Agapius the Younger

Saint Agapius the Younger, venerable, whose worldly name was Antonios Antonopoulos (also called Agapios Papantonopoulos), was born in 1753 at Dimitsana in the Peloponnese and fell asleep in 1812. He is commemorated on 24 December (new style, the Greek calendar). He was headmaster of the school of Dimitsana.

He studied at the school of his native town, with Agapios Leonardos and Gerasimos Gounas as teachers. When the school closed after the Orlov revolt, he followed Gerasimos Gounas to Smyrna, where he continued his studies at the city's famous school, directed by Hierotheos Dendrinos. At Smyrna he also received the monastic habit. Later he followed Gounas to Chios and finally returned to Dimitsana, where in August 1781 he took over the direction of the old school.

The school of Dimitsana owes its fame chiefly to him, who for 32 whole years carried out the duties of headmaster with unique conscientiousness, diligence and honesty. His correspondence shows the simplicity and frugality of his life: he wrote that they lived the Dimitsana way, sometimes on mallows, sometimes on nettles, sometimes on boiled rice or on bread alone. He left no writings, but his teaching was the seed from which many outstanding teachers and clergy of the age grew.