Isidoros Kafsokalyvitis

Isidoros Kafsokalyvitis

Isidoros (Theodoros Pantelopoulos) was a monk in the kalyvi of Saint Haralambos in the skete of Kafsokalyvia. He was a sculptor and calligrapher. His close friendship with the highly-esteemed writer and artist Fotis Kondoglou has been immortalized in the extant letters they exchanged over many years.

Biography

Isidoros (Theodoros Pantelopoulos) was born in 1885 in Androussa (Ανδρούσα), a village in south-west Peloponnese, Greece. He died on 19 September 1968 in Kafsokalyvia.
In 1904 he went to Mt Athos and settled in the kalyvi of St. Haralambos of the Skete of Kaafsokalyvia.
In 1905 he was tonsured a monk by elder Haralambos.
He was "Dikaios" (abbot) of the skete of Kafsokalyvia in the years 1834-1953.
He also served as secretary and assistant librarian of the skete.

In 1923 Isidoros met Fotis Kondoglou who was visiting Kafsokalyvia. A strong friendship developed between the two men. We read of the brotherly love that bound them them together in their correspondence.

Photis Kontoglou (Greek: Φώτης Κόντογλου, the pen name of Φώτης Αποστολέλης (Photis Apostolelis); Aivali, 8 November 1895 – Athens, 13 July 1965) was a Greek writer, painter and icon painter

Current research

Author Michael Nikoletseas is writing a book on Isidoros. Some marvelous events (miracles?) have taken place. Here is the most striking. In his youth, Isidoroos used to secretly go to the priest's house with his childhood friend Panos. In the course of writing the book, author Nikoletseas discovered that he was born in that house The book is being written in that house!

His work

Προσκυνητάριον της ιεράς σκήτης των Καυσοκαλυβίων. Publisher Εκδότης: Το Παλίμψηστον. For sale https://www.skroutz.gr/s/2022781/Proskynitarion-tis-ieras-skitis-ton-Kay...
A list of his sculpture and calligraphy works are in the library of the skete. His woodcarving "Saint George the Tropaiophoros" is considered his best work

The correspondence between Isidoros and Kondoglou

The earliest extant letter of Isidoros bears the date 30 January 1926.

References

pdf file on Isidor and Kontogloy by Patapios Kafsokalyvitis

https://www.vimaorthodoxias.gr/peri-zois/isidoros-monachos-kafsokalyvitis-1885-1968/ Ισίδωρος μοναχός Καυσοκαλυβίτης
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