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Saint Irene Chrysovalantou lived in asceticism as a nun in the Monastery of Chrysovalantou in Constantinople in the ninth century. It was located on its fifth hill known then as Chrysovalantou from which the monastery took its name (though according to St. Irene's biography the offical name of this monastery was dedicated to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel). Today the fifth of the seven hills of Constantinople is occupied by the Mosque of Sultan Selim and the Church of the Theotokos Pammakaristos and is considered the best place to view Constantinople and the Golden Horn. Though the remains of the monastery have not been found, the only topographical allusion to it that we have is its close proximity to the cistern of Aspar, according to St. Irene's biography, which was on the fifth hill north of the Church of the Holy Apostles (which was on the fourth hill). This monastery operated until the 10th or 11th century.
Interestingly we are informed that following St. Irene's death she was entombed either in or near Chrysovalantou Monastery in the Church of Saint Theodore (possible location of which was here and here
In the same monastery on Mount Athos there was found an icon of St. Irene as well. This icon was painted by a gentleman from Smyrna who lived at this monastery known as Monk Nektarios in 1919. When he returned to Smyrna he was martyred in 1920 by the Turks together with Monk Cyril Lemonia, who had the gift of prophecy and once said outside his cell, "these days many martyrs will be revealed".
In 1926 a monk from Mount Athos named Archimandrite Paisios Philiokaliotakis gave this icon of St. Irene painted by Monk Nektarios to his spiritual daughter Lemonia upon her elevation to the Great Schema. Upon her elevation to the Great Schema at the age of twenty, Lemonia had her name changed to Meletia.
Nun Meletia had a passion to establish a monastery, and thus bought many acres in an area of Attica known as Lykovrisi. This came about after her mother, who also was a monastic by the name of Taxiarchia, fell asleep on October 10, 1927. To honor her memory it was Abbess Meletias' desire to dedicate her monastery to the Holy Archangels (Taxiarchi).
Interestingly we are informed that following St. Irene's death she was entombed either in or near Chrysovalantou Monastery in the Church of Saint Theodore (possible location of which was here and here
In the same monastery on Mount Athos there was found an icon of St. Irene as well. This icon was painted by a gentleman from Smyrna who lived at this monastery known as Monk Nektarios in 1919. When he returned to Smyrna he was martyred in 1920 by the Turks together with Monk Cyril Lemonia, who had the gift of prophecy and once said outside his cell, "these days many martyrs will be revealed".
In 1926 a monk from Mount Athos named Archimandrite Paisios Philiokaliotakis gave this icon of St. Irene painted by Monk Nektarios to his spiritual daughter Lemonia upon her elevation to the Great Schema. Upon her elevation to the Great Schema at the age of twenty, Lemonia had her name changed to Meletia.
Nun Meletia had a passion to establish a monastery, and thus bought many acres in an area of Attica known as Lykovrisi. This came about after her mother, who also was a monastic by the name of Taxiarchia, fell asleep on October 10, 1927. To honor her memory it was Abbess Meletias' desire to dedicate her monastery to the Holy Archangels (Taxiarchi).
When construction began on the church of the monastery, one day one of the workers named Michael Gerasimou (who lived in between the streets of Petrou Rally and Archmidous in Chalkidona Peraias) saw with his naked eyes a tall and beautiful nun approaching him. The worker did not recognize this nun and asked her: "Who are you?" She responded: "I am Irene." Upon saying this she distanced herself a bit and with her right hand indicated the spot which today occupies the church dedicated to her name. The worker related this strange appearance of this nun named Irene to the Righteous Abbess Meletia and she also wondered about this unknown nun.
Another time Saint Irene appeared to one of the nuns as she was shutting the window of the building in which they were all staying. This nun saw the same tall beautiful nun which had appeared to the worker pointing to the same spot in which she wanted her church to be built. This seemed strange at the time since the architectural plans called for the church to be built in the area already being worked on. This time however the foundation stone from the other church had been miraculously transferred to the new area desired by St. Irene.
It appears that when the foundation stone had been set with the purpose of building the church dedicated to the Archangels, at that moment the spiritual father of the Abbess Meletia expressed his desire to her to resurrect the name of the Righteuos Saint Irene of Chrysovalantou. He told her that she was a great abbess who wants to help establish this monastery as the first founded in her name after the monastery in Constantinople in which she lived her monastic life and became a saint. He wanted her grace to surround this monastery and for the church dedicated to her name to be a well spring of miracles, which would in turn spread her name far and wide throughout the world to eternity.
When Abbess Meletia heard this she was overjoyed as she recalled the manifestation of the mysterious nun Irene and the indication to establish a church foundation in another area.
Eventually this church dedicated to St. Irene Chrysovalantou was built. Desiring for the monastic grounds of this monastery to imitate to a certain extent the monastic life of St. Irene, next to her church they also built a chapel dedicated to the Great Martyr Theodore which originally in Constantinople housed her miraculous relics.
The Monastery of Saint Irene of Chrysovalantou was officially founded in 1930 and the icon of the Saint given to the abbess years earlier was placed in her church for veneration. It was not long before the faithful who came to this monastery witnessed the miraculous grace flowing from this icon. So many stories began circulating that in truth her name became known throughout the Orthodox world. Faithful came from Constantinople, Germany, America, Africa and other such places to venerate this holy icon and offer up their requests. As the fame of the monastery spread, it was built to accomodate its many pilgrims and came to resemble a traditional monastery built in the style of those in Constantinople during Roman times.
On January 29, 1977 Abbess Meletia departed in peace.
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