Onouphrios of Karyes

Onouphrios of Karyes was born at Kalavryta to poor parents. His mother bore him in the field where she was reaping with the sickle. In 1900 he came to the Stavronikita cell of Saint Onouphrios near Karyes, now demolished. There he was tonsured by Elder Dionysios (d. 1903). The Russians wanted to give him several gold pounds to buy the cell, but he never accepted. After his elder's repose he went to the Vatopedi cell of Saints Constantine and Helen, then to the St Paul's cell of Saint Andrew at Karyes. In 1906 he came to the Pantokratoros cell of the Nativity of the Theotokos, below Koutloumousiou Monastery.

Elder Onouphrios had a brother in the flesh who struggled in the neighbouring cell of Saint Euthymios, the hieromonk Andrew (d. 1941). Onouphrios's company consisted of the monks Andrew (d. 1952), Dionysios (d. 1938), Basil and Joachim (d. 1988). The last two left for other cells. In 1950 the present Elder Onouphrios came, who told us all this one afternoon in his courtyard. Elder Onouphrios was an excellent reader, with a powerful voice and very tall, a good musician, an outstanding typikarios of the Protaton. Patriarch Joachim III esteemed him and took him with him on his tours. He was very merciful. There was no poor man who passed by his cell and was not helped. Poverty was great then and the poor many. He was always serious, without jokes or laughter. All day he worked on the estates and at all the services he always stood. Very experienced, prudent, good, approachable, noble and affable, according to Bishop Chrysostom of Rodostolon.

He fell ill only a week and left like a little bird on 31 December 1958. The next day, New Year's Day, a crowd of priests and monks accompanied him to his resting place. Once he had said to some young monks: "Both I and you never die, because we are immortal. But the moment will come when they bury our body in the earth, so that our souls may live more fully with Christ, and above all eternally..." He is venerated by the faithful, without synodal canonization.