October 13/26 is the feast-day of Hieromartyr James (Jacob) of Hamatoura, a saint of the early Church of Antioch. In the prayer to him there are the following words: “As a cedar of Lebanon groweth without fear of martyrdom and death, thou didst become a victor, O Father James. Thou didst conquer death in thy body when in humility thou didst control the passions and when thou wast burnt like incense as a sacrifice. Intercede with Christ to grant us great mercy.” Let’s take a closer look at this saint’s life and the glorious place he struggled in.
St. James lived a strict ascetic life in the second half of the thirteenth century on Mount Hamatoura in Lebanon. From time immemorial, this mountain has been known as a place of Orthodox asceticism. In 386 A.D., the Hamatoura Monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos was founded there. This monastery is one of the oldest in Lebanon and has been a center of spiritual enlightenment and monastic life for centuries. In the thirteenth century, the monastery was besieged and plundered by the Mameluke army.
The ascetic James, who later became its abbot, undertook the restoration of the monastery and monastic life in it after a period of desolation, making it a pearl of asceticism on the Lebanese land. Those who sought salvation and were spiritually thirsty started flocking to Hamatoura to quench their thirst by drinking its sweet spiritual water.
The fame of the holy abbot spread far beyond the mountain, reaching the Muslim conquerors. After returning to the monastery, they searched for the abbot in order to convert him to Islam. But the future hieromartyr steadfastly confessed faith in One Lord Jesus Christ. Enraged, the Mamelukes seized Fr. James along with several monks and took them to Tripoli. Over a year, the saint suffered severe torments, refusing to renounce the true faith. In the end, he was beheaded, and his tormentors intended to burn his body. But the faithful were able to pay a ransom to regain his remains. They were buried secretly at the monastery’s church, but for many centuries they were considered lost.
For centuries and until recently, a monk would appear to people near Hamatoura, helping them and healing them from physical and spiritual diseases. Sometimes he was heard singing in church. This monk was Hieromartyr James.
In 2008, during restoration work in the monastery several bodies with unnaturally broken bones were discovered in it. It became clear that they belonged to martyrs. Among them were the remains of a baby, whose bones exuded a delicate sweet fragrance. The remains of another martyr had signs of torture, burning, and beheading. This is how the relics of Hieromartyr James were found. The names of the baby and other martyrs of Hamatoura are unknown, but a special service dedicated to them was composed in the Church of Antioch.
But let’s look back to the beginning of the twentieth century, when the ancient monastery was invaded by the Turks once again. Most of its brethren were murdered, the buildings were ruined, and the monastery fell into decay. However, there is information about one of the surviving monks of Hamatoura of that time, whose name was also James. He left the ruined monastery and moved to live at a higher altitude in the mountains. He became famous among the Lebanese faithful for his piety, love and patience. The grace of God manifested itself through numerous miraculous healings from the water that he had blessed. Locals took this water to treat their children, as during the First World War various epidemics would devastate entire villages, and there was not enough medicine. Devout believers from the surrounding villages looked after the deserted monastery.
Archimandrite Panteleimon (Farah) In 1974, in an effort to revive monastic life on Mt. Hamatoura, Fr. Philip (in monasticism, Isaac), known to the Orthodox world as Hieromonk Isaac the Athonite (1937–1998), became the abbot of the monastery. It was he who later wrote a famous book on the life of Elder Paisios the Hagiorite, being his spiritual son. The abbot of Hamatoura attracted several Arab youths seeking monastic feats. Among them was the future Archimandrite Panteleimon (Farah), who, in his turn, became a spiritual son of Hieromonk Isaac. At one time, they struggled together on Mt. Athos. It was there that Hieromartyr James of Hamatoura reputedly appeared to Fr. Panteleimon. He took this phenomenon as an indication to return to Lebanon and undertake the work of restoring this mountain monastery. Armed with the blessing of his father-confessor, he came back to Hamatoura.
The work on the restoration of the monastery proved to be extensive and difficult. During the abbacy of Fr. Panteleimon, young people interested in monastic life began to flock there again. Thus a new monastic brotherhood was founded. Gradually, the monastery became a pilgrimage destination for believers, especially for young people, to whom the abbot paid special attention. He knew how to use the talents of his brethren and spiritual children to serve God.
As a disciple of Elder Isaac the Athonite, and after meeting St. Paisios the Hagiorite, he learned spiritual wisdom from them. Specifically, Fr. Panteleimon would say, “Modern people listen to news reports and read newspapers because they worry and seek solace. But they don’t find it there. Why not change our approach and read the Holy Scriptures? Then our minds, filled with Divine truth and stories about saints, will lift up to God and transform our lives into holy and spiritual ones filled with goodness and blessings… If we face problems, it means that we are on the path of the Lord. Let us not despair, for the evil one makes every effort to harm us. Let us rejoice and not be confused, for eventually God will shed His light to save us and illuminate our faithful and righteous path towards Him.”
