Iakovos of Evia

Iakovos Tsalikis (Greek: Ιάκωβος Ευβοίας, 1920–November 21, 1991), also known as Iakovos of Evia (and Saint Jacob Tsalikis) was an Ottoman-born Greek saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was abbot of Monastery of Saint David the Elder.

Iakovos was born to pious parents, Stavros (father) and Theodora (mother) in Livisi, Turkey. He was descended of many holy men. His family, alongside hundreds of thousands of other Asia Minor Greeks were forced to migrate to Greece as refugees of the Greek genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire and Kemalists. His family moved to the island of Evia. As a child, with help from his pious mother who taught him how to pray and serve God, grew to love the faith.

Iakovos recalled: "When the village priest was officiating, while the cantors were singing "Those who secretly represent the cherubim…", I heard fluttering around the Holy Altar." "The priest," the Elder said, "I thought he had no body. He was an angel. I said he had two bones on his shoulders, like a hanger and the robes hang from there."

On a hill outside his village, there was a shrine to Saint Paraskevi, which he would regularly visit to light candles and take care of the church. In 1927, the year in which started elementary school, Saint Paraksevi appeared to him and revealed his ecclesiastical future. In the coming years, he had several other visions of saints. He was in continuous prayer and was reported to have healed people in his village. Growing up, everyone knew of his faith. During his teenage years, he began to live more ascetically.

In 1942, his mother died. He was comforted in a vision of her in his sleep.

he was drafted into the army where he grew more pious.

Upon his dismissal at 30 years old, he fully committed himself to the monastic life. His initial intention was to go to the Holy Land, but before his departure, he visited the Monastery of Saint David the Elder, wherein he had a vision of Saint David of Euboea, heavenly beings, and heavenly ascetics.^[1] In the moment, Iakavos promised him that he would remain in the monastery. He was reportedly subjected to repeated demonic temptations during his tenure at the monastery, yet remained unwavering in his asceticism. By 1975, he had assumed the position of abbot. Accounts of his piety circulated widely, establishing the monastery as a destination for pilgrims from Greece and abroad.^[2]

From the age of fifty-five onward, he experienced a succession of illnesses. According to hagiographical accounts, he reported visions of saints who offered assistance. He died in 1991, and contemporary reports state that thousands attended his funeral.^[3]

There are over 300 testimonies of believers relating to healings, beneficial interventions, and appearances.^[2]

In 1992, a young Deacon from Cyprus visited the Monastery, only to find out that the Saint was dead. He took a photo of the corner of a room wherein Iakovos lived, then took it to be developed, only to find the Elder depicted. The date stamp of 8 October 1992 is at the bottom left of the photo. Regarding the image, journalist M.G. Michaels stated:

"I have one observation that I made about the photo. The late Elder is full-bodied, in gigantic proportions, in relation to the space in his cell and the very near distance to the wall from where the photo was taken. Make a comparison with the photo on the cover of your book. A professional Cypriot photographer told me that it takes at least 15 feet to shoot a full-length upright person."^[4]

On November 27, 2017, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew canonized him as a saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church. His feastday was set for November 22 (Gregorian Calendar)/December 5 (Julian).^[5]