Nikodimos of the Koutloumousiou Skete

Nikodimos of the Koutloumousiou Skete, a hieromonk, with the secular name Emmanuel Kalligiannakis, was born in 1926 at Krousonas near Heraklion, Crete. He worked in vineyards and olive groves, read lives of saints and never missed church. One night, on the feast of the Holy Spirit, he said good night to his acquaintances, took a sack in which he put his few things and left for the monastery of Saint Anthony at Brontisi, where after a time he was tonsured a monk. Then he went to the Odigitria monastery and to Koudouma, where he was ordained deacon and priest by Bishop Timothy of Arkadia (d. 2006), who also made him confessor. He heard many confessions, and his prayer healed the sick and the possessed. For two years he was also abbot of the monastery. The whole community venerated him especially. Once they saw him speaking with the Mother of God in the church; he denied it out of humility. For a time he also served at the Apezanon monastery. Then he left for Athos, where he stayed about twenty years so as not to be honoured by people and to give himself wholly to prayer.

He came in 1963 to the hut of the Holy Archangels in the skete of Saint Panteleimon of Koutloumousiou, of which he was Dikaios. He was a skilled and kindly confessor; monks, lay people and pupils of the Athoniada School came to him. At his stole Elder Paisios (d. 1994) also confessed his thoughts. He had a barrel in which he baptized non-⁠Orthodox into Orthodoxy. He was very strict with himself and lenient with others. He was blessed, gentle, long-⁠suffering, forbearing, a lover of services, without possessions and merciful. He often prayed all night outdoors, with raised hands. A pilgrim found him praying under an olive tree, shining with divine grace. Once he was very sad, because he had no money to buy oil for the lamps of his hut. He cared not so much for himself as for the lack of oil for the lamps of the Mother of God and the Archangels. Night had fallen and he began to weep from sorrow. He begged the Mother of God, the Archangels and Saint Panteleimon to help him. The lamps lit, and the reading lantern, and all were truly brighter than ever. He read the whole service, the stichologia, the Psalters, the Paraklesis and the Akathist. When day came, they went out by themselves. He said in wonder: "For the first time I saw the lamps with so much light." To pilgrims who asked him for words of salvation he said simply: "Have more love for God and for people. With these two wings we fly to heaven. On these two commandments, as Christ says, hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Forced to move to the Iviron cell of the Dormition, he kept house for his soul more than for his hut. Illnesses took him to Thessaloniki and Crete. After foreseeing his end, he reposed on 17 July 1986 at the Saint Irene monastery in Krousonas, counselling and strengthening the nuns there. Murmuring the Jesus Prayer, after receiving communion, with face shining, making the sign of the cross, he gave up his spirit and was buried. His disciple, Elder Paul (d. 2009), and the nuns of Saint Irene tell many good things and of his gift of foresight. They say he was a holy man. He hardly slept at night. Nothing in life interested him but spiritual things. He is venerated by the faithful, without synodal canonization.