Saint Lazarus

Saints of The Greek Orthodox Church

Saint Auxentius

St. Auxentius' name day is the 28th September.

St. Auxentius was the leader of the 300 Alamanus, Greeks who went to Cyprus probably from Germany during the 12 century AD. During that period, the occupation of the holy land and Jerusalem by the Muslims was considered not only an insult but also a major obstacle and danger to those Christians who wished to visit the holy land. The idea of liberating the holy land was therefore taking ground and it was transformed into action with the Crusades. Amongst the volunteers of the 2nd Crusade were the 300 Greek workers from Germany under the leadership of Auxentius. After the dramatic failure of this attempt and the breakdown of its various divisions and units, Auxentius spoke to his men and all agreed not to return to Europe but to remain in the holy land where they will live as hermits.

After a visit to the holy city of Jerusalem they settled in the read of the Jordan river. However the conditions in the area were such that they could not fulfill their monastic life and they decided to leave for Cyprus. They boarded a ship which took them to Paphos, from where they traveled and settled in various monasteries or remote places of the island. Auxentius ended up in cave at the the base of the Penatdactylos mountain in the Karpas peninsula between the villages of Komi Kebir and Eptakomi. There he lived as a hermit and spent his time writing and praying to God till the his death. When the news of his death arrived, the inhabitants of both neighboring villages demanded the remains for burial. The dispute was resolved, following a suggestion by an old local man, in the following way: The body would be loaded on a carriage carried by one cow from Eptakomi and one cow from Komi Kebir. The animals will be let free to follow a route. The village they will choose will be the place where the holy remains will be buried. And indeed all agreed to this proposal. The mortal remains were placed on the carriage and the animals took it to Komi Kebir. There Auxentius was buried and a chapel was erected in his memory.

(Komi Kebir and Saint Auxentius church are inaccessible to its inhabitants since the Turkish invasion of 1974)