Many great men lived on the Holy Mountain as unknown and simple monks. They hid themselves from the eyes of the world, and only at the hour of death was it discovered, in the case of some, that they had been men of great stature.
In the forest near one of the monasteries on Mount Athos, the fathers found the body of a venerable elder who had reposed. He was clothed in tattered monastic garments, and in his hand he held a piece of paper on which was written:
"Commit to the earth the body of Bishop Nicholas."
No one knew where he had served as a bishop before coming to the Holy Mountain. His identity remained a mystery.
Only the Lord will reveal it at the Dread Judgment, when He comes to reward His faithful servants and to judge those who have been unfaithful.
— From the writings of Schema-Archimandrite Stefan of Karoulia, The Beauties of the Holy Mountain.