He was
tonsured a monk at the age of fourteen with the monastic name Nikitas. He served in the Athonite
skete of
Kafsokalyvia, in the Cell of St. George, under two spiritual fathers: Fr. Panteleimon and his brother Fr. Ioannikios. Forced by
pleurisy to depart the
Holy Mountain, he returned to
Agios Ioannis, staying at the monastery of Saint Haralambos while back in his birthplace. During this time he was often visited by Bishop Fostimis of Kymi, and through the help of Porphyrios III,
Archbishop of Mount Sinai and Raithu, Nikitas was
ordained a deacon and then a priest, under the name Porphyrios, at 21 years old. Two years after his ordination, Metropolitan Panteleimon of
Karystia appointed him as a
father confessor, and later appointed him the office of
Archimandrite in 1938. With the outbreak of
World War II, St. Porphyrios became a hospital
chaplain in
Athens, namely the Polyclinic Hospital, which he served for around 33 years, from 1940 to 1973. During his time there, he was allowed to also serve the Church of Saint Gerasimos by the Professor of Canon Law, Amilkas Alivizatos, and also aided in the renewal of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Kallisia. While working as a chaplain, he had also suffered various afflictions, including a fractured leg, kidney troubles, and a coma. Following his service as a chaplain, he worked to accomplish his goal of establishing a
convent, initially in 1955 with the Holy Monastery of
Pendeli, to no success. By 1981, St. Porphyrios had his convent, the Holy Convent of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, recognized by
Presidential decree, and although construction work began in 1980, the foundations were not laid until February 1990. Between this time, in 1984, he returned to Mt. Athos, and resumed living in the same cell he occupied prior to his leave. His physical health continued to deteriorate, suffering from a
hernia which persisted until his death, a
heart attack, and blindness in 1987 caused by a botched operation on his left eye. It was on Mt. Athos where he spent the rest of his life, and wished to have a quiet death, preparing a farewell letter for his spiritual children to avoid a crowd. He died on December 2, 1991, at 4:31 AM, surrounded by a few monks of the holy skete of Kavsokalyvia, and had his death announced at the dawn of December 3. == Veneration ==