The disappearance of a 58-year-old Greek Orthodox monk in Turkey has turned into a thriller; who left Giannitsa bound for Pontus and Cappadocia, hoping to visit his family’s ancestral homes and live as a hermit. Nearly three months after his departure, his whereabouts remain unknown, with his relatives desperately searching for any sign of life.
This is the monk Joseph, whose secular name is Nikolaos Tsigozis, who left Neo Mylotopos in Giannitsa on July 23 and has not contacted his family since.
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The case was featured on Angeliki Nikolouli’s show “Light at the End of the Tunnel,” where his sisters described the circumstances of his disappearance and the efforts they have made to locate him.
Of particular interest is the response from the Greek Consulate in Istanbul, according to which a person resembling the missing man appeared at its offices on July 25, seeking information on how he could travel to Pontus.
The dream of returning to his ancestral homeland and living as a hermit
According to his relatives, the 58-year-old’s decision to travel to Turkey was not an impulsive act. Rather, it was a deeply personal desire that he had expressed repeatedly.
Monk Joseph wanted to visit Pontus and Cappadocia, regions linked not only to his family origins but also to his vision of leading a more secluded, ascetic life.
“He had a burning desire to go to Pontus. He said he wanted to become an ascetic,” his sister, Evangelia, said on the show.
She also spoke about her brother’s journey into monastic life, explaining that he had devoted a large part of his life to the monastic community.
“My brother belongs to the monastic order. In 2003, he was on Mount Athos and then went to Agia Triada in Lagkada. He followed his abbot to Elassona and was tonsured there. He changed his name from Nikolaos to Joseph, but the monastery was left without an abbot, and during the time he was transitioning to another monastery, he stayed with me at our family home,” he explained.
Thus, the 58-year-old had recently been staying at the family home in Neo Mylotopos, waiting to move to another monastery. However, as it turned out, he had already begun planning his trip to Turkey.
The Departure on July 23 and the Ticket to Turkey
The monk’s disappearance was noticed on Thursday, July 23, when his relatives realized he had left the village without them knowing his destination.
His sister, Eftychia, who lives in Thessaloniki, sprang into action immediately and began searching for him. “On the morning of Thursday, July 23, my brother left. I went to our village, Mylotopo, in Giannitsa. We started looking for him but couldn’t find him anywhere. I went to the police and reported it, but I also recalled that he kept mentioning Istanbul, so we went to check the trains. There was a travel agency there, and we found that a ticket had been purchased in his name. We later confirmed that he had boarded a bus bound for Turkey,” he said.
The visit to the Greek Consulate and the search for a route to Trabzon
The relatives’ efforts also led to contact with the Greek Consulate in Istanbul.
According to Eftychia’s account, their brother, who lives in Canada, contacted the consular authorities seeking information about the missing person.
“My brother from Canada called the consulate in Istanbul. I had also notified the police, and they told us that a man who wasn’t wearing a cassock had indeed arrived by taxi and was asking for directions to Trabzon,” she said.
According to the family, the consulate staff saw the man’s passport and gave him directions to the intercity bus station so he could continue his journey. This information reinforced the relatives’ belief that the monk had arrived in Istanbul and was trying to find a way to travel to Pontus. However, no one knows whether he ultimately boarded another bus, which route he took, or whether he reached Trabzon.
The Consulate’s Official Response
In an effort to gather more information about the disappearance, the TV show “Light at the End of the Tunnel” contacted the Greek Consulate in Istanbul, which provided a written response. According to the Consulate, at noon on Saturday, July 25, a person resembling the missing monk appeared at its offices.
The man was seeking information on how to travel to the Pontus region.
In its response, the Consulate stated: “He was asking for information on how to travel to the Pontus region. Since it was a non-working day, he managed to contact the responsible official by phone at the Authority’s emergency number, using a cell phone that belonged, belonged to a third party. Late that same evening, the missing man’s brother contacted us for the first time.”
The mention of the use of a third party’s cell phone is yet another piece of information that could potentially aid in the search for the monk. At the same time, the chronological sequence of events indicates that the man’s appearance at the Consulate took place two days after the 58-year-old’s departure from Giannitsa. However, the Consulate’s response refers to a person resembling the missing man and does not confirm that it was indeed Monk Joseph.
The notification to Interpol and the relatives’ anxiety
The family continues its efforts to locate the monk, having reached out to both Greek authorities and the relevant agencies that can assist in the cross-border search. “Interpol and the Greek consulate in Turkey have been notified,” said his sister, Evangelia.
His relatives believe that the search should focus primarily on Istanbul, Trabzon, and the rest of the Pontus region, as that is where the 58-year-old intended to go. At the same time, they do not rule out the possibility that he may have attempted to travel to Cappadocia, which he also wished to visit. So far, however, there is no confirmed information on where he might be or whether he has settled in a monastic community. His relatives’ greatest concern is to find out if he is in good health and if he is in a safe environment. “We want
to know… Is he alive? Is he okay?” they say.
Description of the missing monk
Monk Joseph, whose secular name is Nikolaos Tsigozis, is 58 years old and approximately 1.64 meters tall. He has long gray hair, which he usually wears in a ponytail, a gray mustache, a short-cropped beard, and green eyes. He is of normal weight. According to available information, during the visit of the man who resembled him to the Greek Consulate, he was not wearing a monk’s robe, a detail that may make it difficult for people who are familiar only with his monastic appearance to recognize him.
The family is appealing to anyone who may have information about his movements in Turkey or knows whether he is at a monastery or hermitage to contact the relevant authorities. Nearly three months after his departure, the key question remains unanswered: Did Monk Joseph manage to reach Pontus and fulfill his dream, or did something happen that cut his journey short? For his loved ones, the only thing that matters is to receive a sign of life and to know that the 58-year-old is safe.
Source: Proto Thema
