Monk smiled 45 minutes after his death…

I think the words are poor to describe such an event. The photos of the elder Joseph of Βατοπαιδινού speak for themselves. The elder εκοιμήθει the crack of dawn on 1.7.2009 worn-out physically by an infection…
Before letting the blissful soul in the hands of the creator made the cross and gave up the ghost. The first picture is a picture taken a few minutes after the εκδημία. After the news of the assumption of the entire monastic brotherhood of the Holy monastery of Vatopedi, as well as guests of the monastery, gathered in the cell of the monk Joseph to prepare the body for the funeral. It then became something truly wondrous. The old man though dead for 45 minutes, he smiled, and his smile reflected in the face of so much heavenly peace, which appears in the next two photos.

The monk Joseph, think of the last saints of mount athos. He had the visionary gift and the whole life was marked by a great love toward god and man. He was born in 1920 in Cyprus and became a monk at a young age. Those who knew him speak of a real zealot of the faith and staunch supporter of love.