Philoumenos (Hasapis) of Jacob's Well
| Saint Philoumenos (Hapsis) | |
|---|---|
|
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| New-Hieromartyr of Jacob's Well | |
| Born | 15 October 1913 Orounta, Morphou, Cyprus |
| Died | 29 November 1979 Nablus, West Bank |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Canonized |
|
| Feast |
16 November (os) / 29 November (ns) |
New Martyr Archimandrite Philoumenos (Hasapis) of Jacob's Well (Greek: Φιλούμενος Χασάπης; Φιλούμενος ο Κύπριος; or Φιλούμενος Ορουντιώτης), 15 October 1913 – 29 November 1979, was the Igumen of the Greek Orthodox monastery of Jacob's Well, near the city of Samaria, now called Nablus (Neapolis), in the West Bank.
Saint Philoumenos was born Sophocles Hasapis on 15 October 1913, in the village of Orounta in the province of Morphou, in Cyprus.
At the age of 14, he and his twin brother, the future Archimandrite Elpidios, left their home to become monks at the Stavrovouni Monastery in Cyprus where they stayed for 6 years and then left for the Holy Land to continue their monastic life and attended the local High School. He was ordained a priest and became a trusted priest of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, later being raised to the office of archimandrite.
In 1979, he was assigned as the guardian of the Monastery of Jacob's Well.
Over a couple of weeks the local Jewish settlers had been coming to pray there and demanded that Christian symbols be removed. Philoumenos complied. Despite this, the settlers threatened him. After his guard left home, Philoumenos was hacked to death with axes by Jewish Zionist settlers, while serving Vespers on 29 November 1979. According to Rupert Shortt, a religion editor of the Times Literary Supplement, Philoumenos eyes were gouged out, and the fingers of his right hand were hacked off. A grenade was also thrown into the church, which was ransacked.
The Britain Israel Public Affairs Center claims that "The Greek monk, Philloumeno, was brutally murdered at Jacob's Well near Nablus, in 1979. After a police investigation the murderer was caught, tried and convicted. He was a Jew, not a 'settler', and a pathological killer (he was also found guilty of the brutal axe-murders of a Jewish doctor in Tel Aviv and a Muslim)."
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