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Der Erzengel von Mantamado Während dem 10. und 11. Jahrhundert, als das byzantinische Imperium auf seinem Höhepunkt stand, war die Aktivität der sarazänischen Piraten auch auf dessen Spitze. Sie plünderten seinerzeit die Inseln der Ägäis, raubten und brandschatzten und nahmen dort die Leute gefangen, die sie später auf den Sklaven-Basaren im Osten der Insel Lesbos verkauften; eine gesunde und attraktive Insel, die bereits zum Beutestück der Piraten wurde. In der Gegend um Mantamados lag ein Männerkloster, das den Erzengeln Michael und Gabriel und allen Engeln geweiht war, dessen Gründung in den Tiefen der Jahrhunderte zurückliegt 
Der Eingang zum Kloster Es folgt die Geschichte des Klosters:(Übersetzung ist in Arbeit) So it was that one spring the pirates’ captain, Sirhan, a fierce and swarthy giant of a man, with sword and hatchet strapped to his belt, summoned his gang and said to them: “This time, without fail, we are going to enter that monastery. I want only the golden cup (he was referring to the Chalice), that the monks use for the liturgy, so I can drink my wine from it. Everything else is yours.”  Interior of the Church So, they set sail for Lesvos. They approached the monastery around midnight and hid behind the trees. They had already learnt the normal routine of the monastery and had waited for a night when a wake would take place in the church. They delayed till they were certain that all the monks were inside the church and the prayer of the monk on guard in the tower was focused on the angelic chant of his brothers, and then they attacked. They first killed the guard-monk and then silently massacred the monks inside the church one by one. They continued to the sanctuary and slaughtered the Mass servers; the abbot was butchered on the Holy Altar! Inside the sanctuary there was also a young lay brother, Gabriel, who, witness to this evil event, scrambled nimbly to the roof of the monastery to save himself. He was seen by the pirates who tried to follow him to kill him. But, at that moment, a thunderous sound was heard and the roof was miraculously transformed into a tempestuous sea! Above the white caps of the waves, there appeared a huge and fierce soldier with a flaming sword. He advanced towards the pirates who abandoned their weapons and stolen booty and fled panic-stricken. Gabriel, the only survivor of that tragedy, trembling in awe from the miracle, moved towards the icon of the Archangel Michael and fell to his knees. When he had recovered from the shock, he raised his eyes. But what face did he see? Instead of a painting, the face of the Archangel Michael seemed to be alive and had about it a divine sweetness. The lay brother felt the desire to portray the face that he saw. “Archangel Michael,” he pleaded, “mediate with the Lord that He may give rest to the souls of my brothers and that He make me worthy to paint your beautiful image!” Immediately, as if enlightened by the Archangel, Gabriel took a sponge and reverently collected the blood of his brothers from the floor and put it in a pot; he then mixed it with white powder and started to fashion the Archangel’s face. 
The miraculous ‘bas-relief’ icon of the Archangel Michael of Mantamado From the outset, Gabriel was aware of the assistance of the Archangel with his work. His hands, which felt as if they were driven by an invisible force, quickly and steadily formed the face of the Archangel Michael with the clay. It was the same face he had seen in the roof of the Church. He was so concentrated on the depiction of the Archangel’s face that he did not notice that he was running out of clay and that he would not be able to form the Archagnel Michael’s body as well. So, when he realized that he had almost run out of clay, he made a thin line for a body and two smaller lines for arms and legs (just like the stick people usually drawn by young children!). It was already daybreak by the time Gabriel had completed the Archangel’s icon. Then, the first villagers of Mantamado started to arrive at the monastery on horeseback. The chilling sight of the murder scene made them shudder. They saw that the pirates were dead and scattered all around the yard. Every one of them had been killed by a sword stroke that split them from forehead to abdomen cutting their bodies in two. The sword strike was identical on each pirate! None of the villagers asked who had done that. Everyone surmised the identity of the avenger. There was no doubt. “Your grace and your power are great, Archangel!” they whispered, each making the sign of the cross. The characteristics of the ‘bas-relief’ icon.Centuries have passed but the ‘bas-relief’ icon still preserves its freshness and remains as if untouched by time and the kisses of thousands of pilgrims. On the cheeks and forehead of the icon, believers place metal coins (for blessing) that leave marks on the face though these marks then fade away. From time to time, the Archangel’s eyes are filled with tears which Christians wipe away with little pieces of cotton. They do the same with the beads of perspiration which occasionally appear on the icon. Another miracle is that a good and faithful person who approaches the icon to pray may receive an unique reaction from St. Michael the Archangel. The expression on the face of the icon might change to a healthy shade of red and sometimes there is a joyful smile on the face of the icon! But when a bad person approaches the icon, the Archangel Michael’s face darkens and becomes fierce and, on certain occasions, some people are held back from approaching by an invisible force! It is widely believed that the Archangel has appeared many times in the past to the Turks by whom he is respected and revered but also feared. …OfferingsOfferings to the Archangel vary. Inside the church, a variety of military offerings such as swords, shields and uniforms may be seen. One of the most famous offerings to the Archangel was a pair of metal shoes known as “the Archangel’s Shoes” which subsequently showed signs of wear. Thereafter, more pilgrims have brought metal shoes and placed them near the Archangel’s icon. They then ask him to help find what they are searching for. Young ladies usually ask for help in finding a suitable husband. When their paths lead them back to the monastery, the pilgrims search for the shoes they had offered the Archangel. They then check the sole to see if the shoes have been worn and, if they have, it is a sign that the Archangel has used them to search on their behalf and that their prayer will be answered; if not, they take it to mean that he has not yet had the time to carry out that search!  Offering of Metal Shoes Miracles of the Archangel Michael - Unexpected rescueOn 20th July, 1974, from the early hours of the morning. the radio was broadcasting news of the invasion of Cyprus by hostile Turkish forces. On the morning of the day after the Turkish attack, the sacristan of the church of the Archangels in Lesvos arose very early. As he put things in order in the church, he came before the full size image of the Archangel, which is located on the righthand side of the courtyard, to light the vigil candle when - “Oh, my God!!!” The sacristan stood mesmerised as if he had turned to stone. His eyes gaped as he searched for the icon of the Archangel which was missing. He was bathed in a cold sweat. His trembling hands made the sign of the Cross time after time. “But, how is it possible” he kept saying to himself “for an image two metres by one and a half, painted directly onto the wall and with an huge frame, to have disappeared?” He was still standing in the same position when the priest of the church arrived to say the daily Mass. He was surprised and concerned to see the look of amazement on the face of the sacristan whose eyes were glued to the same spot to which he also pointed with his hand. The priest turned to see what had so affected the sacristan and saw that, in the place of the Archangel’s icon. there was a massive brown-coloured frame. News of the event spread rapidly through the neighbouring villages and to the island’s capital, Mytilini, and there were many people who wanted to witness the miraculous event with their own eyes and to worship there. The icon was missing for a whole week. The icon suddenly reappeared in its original place, in the same miraculous way as it had disappeared. Time went by. One cold winter morning the sacristan of Mantamado heard the galloping of a horse. He went outside and saw a young man who had just gotten down from his horse and was carrying a goat on his shoulders. They entered the church together and the young man proceeded to the Archangel’s icon and left the goat in front of it. He then lit a candle which was as tall as he was. He then knelt down and worshipped before the icon, caressing with trembling hands and eyes full of tears the clay face of the Archangel. “He is my saviour” he said passionately, turning to the sacristan. “He saved me from the Turks!” “Tell me, my boy, what happened?” asked the sacristan with interest as they walked out of the church. “During the last incidents between the Greeks and the Turks,” began the young man, “I was carrying out my military duties in Cyprus. It was past midnight on August 12th, when we were caught unexpectedly in the firing line of the Turkish Cypriots. We were always on our guard because we knew how treacherous the enemy could be. We were having difficulties with their naval attack but were unharmed by their air force fire. Within a few hours, we had the situation under control and prepared to counter-attack. It was as if we had wings on our feet. We hunted them down and almost chased them into the sea. Full of enthusiasm, we were running towards the enemy with almost no back up. Suddenly. I see not more than five metres in front of me an unidentified shape. I stop immediately and then, in the hazy dawn light, I see clearly that it’s a Turkish machine gun! I see the barrel of the gun turning towards me and, having no-where to hide, I fall to the ground and cover my head with my helmet. “My Archangel!” I say to myself. “Save me!” The moment I uttered these words I remembered my father who was miraculously saved from certain death during the Albanian war, after he promised to bring a goat to the Archangel. “My Archangel, save me!” I murmered again, making the same promise of the offering of a goat. At that moment, a deafening noise almost took away my hearing. “I’ve been shot!” I thought to myself and images of all those I love crossed my mind. Then, I felt someone touching me, searching for me, lifting me. They were our people. “Are you hurt? How do you feel?” I vaguely heard them asking. I checked my body with my hands but found no wound. Then, I remembered the machine gun and looked towards where I had seen it but saw nothing. “Right here” I shouted “there was a Turkish machine gun!” We went closer and checked but did not find it. In the place where it had been located there were only shards and an huge hole in the ground. It seemed that at the critical moment, a ship’s bombshell or some other mortar shell had totally destroyed the dangerous machine gun, while a superior force kept me safe from any harm that the explosion or fire might cause me. The sacristan listened carefully to the young man’s story and seemed deeply moved. He then said: “Yes, my boy, it was the Archangel who rescued you. Just when the Turks invaded Cyprus, this icon mysteriously disappeared for a week!” The young man was stunned. He gazed tenderly at the icon of the Archangel Michael, his eyes filled with tears. It was one more “thank you” for that unexpected rescue.
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Archangel Michael’s intervention during an operation.