In addition to his great educational and religious work, Kosmas the Aetolian, apart from his Christian simplicity and holiness in general, is also known for his various prophecies. It is worth mentioning some of them, the most characteristic and most impressive ones:
“The desired fact will come about the third generation. It will be seen by your grandchildren.” Indeed, three generations later (each generation estimated at 25 years), the “desired fact”, ie, the liberation of the Greek Nation from the “Turkish yoke” was achieved!
“There will come the red caps and then the Englishmen for 54 years, and then it will become Roman (Greek).” This prophecy was said in Cephalonia on the liberation of the Ionian Islands. “Red hats” are called the French soldiers from the colour of their headgear. Indeed, after the Venetians, the Ionian Islands were taken over by the French, and after their departure there came the English, whose stay lasted 54 years (1810-1864), that are exactly as many as prophesied by the Saint.
“When these come together,” Kosmas the Aetolian replied, showing two saplings, when asked in Tsaraplana of Epirus “When will the desired come?” These two trees grew, thickened and eventually came together in 1912. That year, during the Balkan Wars, the Greek Army liberated Epirus!
“You will become a great man, you will conquer all Arvanitia […]. You will leave a big name into the world. And in the City (Constantinople) you will go, but with a red beard. This is the will of Divine Providence.” He said these words to Ali Pasha of Ioannina. Indeed, he went to Constantinople, yet not as a conqueror as he believed and had dreamed of, but defeated; and indeed he had a red beard, covered in blood, when his severed head was sent to the Sultan.
“You’ll see in the plain a car without horses running faster than a hare.” A clear prophecy about the car.
“Time will come when people will talk from a distant place to another, as if they were in adjoining rooms, for example from the City (Constantinople) to Russia.” He could not describe telephone in a better way.
“People will stay poor because they will not have love for the trees.” The ecological problem, brought up in an era, when they could not even imagine what that might be.
*The article was originally published in Greek in ikivotos.gr