Archimandrite Panteleimon (Farah) with brethren, 2010
Fr. Panteleimon also instructed those who came to him: “Let us walk before God in humility and simplicity, preparing ourselves for a joyful end, for meeting our Lord Jesus Christ, and for eternal life in His presence. Let us strive to develop the virtues that will allow us to be with God, and let us not seek any earthly pleasure. For earthly delights will bring no joy in Heaven.”
Nowadays, the monks of the Hamatoura Monastery, like their predecessors, strive to live ascetic life in prayer, performing various obediences, and asking the intercessions of the Mother of God for their salvation and for the salvation of the world. In addition to prayer, they cultivate olive and grape plantations, paint icons, make candles and incense, and engage in other monastic crafts. Their day begins at a time when the rest of the world is still in deep sleep—at three in the morning. Their private prayer is followed by the common prayer at four. The service is followed by a communal meal, and then all go to their obediences. At noon, the brethren get together again to pray jointly for the sick. Obediences continue until evening, and many of them involve manual labor. The monastery’s brethren deliberately preserve the tradition of manual labor of their predecessors, who lived long before the advent of technology. This is a voluntary spiritual labor on their part. In accordance with the monastery’s rule, the monks must devote some time daily to reading spiritual literature. The monks conclude their day by attending the evening service.
The main monastery church is dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Its walls are covered in some places with sixth-century frescoes in restrained tones. Other wall surfaces have already been frescoed in the same style in our time.
A large church in honor of the Archangel Michael stands separately from the main church. The remains of monks who struggled on Mt. Hamatoura in the past centuries are kept beside it. According to the tradition adopted from Mt. Athos, every reposed monk is first buried in full monastic vestments in the ground. Three years later, his grave is opened, his bones are collected and put into the ossuary. To this day, on Saturdays the brethren get together at this church to remember their departed fellow monks.
There is also a small natural cave in the rock behind the Dormition Church, which, after the uncovering of the relics of the martyrs of Hamatoura, was transformed into a church in honor of St. Paisios the Hagiorite.
The monastery also keeps several dozen manuscripts of the past centuries that have survived. The monastery is also known for its Byzantine music. During his lifetime, Archimandrite Panteleimon (†2021), the monastery’s father-superior, sang skillfully, setting an example to the brethren. The church services at the monastery are almost twice as long as those in Russia, and they approach the duration of those on Mt. Athos. On the feast of Hieromartyr James, multitudes of pilgrims come to Hamatoura. There are many young people among them, whom the brethren welcome and entertain in every possible way—a distinctive feature of the Church of Antioch everywhere.
Hieromartyr James of Hamatoura has been known in the Russian Church since a particle of his relics was transferred to the Nizhny Novgorod Diocese in 2010. Through his prayers, numerous miracles are performed. Both Christian and Muslim couples struggling from infertility come to the saint’s relics. And he helps both to conceive long-awaited children. Happy parents often name their boys James as a token of gratitude to the saint.
There is a well-known story of the rescue of a Syrian child from death. The boy’s family came to the monastery on the saint’s feast. While playing, the child slipped. Suddenly, someone grabbed him on the edge of a cliff, preventing him from falling into the valley. The boy said that he had been picked up by a monk who had appeared out of nowhere. His parents attribute the rescue of their child to St. James.
Archimandrite Panteleimon There was another episode of the saint’s help. When Archimandrite Panteleimon was on Mt. Athos, he visited the Vatopedi Monastery with a particle of his relics. That day, one of the monks of Vatopedi suddenly lost his voice. The abbot called this brother, blessing him with St. James’ relics. And his voice was immediately restored, which allowed him to resume his service, praising God.
St. James prays for us in the hustle and bustle of the modern world. His example calls us to a fruitful spiritual life and struggle, so that we can bear spiritual fruits. We would like to conclude the story about this saint and his wonderful monastery with instructions of Archimandrite Panteleimon, its former abbot: “Let us focus on the life to come. When we cling to Christ, we lift upwards to eternal life. The love of God brings us to Paradise, where we will rejoice in our time with Christ provided that we love Him and abandon everything to follow Him... Belonging to Christ means walking the path of purification and hardships. On this journey, we deny ourselves and devote ourselves entirely to the service of God. Every day we must bear our cross, imitating Christ in His self-denial, fortitude, love, sacrifice, and preaching. And by walking in this way with Him, we will attain the Kingdom of God.”
