1547 – 17 December 1622
A bishop famed for forgiving his brother's murderer.
Our Father among the Saints Dionysios, Archbishop of Aegina, the Wonderworker of Zakynthos
Dionysios of Zakynthos was a seventeenth-century Greek bishop, monk, and wonderworker, remembered above all for an act of forgiveness toward the man who had killed his own brother. Born in 1547 on the Ionian island of Zakynthos into a wealthy family bearing the name Sigouros, and originally named Draganigos, he received a thorough education before withdrawing to the monastic life on the Strophades islands.
Ordained a priest under the name Daniel and later elevated to Archbishop of Aegina and Poros in 1577, he resigned the see after about a year and returned to serve as abbot in his homeland. His incorrupt relics, kept on Zakynthos, made him the patron saint of the island, and he is widely honored as a "saint of forgiveness." He reposed on 17 December 1622; his feast is kept on that day, with the translation of his relics commemorated on August 24.
Dionysios was born in 1547 on Zakynthos to pious and wealthy parents of the Sigouros family and was originally named Draganigos. By the accounts of his life he was educated in Greek, Italian, and Latin and excelled in theology. In his youth he entered the ancient monastery of the Strophades islands south of Zakynthos and took monastic vows, becoming a monk in 1568 and being ordained a priest in 1570 under the name Daniel.
In 1577 Dionysios was elevated to the rank of Archbishop of Aegina and Poros, a see he is said to have adorned for a time before resigning the office after about a year. He returned to his homeland, where he served as abbot of a monastery and continued his life of prayer.
The episode for which Dionysios is best remembered came when a fugitive sought refuge at the monastery where he was abbot. The man confessed that he had committed a murder, and Dionysios discovered that the victim was his own brother, named in the accounts as Constantine. Concealing his grief, he forgave the man, sheltered him from the soldiers pursuing him, instructed him in repentance, and helped him to escape across the sea to Kefalonia. By local tradition the murderer afterward became a monk at the same monastery. The episode gave the saint his enduring name as a "saint of forgiveness."
Dionysios reposed on 17 December 1622. His relics were found to be incorrupt and are kept on Zakynthos, where he is honored as the island's patron saint; his canonization was proclaimed by the Patriarch of Constantinople. His feast is celebrated on December 17, and the translation of his holy relics is commemorated on August 24.
'Saint of forgiveness.'