Arsenios the Cave Dweller

Elder Arsenios the Cave Dweller (; Samsun, 1886 – Mount Athos, 1983 ) was a Pontic Greek Orthodox monk and elder. He was the primary companion of St. Joseph the Hesychast for about 40 years. The two of them led a small entourage of disciples.

Biography He was born as Anastasios in 1886 to Demetrius and Sotiria Galanopoulos, in Samsun, northern Anatolia. When he was 12 years old, he was taken by his family to the Caucasus due to the Turkish persecution of Pontic Greeks. As a result of his Pontic Greek background, he spoke Pontic Greek rather than standard Greek, as well as Turkish and Russian.

In his early days, Elder Arsenios served at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other holy shrines in Jerusalem. He later moved to Mount Athos, where he stayed for a few years at Stavronikita Monastery. During his time at Stavronikita, he met Joseph the Hesychast on the summit of Mount Athos during the Feast of the Transfiguration. From then on, Joseph the Hesychast became his lifelong companion.

He died on 15 September 1983 (or 2 September 1983 according to the Julian calendar).