Founders of Machairas Monastery

Saints Neophytos, Ignatios, Prokopios and Neilos are honoured as the Founders of Machairas Monastery, that is, of the Monastery of the Panagia of Machairas on the Troodos mountains in Cyprus, near the river Pedaios. The monastery ranks second in Cyprus in prestige, after Kykkos. According to tradition, the icon of the Mother of God of Machairas is one of the seventy painted by the Evangelist Luke; a hermit is said to have brought it from Constantinople in the time of Iconoclasm and settled in a cave, and the icon was forgotten after his death.

In the twelfth century the Virgin is said to have given the ascetics Neophytos and Ignatios a knife in a miraculous way, to cut the bush at the entrance of the cave and find the icon; hence the name Machairas, "of the knife". After Neophytos reposed, an old monk, Prokopios, came to live with Ignatios. When the brotherhood grew, the two resolved to build a coenobitic monastery. In 1172 they went to Constantinople and, helped by the Emperor Manuel Komnenos, built a small chapel and a few cells. The monastery received imperial privileges and is stavropegial.

Ignatios left Neilos as his successor, the first abbot to be enthroned. In 1201 Neilos wrote a rule for the monastic life, which still exists and from which what is known of the foundation is derived. In 1209 Neilos was elected bishop of Tamasos and left Joachim in his place; as bishop he confirmed the rule and founded a convent of the Theotokos called Blachernitissa. It is quite likely that Ignatios became Archbishop of Cyprus between 1215 and 1221. The monastery also received gifts from the emperors Isaac II Angelos and Alexios III Angelos. The four are remembered on 13 December, by the calendar of the Church of Cyprus.