| Aghios Ioannis o Xenos (St John the Foreigner) was one of the principal figures in the rekindling of Orthodoxy and the reorganisation of monastic life in West Crete, following the reconquest of the island by Nicephorus Phocas. The author studies the liturgical tradition and cult of the saint, which was divided into the traditions concerning St John the Hermit, honoured in the Cydonia area, and St Kyr Yiannis, honoured in his birthplace, Siva in Pyrghiotissa, and in Kissamos. The ruins of a monastery on Cape Melechas in Chania are identified as those of Aghios Georgios Douvrikas, which was built by the saint. The saint’s life and testament are published in scholarly and popular form, accompanied by a glossary and notes. |