The Holy Monastery of Agios Hilarionos is located near the village of Promachoi in the Municipality of Aridaia in the prefecture of Pella.
The existence of the Monastery is witnessed from 12 AD. century, while there are no historical testimonies for the period of the Turkish occupation. Eight centuries later, the then Preacher of the Holy Metropolis of Edessa and current Metropolitan Joel, while researching the life of the Holy Bishop of Moglen, Hilarion (1134-1164), came across the first evidence of its existence. The testimonies of life led to the conclusion that in the place where the village of Promahoi Aridaia is located today, there was the Monastery of the Holy Apostles, the spiritual center of the area with a numerous Brotherhood, which he founded and where, according to his wish, he was buried.
At the foot of Mount Vorra and at a distance of one kilometer from the village of Promachoi Aridaia, there is a historic, although not particularly well-known Monastery of Almopia Province, the Holy Monastery of St. Hilarion, bishop of Moglen. This monastery has as its founder and founder Saint Hilarion himself, who was a great Hierarch of our Church in the 12th century, who lived and worked in the area of today's Almopia.
In summary we mention that Saint Hilarion was born around 1080-1090 AD. by pious Greek parents after his barren mother's incessant prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary. One night, the Virgin Mary appeared to her in her sleep and promised her that she would give birth to a son, who would convert many from delusion to the light of God-knowledge.
When he turned eighteen, Hilarion went to a monastery in his area and became a monk. He lived with great practice, so that all the brothers of the Monastery talk about him. Later he was entrusted with the eldership of the Monastery and while he was still abbot Osios performed many miracles and his fame spread far and wide. As the Mother of God appeared to his mother and announced his birth to her, so she also appeared to the Archbishop of Achrid Efstathios, urging him to place the Blessed Hilarion as Pastor of the people of Moglen. Indeed, after some time the Saint was ordained Bishop of Moglen.
The seat of his diocese is rumored to have been the current village of Chrysi. However, the area where Osios was high priest was full of heretics who followed the monophysite Armenians and Bogomils. These heretics had been settled in Moglena, which was a place of exile for all kinds of heretics, by the Komnenian dynasty. Saint Hilarion with his preaching work and his persistent anti-heretical struggle caused the conversion of large heretical masses to the Orthodox faith.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou