Saint Elias the Younger of Enna: Slave, Pilgrim and Monk between Sicily and the East

The life of Saint Elias the Younger reads like an adventure story, but it is the true story of a Sicilian saint. Born in Enna in 823 with the name John, he was captured, sold as a slave, freed, became a pilgrim to the Holy Land, a monk and a tireless traveller. He is one of the greatest witnesses of Italo-Greek monasticism, and his life also passes through Taormina.

From Sicily to Africa, as a slave

John Rachites was born in Enna, in the heart of Sicily, into a Christian family. These were the years of the Arab conquest of the island: still young, he was captured and taken to Africa, to Ifriqiya, present-day Tunisia, where he was sold as a slave. Even in slavery he remained faithful to Christ and, according to his Life, proclaimed the Gospel to those around him. Having regained his freedom, he set out for the Holy Land.

Monk in Jerusalem

In Jerusalem he received the monastic habit from Patriarch Elias, whose name he took. He spent three years in a monastery on Sinai, then travelled to Alexandria, Persia, Antioch and back to Africa. He was a pilgrim who sought God everywhere, and everywhere he brought his prayer.

Return to Sicily and the meeting in Taormina

After the fall of Syracuse in 878, Elias returned to Sicily and found his elderly mother in Palermo. It was in Taormina, then one of the last Christian cities on the island, that he met Daniel, who became his most faithful disciple and lifelong companion. Taormina would fall in 902, the year before the saint's death.

The monastery in Calabria

Together with Daniel, Elias crossed Greece and went on pilgrimage to Rome. In 884 he founded a monastery on Mount Aulinas, at the Saline near Palmi, in Calabria: the mountain is still called Monte Sant'Elia. Summoned to Constantinople by the emperor, he set out in old age, but fell ill and died in Thessalonica on 17 August 903. Daniel brought his body back to the Calabrian monastery.

What he teaches us today

It is in Taormina, where Elias met his disciple, that I offer the Christian spiritual days: prayer, walking and friendship, as in the life of the Italo-Greek monks. Nearby places are described in Spiritual Taormina, and the history of that time in Byzantine Sicily and the Italo-Greek saints.

Feast day

Saint Elias the Younger is commemorated on 17 August. He is venerated by the Catholic Church, especially in Sicily and Calabria, and by the Orthodox Churches. The Greek text of his Life, with an Italian translation, was published by the Sicilian Institute of Byzantine and Neo-Hellenic Studies in Palermo.

How to take part

The days take place near Taormina, in Sicily. The places to visit are agreed together each time. There is no overnight stay: we share one day, and in the evening everyone returns to their own home. Hospitality has no price and does not depend on any offering: whoever comes is welcomed for who they are. Everyone contributes as they can: anyone who cannot leave anything is welcomed like everyone else, and takes part by giving a little of their time.

The days are reserved for Catholic and Orthodox Christians, because they are lived in shared prayer. To ask for a date, simply write to me on WhatsApp. The spirit of the days is told in the manifesto of hospitality.

If you would like to know what makes this mission possible, read The circle of love.

Explore the other pages

The days: Christian spiritual days in Sicily · The Philoxenia of Abraham · Spiritual search and finding yourself · Day retreat, silent retreat and pilgrimage: the international names

Spiritual travel in Sicily: Spiritual tourism in Sicily: the guide · Pilgrimage walking routes in Sicily · Holy Week and Easter in Sicily · Religious festivals in Sicily: the calendar · Orthodox pilgrimage in Sicily · Spiritual Nordic walking and ski walking in Sicily

Nature and places: Spiritual Taormina · Spiritual walks in nature · Christian meditation in nature in Sicily · Places to meditate near Taormina and Messina · Places to meditate in Sicily

Prayer: Christian asceticism: the spiritual struggle · The prayer of the heart or Jesus Prayer · Hesychasm: the prayer of stillness · The Philokalia: the Neptic Fathers

The saints of Sicily: Byzantine Sicily and the Italo-Greek saints · Saint Hilarion the Great in Sicily · Saint Methodios of Syracuse · Saint Joseph the Hymnographer · Saint Agatha of Catania · Saint Lucy of Syracuse · Saint Pancras of Taormina

Sources

What this story teaches

Elias was a slave, a pilgrim and a monk, but he never lost the freedom of his heart: no chain can bind those who belong to God.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Saint Elias the Younger?

An Italo-Greek monk born in Enna in 823 as John Rachites, who died in Thessalonica in 903. He is called "the Younger" to distinguish him from the prophet Elijah.

Why was Saint Elias a slave?

During the Arab conquest of Sicily he was captured and sold as a slave in Africa, in Ifriqiya. He later regained his freedom.

What is Saint Elias's link with Taormina?

According to his Life, in Taormina he met Daniel, who became his most faithful disciple. At that time Taormina was one of the last Christian cities in Sicily.

Where is Saint Elias's monastery?

He founded it in 884 on Mount Aulinas, at the Saline near Palmi in Calabria; the mountain is now called Monte Sant'Elia.

Where did Saint Elias the Younger die?

In Thessalonica, on 17 August 903, while travelling to Constantinople. His disciple Daniel brought his body back to Calabria.

When is Saint Elias the Younger's feast day?

On 17 August, the day of his death.

Why did he take the name Elias?

He received the monastic habit in Jerusalem from Patriarch Elias and took his name, as was customary among monks.

Is there an ancient biography of Saint Elias?

Yes, a Life in Greek written shortly after his death. It has been published with an Italian translation by the Sicilian Institute of Byzantine and Neo-Hellenic Studies in Palermo.