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Dead Saints Society Presents

The Life of Saint Irene Hegumenissa of the Nunnery of Chrysovalanton

In the old days of the Byzantine empire, shortly after the defeat of the iconoclast heresy, lived a young woman in Cappadocia. Her name was Irene, a woman renowned for beauty and moral grace, a very holy person. She spent appropriate time in fasting and good deeds, following the law of the church according to the letter, but also to the spirit, and praying for the salvation of her soul and of those around her.

One day, far away from Cappadocia, in the capital city of Constantinople, the emperor Michael decided he needed a wife and empress. Well, actually it was his mother , the empress and Saint Theodora, who decided that her son should get married.

Emperor Michael, the Emperor, comes out and is doing something childish.
Dowager Empress Theodora: Michael, it is time for you to get married.
Michael: I don’t want to get married.
Dowager Empress Theodora: Too bad!

So, as was the custom in the Byzantine Empire, Theodora arranged for the gathering of the most beautiful, cultured and pious maidens of the empire, so that the Emperor, and she, could choose a bride. And since Irene’s parents had in fact groomed her for such marriages, she left her home in Cappadocia, and along with her sister, made her way to Constantinople.

After some days journey, she came to the region of Mysia, where she heard a saintly ascetic lived, who was named Ioannikios. After finding the mountain he lived on, she began to climb it. But before she was close enough to speak, the Saint saw her, and called out in a loud voice...

Saint Ioannikios: Welcome Irene, servant of God. Hasten with joy to the Imperial City! The convent of Chrysovalanton needs you to shepherd her virgins!”

So, after receiving Saint Ioannikios’ blessing, she continued to the city. But when she arrived, she made a startling announcement to the Emperor and Empress

Irene: I have decided not to marry a man, but to become a bride of Christ. I will enter a convent.
Theodora: Oh, no!
Michael: Yes!!!

So Irene searched about the city for a convent to reside in. But she had difficulty finding one. Many had been closed by the iconoclast heretics, and those that remained open were often crowded, or located in noisy parts of the city. Only after a long and tiring search did Irene remember the words of Saint Ioannikios (from behind screen): The convent of Chrysovalanton needs you to shepherd her virgins!

And just as the words came to mind, Irene looked up and say the Convent that the saint had spoken of. She approached the nuns and asked to be accepted into their convent.

Irene: May I join your convent and become a nun?
Nuns: Sure!

So Irene was tonsured, and became a nun. But Irene’s desire to become holy was not satisfied by her monastic vows. She was constantly praying and reading the lives of the saints, hoping to imitate them in their holiness. Once she read the life of Saint Arsenios. She learned that this holy ascetic had spent whole days and nights standing on his feet in prayer, and she was filled with a deep desire to imitate him.

Irene: Oh, Abbess, I would like to follow the example of Saint Arsenios, and spend many hours standing in prayer.

Abbess: Well, that all good and fine, but standing doesn’t come easily. You’ll have to do many exercises to be able to stand for so long.

Irene: I will work hard until I am able to stand in prayer for a whole day.

So Irene added physical exercises to her spiritual ones, and after a while, she was able to stand in the same way that Arsenios did.

After a few more years in the convent of Chrysovalanton, the Abbess began to approach the end of her life. As the Abbess lay on her death bed, all the nuns gathered around her, crying, mourned the loss of such an excellent shepherd. But some of the nuns began to worry who would replace their Abbess, for they knew that they were all far inferior to her.

Nun 1: Who will replace our Abbess?
Nun 2: I don’t know. It makes me worried to think that we will be without guidance.
Hegumenissa: Why do you bother me with your crying? You already have a good shepherd among you. Follow my advice and appoint Irene to be your Hegumenissa.

After the nuns had buried their Abbess, they gathered in the chapel of Archangel Gabriel to pray. Then they went to visit the Patriarch of Constantinople, a holy bishop named Methodios.
Nuns: We have come to you, Patriarch Methodios, so that you can confirm the appointment of our Abbess.
Methodios: Sisters, I know who you would like as an Abbess. Therefore, I confirm the appointment of Irene as your Abbess.

At that point, the Patriarch called for a censer, and led the service at which Irene was first ordained a deaconess, and then consecrated with the seal of hegumenate.

Soon after Irene’s return to Chrysobalanton with her fellow nuns, she had an idea while praying.

Irene: If I could see with a second sight what my nuns do in secret, I could help them to change their ways.

