The hovering Hodjevite: saint or satan?

TRACHONI villagers are claiming to have witnessed the miraculous appearance of a long-dead saint levitating outside a chapel named after him.

They also claim that the vision — of Saint George the Hodjevite — left behind evidence confirming the authenticity of earlier ‘miraculous’ signs at their village outside Limassol.

But Bishop Athanassios of Limassol is dismissing the saint’s reported appearance as yet another religious hoax at the village.

Trachoni made the headlines two years ago when a villager claimed shadowy signs were miraculously appearing on his walls. The dark ‘signs’ — in the shape of crosses and a seated figure — were dismissed by the Church as a trick.

However some 35 villagers are now claiming that Saint George the Hodjevite appeared to them to show the ‘signs’ on the house wall were the genuine — miraculous — article.

The villagers claim they saw a hovering vision of the saint outside his chapel after a service last Thursday night: the vision was seen for about three minutes and blessed the awe-struck crowd with a small cross he was holding.

When the saint disappeared, he apparently left behind a set of prayer beads and two books. One of the books, the villagers claim, was a copy of a study of the ‘miraculous’ signs on the wall by Georgios Petoussis. The book was apparently marked with the saint’s initials: S.G.H.

Bishop Athanassios yesterday said both the saintly ‘vision’ and the wall ‘signs’ were hoaxes.

"They’ve gone as far as bringing down a saint to support their claims of the miraculous signs at Trachoni, which our Church has characterised as satanic and a hoax," Athanassios said.

"I believe that something is not quite right in this whole matter," the Bishop added. He said the Church would investigate the issue.

But despite the Church’s condemnation, the ‘signs on the wall’ at Trachoni continue to draw curious visitors.