Giannis Apikos, from Manta, Lesbos, living abroad in Germany, lived quietly and christian faith with his wife Calliope. In November 1987 AD, Calliope fell seriously ill with a severe stroke. She was immediately transferred to a German hospital, where she remained in a comatose state for five weeks. The doctors did not give her life. Hour by hour, they awaited the inevitable. In the family, pain and sorrow prevailed. But then, some hope appeared: The protector of Mantamados, their hometown, Archangel Michael. The whole family spontaneously knelt in front of the iconostasis and raised their eyes pleadingly to the archangel’s icon. They prayed with pain, with faith, with tears. Then they rose, calmed, with some hidden hope. However, the sick woman’s brother, Heracles, was absent from this group prayer. He was a Jehovah’s Witness, so he had quietly opened the door and disappeared. Early in the morning, they set off for the hospital. There, they tried a surprise. The sick woman, who had been in a coma until yesterday, had her eyes open and was looking at them.
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What’s happening, Calliope? asked Giannis.
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Where did you take the icon of the Archangel that we had at home? she asked with difficulty.
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There it is, in its place.
Then the woman seemed to calm down, and with great effort, she continued.
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Last night, Taxiarchis visited me and stood here, next to me. He was a bit upset. He looked at me with pain and said, “I want to spread my wings and cover you, but I’m struggling.” He looked at me a little longer and then disappeared. What’s happening, Giannis? Why is Taxiarchis hesitating?
Giannis immediately understood. The obstacle was her Jehovah’s Witness brother. In the evening, she met him, informed him, and, finishing, emphasized:
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The archangel, Heracles, wants not only the physical healing of your sister but also the spiritual healing of yours. He wants your salvation. He wants your return to the Orthodox faith. And along with that, he wants your prayer for your sister.
Soon, a fierce struggle began. The unfaithful was struggling with his Orthodox Christian conscience. The latter had the love of his sister as an ally. Finally, she succumbed to the power of Christ, knelt before the iconostasis, prayed with tears, and was reborn. In the morning, everyone rushed to go to the hospital. But what did they see! The patient was waiting for them standing up. The ward was full of doctors and nurses. They were all at a loss.
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At night, Calliope began to say happily, I heard a loud fluttering in the silence. I look surprised, and I see Taxiarchis again. But now he was happy and smiling. “You will get better,” he told me. He raised his hand, crossed me, smiled at me, and disappeared. I tried to get up, and I saw that I could. In the ward, another patient was being treated. She saw me walking, came over, and hugged me. “I saw everything,” he told me. “I saw a tall, dark-skinned, and white-clad man approaching your bed.” I saw him waving his hands. And suddenly he disappeared… At first, I thought he was a doctor in the white coat. But he was unusually tall, over two meters. He didn’t touch the ground, and his feet made no noise. With his presence, a fragrance filled the room. I got scared and covered myself more.
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What are we going to do now? asked Giannis the doctor.
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I don’t know, sir. Only a miracle could bring about this result. And the miracle happened!
The next day, Giannis was already in his homeland, in front of Taxiarchis, and he was wetting the sacred icon of his benefactor with tears of joy and gratitude.
Miraculous interventions of Taxiarchis of Mantamados in her life were also recounted by Mrs. Michaelari from Elefsina. She was childless, as was her sister, and because they longed to have a child, they turned to God and the intercession of the Archangel with faith. During a vigil they held in honor of the Archangel, Mrs. Michaelari fervently pled with him for her problem. In the early morning, she dozed off a bit. She saw that she was in the archangel’s temple with her sister when suddenly the Archangel appeared. She immediately knelt and begged him to grant them a child each. And he extended his hand, as if he wanted to reassure them, and said, “Don’t worry.” Both of you will have children. “Thank God for this gift of His.” In four years, her sister had a child, but she did not. Nine years passed, and she began to despair. He then turned to science. He suffered, but to no avail. She learned that there was a doctor in England who could lead to conception through surgery, with a one in a hundred chance. He made up his mind and prepared for the journey. At the last moment, she hesitated. She thought about turning to the Archangel to enlighten her on what to do. She went to his temple at Mantanados and pled with him. And that very night, while she was praying, she saw him emerging alive from his icon, with a sorrowful look, as if he were saying to her: “Why did you lose heart?” Why did you lose your faith and hope in God? “Weren’t you convinced by your sister’s example?” She immediately fell down, repentant, and begged for forgiveness with tears. Then she heard him say to her: “You won’t go outside.” You won’t have a child there. “Here, you will have it.” In a month, she was pregnant and gave birth to a lovely little girl, Barbara. When the little girl was six years old, they went to the Archangel’s temple to hold a thanksgiving vigil. The mother left the child in a room of the church to sleep and went to church. When the service was over and she returned to the room, the little girl said to her, “You, mom, were at church, but the Archangel was with me all night and kept me company.” Later, the devout woman experienced yet another miraculous manifestation of the archangel’s protection. On the feast day of the Archangels in 1989 AD, she was struck by severe pain in her womb. In a short time, the condition worsened. The necessary tests were done, and the doctors recommended surgery. She, as soon as she heard it, refused and began to cry like a small child. She turned again to the Archangel, persistently and faithfully asking for his miracle. With prayer, she calmed down, and when she went to sleep at night, she saw in her dream the Virgin Mary and beside her the Archangel. They were smiling at her. In the morning, she set out to be admitted to the hospital. She underwent many tests and waited for the results. At some point, the doctors called her and told her that she was absolutely fine. Since then, she has been completely healthy and praises the Lord and the grace of His Archangel.
Prof. Dr. Nikolaos Stergiou
Assistant Dean and Director of the Division of Biomechanics and Research Development, University of Nebraska at Omaha