At that moment an angel appeared to Irene

Angel: I have been sent by the Lord God to tell you that your wish has been granted.
The next day, Irene called each of the nuns into her room, and spoke to them quietly and gently about what they had been doing in secret. They were all amazed by her knowledge and holiness.

(Each nun comes into the room individually, and Irene talks to them about their sins)

All through her holy life, Irene kept constant prayer. Once, when she was praying in her room, she was attacked by demons sent by Satan.

Demon: Irene, we in hell have had enough of your prayers. You always torment us with your hymns to God. So I will set you on fire, and you shall die.

So the demon set Irene on fire, and her clothes and body began to burn. But instead of trying to put out the fire, Irene merely stood and continued her prayers, not paying attention to the hot flames. At that moment, a nun of the convent was awake and smelt the smoke. She hurried to the source of the smoke, her Abbess’ room. Flinging open the door, she saw her Hegumenissa in flames, and quickly extinguished the fire.
Irene: Young nun, you thought you were doing me a favour by putting out the fire. But just before you came into my room, I saw an angel, holding a crown prepared for me by Christ God, the promise to all who die in prayer. Now, I must wait much longer to go to my Lord.

Once, a young woman came from Cappadocia to join Saint Irene’s convent. This woman had been engaged to a man in Cappadocia, but they had both agreed that she should instead join a convent.

However, Satan saw in this an opportunity to try to destroy Irene, and so he filled the nun’s former betrothed with unnatural love for the nun. He did not know that these feelings were not truly his, so he found a sorcerer, and allied himself with Satan in order to gain that which belonged to Christ and not himself.

At the same time, Satan filled the newly professed nun with strange desire to see her betrothed.

Nun: Let me out of the convent!!!
Irene: She is possessed by the devil. Lock her up for her own safety, and then all sisters go to your rooms and pray for her.

Irene and the nuns prayed for four days. Then a miracle occurred.

St. Basil: Irene, I am Basil, the Bishop and Saint. If you want this nun to be healed, go to the Church of the Mother of God outside the city of Constantinople. Mary will appear there and will save this nun.

So Irene went with the possessed nun and two others to the Church of the Mother of God. They prayed there until midnight, and then fell asleep for a short while. While they were asleep, the mother of God appeared to Irene in a dream, and along with Saint Anastasia, healed the nun from her possession. The next morning, the nuns returned to the convent with rejoicing.

Another of Irene’s miracles took place when she was praying in the courtyard of the convent, late at night. By chance, a nun saw her praying there, and also saw, when Irene bowed to the ground, the Cypress trees that were on either side of her bowed as well. And even when Irene rose, the trees remained prostrate in respect of the saint, until she blessed the trees.

Once, a relative of Irene’s was wrongly accused before the Emperor, a different Emperor than the one Irene was going to marry.

Accusers: This man is trying to overthrow you, Emperor.
Young Man: No, I’m not. I’m innocent.
Emperor: Throw him in jail.

The relatives of this man, all members of Irene’s family, rushed to her convent and told her the story.

Relative: Your relative has been wrongly accused, and soon the Emperor will kill him. Tell us what to do to save him.

Irene: Trust in the Lord, and he will save us.
That night, Irene appeared to the Emperor.

Irene: Emperor, I command that you release the man from your dungeon who was accused of trying to overthrow you. He is innocent. If you do not comply, I will not be able to save you from the wrath of God.

The next morning, the Emperor ordered the release of the prisoner.

Although Irene was a holy woman and Saint, she to was subject to death. But, since she was given the gift of prophecy, she new the date that she would die. On that day, she was filled with sadness, not at the idea of dying, and going to God, but at the idea of leaving her nuns behind. But she prayed for them that whole day, and then gave up her spirit.

All the nuns wept when the realized that their Abbess was dead. And Irene was so greatly loved in the city of Constantinople, that many people came to the convent to pray before her body, so many people that not all could fit even into the court yard. This is how holy Saint Irene was, and let us follow the example of the people of Constantinople by honoring her memory. Amen.

Starring: Adrianna, Aidan, Alexandra, Christina, Clara, Isabo, Lucas, Mateko, Nadine, Taisa, and Thea
Screenplay by: Cyril
Direction by: Cyril & Simon
Production by: Cyril & Simon
Cyril & Simon by: Cyril's and Simon's Parents (respectively)

Ukrainian version
Українська версія

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