Saint Fanourios, the Orthodox Christian patron saint of lost things, is honored each Aug. 27 with prayers and traditional orange-flavored cake ILION, Greece -- For the careless and despairing alike, there’s a special day on the Orthodox Christian calendar to provide relief — with the help of some orange-flavored cake. Thousands of pilgrims gathered late Wednesday and Thursday at the Church of St. Fanourios, 10 kilometers (6 miles) northwest of Athens, with their baked offerings.
They were seeking solace for different forms of loss: misplaced keys, an estranged partner, courage still needed to face an ordeal, and more. Priests blessed the cakes of supplicants, who then shared them with their fellow churchgoers for the feast of St. Fanourios, which culminates on Thursday.
Among those arriving was Maria Chanioti, 66. She has attended services dedicated to the patron saint of lost-and-found since her youth. He helps people,” Chanioti said in her godparents' kitchen a few blocks from the Church of St.
Fanourios, while she beat the cake's ingredients with a whisk. She prepared her cake as her family always has: with fresh-squeezed orange juice and a pinch of nutmeg, in front of an icon of the saint and a simple vigil candle. Wishes conveyed to Fanourios go beyond mere custom: Each year’s petition is held in earnest and usually not shared even with loved ones.
Chanioti said her friends in the past have asked for a grandchild or for young relatives to finish school with good grades. Loss is understood broadly, including things lacking from one's life. Saint Nicholas traditionally watches over sailors and fishermen; worshippers offer prayers to Saint Paraskevi for eye ailments.
Fanourios (pronounced fa‑NOO‑ree‑os) is known as “The Revealer." He is also the patron saint of the main town in Rhodes, the Greek island where an icon depicting his suffering as a Christian martyr was discovered more than 500 years ago. Celebrations honoring him are held mostly in Greece and Cyprus. Every Greek family may have its own recipe for the cake – called Fanouropita – and priests bless all versions.
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