# George of Drama

George of Drama (Greek: Ὁ Όσιος Γεώργιος της Δράμας, Georgian: დრამის წმინდა გიორგი, January 1, 1901 – November 4, 1959) was a Caucasus Greek elder known for his gifts of spiritual discernment and clairvoyance. He is considered by adherents of Eastern Orthodox Christianity as a saint, confessor and venerable Elder.
Karslidi's relics are kept in the Monastery of the Ascension of Christ, in Taxiarchis, Drama, and he is one of the few saints known to bear an imprint of the sign of the cross on his skull. He was glorified on Sunday, November 2, 2008, during the visit to the city of Drama of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and his Feast Day is celebrated every year on November 4.
The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided at its meeting of December 24, 2008 to add Karslidis' name to the Menology of the Russian Orthodox Church, establishing his feast day on October 24/November 6.

## Life
### In Georgia

George Karslidis was born in Chadik, Tsalka, in the Russian Empire in 1901. His grandparents were refugees who came from Gümüşhane in the Ottoman Empire following the Crimean War. He was orphaned at a young age, losing both parents on the same day and leaving him only with his older brother. A victim of abuse from that same brother, he escaped to the mountains where he was found by Turkish villagers who took him with them to Pontos. He is known to have travelled to Georgia, Armenia, and Russia before spending most of his life in the village of Taxiarchis, Drama, Northern Greece. He founded the Monastery of the Ascension of Christ in the village of Taxiarchis, which was officially consecrated in 1939, and became the spiritual leader of the community of Drama. Like other contemporary elders and many saints throughout Christian history, Karslidis is said to have sometimes been seen levitating in prayer during the Divine Liturgy.
Karslidis became a novice monk at a monastery in Georgia after travelling to Tiflis, Georgia, where a priest cared for him. There he began his monastic life. He waited nearly ten years to be officially tonsured a monk, which took place in July 1919 at the age of eighteen. He was given the new name Symeon.
Karslidis was given the new name George. By this time, he had acquired the reputation of being a God-bearing elder and so people flocked to him.

### In Greece

In 1929, Karslidis settled in the village of Taxiarches (Sipsa), in Drama, Northern Greece, where he lived the remaining thirty years of his life.
In 1936, Karslidis managed to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, visiting the sites of Christ's life, and visiting various monasteries and hermitages.
In 1938, the Greek government made a permanent distribution of farmland and Karslidis was given an acre of land on which he managed to build the foundations of a monastery dedicated to the Ascension of Jesus. The monastery was officially consecrated in 1939.
Karslidis is believed to have foreseen the coming of World War II as well as the Greek Civil War that would follow it. He was sentenced to death for the second time in his life in 1941 by Bulgarian forces, but after he supposedly prayed with calmness and asked them to proceed with their work, they abandoned him out of fear and ran away.

## Death

On the evening of November 3rd, 1959, he requested assistance to enter the monastery church. There he venerated the icons and took part in the Eucharist one last time. A few hours later, into the early hours of November 4th, he peacefully passed away - just as he had predicted the year before.
A grieving congregation attended his funeral. As per the Monastic Tradition, his body was not embalmed, leaving him supple and with a relaxed repose. Those who were there, reported a blissful radiant countenance across his face and what they believed to be the unmistakable glow of a holy light.
It is said, that during his burial, two cypress trees near his grave bowed as if in veneration and that flocks of birds gathered despite the large crowd. More confirmation to his followers that this mortal man was far from mortal and the light they had seen was that of a saint.
Saint George Karslidis of Drama was laid to rest behind the very place he had served for the last three decades, the Katholikon (Church) of the Monastery of the Ascension.
FINAL NOTE: His psychic, spiritual gifts that are spoken of -
The Greek Orthodox Church, like many other Christian institutions, has a complicated relationship with predictions and prophesies. It does not dismiss the concept of clairvoyance (which simply translated to “clear seeing”).
Essentially, it seeks to make the distinction between the divine and the occult. The concern was that the less evolved could mess with something dangerous and become entangled with demonic spirits. The belief being, that an authentic gift could only be present in someone very humble and be spiritually pure. It would be then viewed as spiritual gift bestowed by God, to certain holy individuals; George of Drama clearly being one such person.

## Monastery of the Ascension

After Karslidi's death, the monastery that he established fell into disrepair until Metropolitan Dionysios (Kyratsos) of Drama undertook its renovation in 1970. Since then its monastic life has been re-established, along with a monastic sisterhood dedicated to Christ. On April 25, 1971, the monastery was consecrated, and on November 5, 1976, it was granted official recognition by the Church of Greece.