A photo of Hrysanthos Katsoulogiannakis, the leper priest
The tiny island of Spinalonga located in the Gulf of Elounda in north-eastern Crete was the last leper colony in all of Europe from 1903-1957. At it’s peak, the colony was comprised of nearly 400 inhabitants. It was recorded that the lepers who lived on Spinalonga island were angry at God, the reason being that their ailment was a huge, unbearable ordeal. It was an isolating and tragic life as they were unable to leave the colony, although it was possible for their families to visit.
A priest from Ierapetra town in Crete had dared to visit them once, to perform a Liturgy together with the colony's new settlers. The church in which he invited the lepers to gather was falling into ruin. Sadly, not a single soul turned up for the first Liturgy in the humble church.
The lepers listened to the chanting, stubbornly remaining inside their cells, sometimes drowning it out with their groans and sometimes with their curses. But the priest went there again. During that second visit, one of the patients bravely showed himself at the doorstep of the church, with the following statement: "Priest, I will sit through your Liturgy, but only under one condition. At the end, you will give me Communion. And if your God is as almighty as you say, you will afterwards conclude the Liturgy (by partaking of what was left in the same Chalice) and not be afraid of my leprosy".
The priest nodded compliantly. These words were overheard from the neighboring cells and various individuals began to gather near the side of the church, where there was a small gap in the crumbling wall that offered them a limited view of the inner sanctum. The lepers remained in waiting until the end of the Liturgy and watched the priest, in tears and kneeling before the Sacred Table of Offering, as he concluded the ritual.
A month went by. The lepers waited for him. They were convinced that this time he would come as a patient and not as a priest. And yet, the priest returned, healthy and rosy-cheeked, and with his morale invigorated began to ring the church bell of the old chapel.
From that time on, and for at least ten years, Spinalonga island had a priest of its own, this priest. The lepers restored the church by themselves, and along with the church, they restored their faith. They took Holy Communion regularly and they would always secretly observe their priest during the conclusion of the Liturgy, to make sure that the "miracle of Spinalonga" was repeated, over and over again.
In 1957, with the discovery of antibiotics and the cure for leprosy, the leprosarium was shut down and the island was deserted. Only the priest remained on the island, until 1962, offering memorial services for the lepers, until 5 years after their death.
A more through account of the story (in Greek) is posted at: https://www.romfea.gr/prosopa/1721-enas-theostaltos-agios-sto-nisi-ton-kataramenon