The Amazing Agios Raphael

Published 10th of October, 2020

Votive Offerings

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These candles were at the rear of the church. As you can see, the walls are completely covered in murals.

Men on Horses

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I like the way they draw the ground. You see it all around the church, and it looks like everybody was standing on a ledge. The alternative would be to just have a line, but I think this looks far more dramatic.

Raised Pulpit

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Beautiful. If you haven't yet looked at the virtual tour, please do so. You can see so much more there than we can show in two dimensions.

Looking Up

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Towards the rear of the church, the ceiling tells many stories. Speaking of which, let's find out a bit more about the church itself. I found this online:

It is a majestic temple built with a byzantine rhythm, whose construction occurred after a miracle occurred to a resident in the area. Mr Neophytos Socratous had many operations due to a health problem which was not resolved. A lady gave him a book on the miracles that Saint Raphael had done. After reading it he had faith that the saint would help him. One night after incredible pain he prayed to the saint and manages to get some sleep. While he was sleeping, he saw a tall doctor who told him that he would operate on him and that he would be well. He began the operation with the assistance of a young nurse which was no other than Agia Irene. Once the doctor left, the young nurse assured him that he would be ok. He noted the date of his operation down which was the 10th of February 1987. He then wrote a letter to the Monastery of Agios Rapahel in Mytilene in which he mentioned the miracle.

Archangel Raphael At Work?

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So, what of St Raphael themselves? What do we know about them?

The following is from Brittanica.com:

Raphael, in the Bible, one of the archangels. In the apocryphal Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) Book of Tobit, he is the one who, in human disguise and under the name of Azarias (“Yahweh helps”), accompanied Tobias in his adventurous journey and conquered the demon Asmodeus. He is said (Tobit 12:15) to be “one of the seven holy angels [archangels] who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One.” In the pseudepigraphal First Book of Enoch, Raphael is “the angel of the spirits of men,” and it is his business to “heal the earth which the angels [i.e., the fallen angels] have defiled.” The archangels are referred to as numbering seven (e.g., Revelation 8:2 and Tobit 7:15) and are listed in 1 Enoch 1:20 as Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Sariel, Gabriel, and Remiel. Raphael is reckoned among the saints in both Eastern and Western churches, his feast day being October 24. His counterpart in Islam is Isrāfīl.

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