He was found dead today, Monday, June 29, late in the afternoon, floating in the waters off Pedis in northeastern Lesbos: the Archpriest of the well-known shrine of the Holy Archangels in Mantamados, Eustratios Dissos, was found floating in the waters off Pedis in northeastern Lesbos.

Father Stratis, as he was known throughout Greece, had become synonymous with the historic shrine, where he served from June 7, 1970, until today.

He was born in Mithymna on November 8, 1938. In 1966, he was ordained a deacon and subsequently a priest, and was assigned to Pelopi, a village near Mantamados.

After his assignment to the shrine of the Archangel, he undertook major renovation projects for the church, as well as projects of a distinctly charitable nature. He built and operated a boarding school for high-achieving middle school students, carried out restoration work on the river that runs alongside the shrine, as well as a series of other engineering projects, and documented the traditions of the village of Mantamados. He authored books and diaries/albums that refer to Mantamados. He founded the “House of Love,” where elderly residents of the area receive free meals daily, and he also built a large nursing home.

In 1978, he was awarded the title of Protopresbyter by the late Metropolitan Iakovos of Mithymna. During the two visits made by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Kalloni and Mantamados, he was awarded the Cross of the Great Church of Christ as a token of recognition for his work.

Father Stratis had three children: Eleni, Panagiotis (currently Deputy Mayor of Western Lesbos), and Michael-Anthimos (Deputy Regional Governor of the North Aegean).

Source: APE-MPE