Porphyrios Prodromites

Archimandrite Porphyrios (born Thomas Batsaras), abbot of I.M. Timios Prodromos-Sketis of Veroia, was born in the village of Polydendri in Imathia in 1959. He studied Byzantine Archeology at the Philosophical School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has a degree in French, speaks English and reads Slavonic. In 1977-78 he met Elder Emilianos, abbot of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petra, on Mount Athos, in 1980 he enrolled as a cadet in the same Monastery and in 1982 he became a monk.
In the year 2007, with a Letter from the Venerable Metropolitan of Veria Mr. Panteleimonos to the abbot of I.M. Simonos Petras, Mr. Elissaio, was called to assume the abbotship at the ancient Monastery of Timiou Prodromos in Veria. His official installation in the Monastery took place on February 15, 2007. Father Porphyrios Prodromitis wrote more than ten monographs, about the fifty holy services, greetings and prayers of saints, and more than twenty articles of hagiological, historical and personal content about Mount Athos and Veria.