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He was born [[February 7]] in the little village of St. John Karystia, in the province of Evoia. His parents, Leonidas and Eleni Bairaktaris (daughter of Antonios Lambrou), christened him Evangelos. He was fourth out of five siblings. Only his youngest sister is still alive and is a [[nun]].
His family was quite poor and so Evangelos left school at an early age to assist his family to make more money. At some stage, he found a job working at a grocer store in Chalkidiki and also in Piraeus. He was taught to pray the [[Paraklesis]] by his father and all other religious matters. At the age
== Monastic Life life ==
Later [[tonsure]]d with his [[monasticism|monastic]] name of Nikitas. He became a [[monk]] at the age or fourteen of fifteen. He served in the skete of Kafsokalyvia, in the Cell of St. George, under two spiritual fathers: Fr. Panteimon and Fr. Ionnakios. Forced by pleurisy to depart the [[Mount Athos|Holy Mountain]], he returned to his birthplace, where he was unexpectedly elevated to the [[priest]]hood at the age of 21 by Porphyrios III, [[Archbishop]] of Mount Sinai and Raithu. With the outbreak of World War II he became a hospital [[chaplain]] in Athens, in which post he continued for three decades (1940-1970). His later years were devoted to the construction of the Holy Convent of the Transfiguration of the Savior. After 1984 he returned to Mount Athos, occupying the same [[cell]] which he had earlier in life been forced to abandon.