For over half a century, Father Spyridon Denaxas has lived a life of prayer, service, and quiet devotion high above the Aegean Sea in a whitewashed monastery wedged into the cliffside of Amorgos — an enduring spiritual haven amid a rapidly modernising Greece.
Now in his 70s, the island-born Orthodox monk is more than a religious figure. He’s a cherished local symbol — so much so that when a recent bout of medical issues kept him away from the island for several months, even the island’s atheists eagerly awaited his return.
“I wanted to be here with my community, to feel what they were feeling. I have a responsibility — God placed me here to care for them,” Father Spyridon told the Associated Press from the Panagia Hozoviotissa monastery, which clings dramatically to the rock face more than 150 metres above the sea. Despite a recent swarm of earthquakes, the ancient structure — and its soul — remained untouched.
Founded in the 9th century by Byzantine monks fleeing persecution in the Holy Land, the monastery was built after falling rocks revealed a chisel embedded high on the cliff — a sign, they believed, to build their sanctuary there. That same chisel, alongside the icon of the Virgin Mary they carried, remains enshrined in the chapel to this day.
Father Spyridon entered the monastery in 1971, aged just 18. Today, he’s one of only two monks still living there, alongside a young assistant, Constantin Papakonstantinou, a former fashion professional turned spiritual aspirant who guides international visitors through the monastery’s history in multiple languages.
Despite Greece’s trend toward secularisation — and the Aegean’s increasing focus on tourism — the Panagia Hozoviotissa Monastery remains a spiritual and social anchor for Amorgos. Tourists and pilgrims alike brave steep stone steps to reach the humble doorway, often greeted by Father Spyridon himself with a warm smile, cool water, and homemade raki sweetened with honey.
“This is an ecumenical monastery,” he said. “Open to the entire world. The Virgin Mary offers healing balm to every soul.”
His absence last year, due to surgeries on the mainland, was deeply felt. Locals called him regularly to check in, send blessings, and ask when he might return. “He’s part of the island,” said local resident Mina Mavrou. “You can’t imagine Amorgos without him.”
Indeed, the monk is not only a spiritual leader but a community figure — calling dozens on their name days, visiting isolated chapels, and even helping to mediate village conflicts. On feast days in November, the entire population gathers in the monastery’s courtyard. Years ago, it even donated land to build a school.
“He’s like family to us,” said Nikolaos Economides, a local café owner. “I keep photos of my parents on the wall. I want one of Father Spyridon next to them.”
Each day, Spyridon rises at 3 a.m. for prayers and finishes his long monastic schedule after 9 p.m. “There’s no time for boredom or melancholy,” he said, reflecting on the rhythms of his life. “This is my home. It’s in my DNA.”
For many Greeks in small communities, the Church remains more than a religious institution — it’s a pillar of village life, tradition, and identity. As religion teacher Cristina Astrecha puts it, “Spyridon gives so much to the people — that’s what real spirituality looks like. You see it in his actions.”
For Spyridon, spirituality encompasses creation itself. “God placed man in paradise to tend and protect it. Nature — the sea, the mountains — is sacred,” he said.
And so he remains on his cliffside perch, between earth and sky, quietly welcoming the world with grace, devotion, and the simple joy of a life given fully to others.
(Source: Associated Press/Photography: Petros Giannakouris)