Neophytos of Simonopetra

Saint Neophytos of Simonopetra, abbot of the Simonopetra Monastery and a venerable monk, was Neophytos Molakas, abbot between 1861 and 1907. In his time the south wing of the monastery was built (1862-1864), at a very unfavourable moment, when the newly formed Romania secularized church property and took from Simonopetra its dependency Mihai-⁠Vodă in Bucharest. He bore costly lawsuits with Grigoriou and Koutloumousiou. He had close ties with the Russian monks of Athos and supported those of Saint Panteleimon in the so-⁠called Panteleimon trial.

In gratitude the Russians obtained for him permission to collect alms in Russia; from 1888 Neophytos went there, with two companions and the monastery's chief treasure, the left hand of Saint Mary Magdalene. News of the fire of the night of 28 May 1891, which destroyed the east wing of the monastery, made him ask to prolong his stay. He returned in 1892 with large sums. From 1893 much of the monastery was rebuilt; in place of the east wing a new seven-⁠storey building with two chapels was raised, one dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene, regarded as the "second founder". The work began in 1897 and was completed in 1902. On 9 March 1906, blinded and exhausted by the works, the archimandrite Neophytos handed the abbacy to his compatriot Ioannikios Vardalas. He reposed in 1907. He is counted as a new founder of the monastery and is honoured by the faithful, without synodal canonization.