincia del Ponto Polemoniaco (Asia Minore), presso i confini del «tema armeno» e ciò ha erroneamente fatto dire che era armeno. Ancora giovane, fuggì dalla casa paterna per ritirarsi nel monastero della «Roccia d’oro» ai confini della Paflagonia e del Ponto. Ivi visse dodici anni praticando una rigorosa ascesi.
Quando suo padre lo ritrovò, il santo ripartì diretto verso Occidente e visse per tre anni nel deserto. Percorreva le campagne per invitare i cristiani a una più intensa vita religiosa, insisteva sul dovere della penitenza, riassunto nella formula: Metanoeite (= fate penitenza), che gli valse il suo soprannome.
Dopo la liberazione di Creta dal giogo arabo (960) si recò in quell’isola per ridestare i sentimenti cristiani che la dominazione musulmana aveva fortemente sopiti; quivi incontrò forti opposizioni, ma ottenne anche serie conversioni.
Dopo sette anni, si recò nella Grecia continentale percorrendo diverse province per continuare sua predicazione; si stabilì quindi a Sparta-Lacedemonia. Aiutato dallo stratega del Peloponneso, Basilio Apocaucos e dal metropolita di Lacedemonia, Teopempto, Nicone evangelizzò non soltanto la città, ma le regioni vicine e lavorò a convertire gli slavi ancora pagani che si erano istallati un secolo prima sulla catena del Taigeto. A Sparta Nicone fece costruire tre chiese tra cui quella più importante dedicata al Salvatore, presso cui fondò un monastero che prese il suo nome.
Morì il 26 novembre 998, giorno in cui è festeggiato nella Chiesa bizantina ed è divenuto il patrono di Sparta.
La sua storia è nota attraverso due indumenti di epoca moderna.
A Nicone sono stati attribuiti diversi scritti di cui uno solo è autentico. Si
tratta del Testamento, in cui egli descrive la sua attività a Sparta e dà i
suoi consigli ai monaci e ai fedeli. Lo hanno riprodotto il Lampros dopo la
Vita e il Galanopoulos. Due Uffici del santo sono stati pubblicati a Sparta
1875 e nel 1904.
Autore: Raymond Janin
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