Charalambos of Dionysiou
Quick Facts
Biography
Archimandrite Charalambos (Galanopoulos) of Dionysiou (or Haralambos Dionysiatis, Greek: Χαράλαμπος Διονυσιάτης; Russia, 1910 – Dionysiou Monastery, Mount Athos, 1 January 2001) was a Greek Orthodox Christian monk who served as the abbot of Dionysiou Monastery from 1979 to 2000.
Early life
In 1910, he was born in southern Russia to Pontic Greek parents, namely Leonidas (Λεωνίδας) and Despina (Δέσποινα) Galanopoulos. He and his family moved to Arkadiko, Drama (Αρκαδικό της Δράμας) in 1922. He moved to the Little Saint Anne's Skete at Mount Athos in September 1950, where he became a disciple of Joseph the Hesychast. Later, he moved with Joseph the Hesychast and his disciples to New Skete. When Joseph the Hesychast died in 1959, he remained at New Skete until 1967. In 1967, Charalambos and his 12 disciples moved to Bourazeri, near Karyes. By 1979, Charalambos had 20 disciples, among whom was Elder Hilarion of New Skete.
In 1979, he was ordained as the abbot of Dionysiou Monastery, succeeding Archimandrite Gabriel of Dionysiou who had been Abbot of Dionysiou since 1936.
Archimandrite Charalambos died at Dionysiou Monastery on 1 January 2001. His remains were exhumed in 2021.