The disappearance of a 58-year-old Greek Orthodox monk in Turkey has turned into a mystery. He left Giannitsa for Pontus and Cappadocia, hoping to visit his family’s ancestral homeland and live as a hermit. Almost three months after his departure, his whereabouts remain unknown, and his relatives are desperately searching for a sign that he is alive.

The missing man is Monk Joseph, born Nikolaos Tsigozis, who left Neos Mylotopos, near Giannitsa, on 23 July and has not contacted his family since.

The case was featured on Angeliki Nikolouli’s television program Fos sto Tunnel (Light at the End of the Tunnel), where his sisters described the circumstances of his disappearance and their efforts to find him.

Particular interest has centred on the response from the Greek Consulate in Constantinople, which said that a person resembling the missing monk visited its offices on 25 July seeking information about how to travel to Pontus.

His dream of returning to his ancestral homeland and living as a hermit

According to his relatives, the 58-year-old’s decision to travel to Turkey was not an impulsive one. Rather, it was a deeply personal wish he had expressed repeatedly.

Monk Joseph wanted to visit Pontus and Cappadocia, regions linked to his family’s origins, while also pursuing his vision of a more secluded, ascetic life.

“He had a burning desire to go to Pontus. He used to say that he wanted to become a hermit,” his sister Evangelia said on the program.

She also spoke about her brother’s journey into monastic life, explaining that he had devoted a large part of his life to the monastic community.

“My brother belongs to the monastic order. In 2003, he was on Mount Athos and later moved to Agia Triada in Lagkadas. He followed his abbot to Elassona and also took monastic vows. He changed his name from Nikolaos to Joseph, but the monastery was left without an abbot and, during the period when he was preparing to move to another monastery, he stayed with me at our family home,” she explained.

The 58-year-old had therefore been staying at the family home in Neos Mylotopos in recent months, awaiting a move to another monastery. However, as it later emerged, he had already begun planning his journey to Turkey.

Departure on 23 July and a ticket to Turkey

The monk’s disappearance came to light on Thursday, 23 July, when his relatives discovered that he had left the village without telling them where he was going.

His sister Eftychia, who lives in Thessaloniki, immediately began searching for him.

“On the morning of 23 July, a Thursday, my brother left. I went to our village, Mylotopos, near Giannitsa. We started looking for him, but we couldn’t find him anywhere. I went to the police and reported his disappearance. I also remembered that he had repeatedly mentioned Constantinople, so we went to look at the railway station. There was a travel agency there, and we found that a ticket had been issued in his name. We later confirmed that he had boarded a bus to Turkey,” she said.

The discovery of the ticket provided the first significant clue about the 58-year-old’s movements. The family managed to confirm that the monk had boarded a bus bound for Turkey. However, they did not know whether he had reached Istanbul or whether he had been able to continue from there to the regions he wished to visit.

Visit to the Greek Consulate and search for a route to Trabzon

The relatives’ efforts also led them to contact the Greek Consulate in Constantinople.

According to Eftychia, their brother, who lives in Canada, contacted the consular authorities to seek information about the missing man.

“My brother in Canada called the consulate in Istanbul. I had also informed the police, and we were told that a man who was not wearing a monk’s robes had indeed arrived by taxi and was looking for information on how to get to Trabzon,” she said.

According to the family, consular staff checked the man’s passport and gave him directions to the intercity bus station so that he could continue his journey.

This information strengthened the relatives’ belief that the monk had reached Istanbul and was trying to find a way to travel to Pontus. However, no one knows whether he ultimately boarded another bus, which route he took or whether he reached Trabzon.

The Consulate’s official response

In an effort to gather further information about the disappearance, the Fos sto Tunnel program contacted the Greek Consulate in Constantinople, which provided a written response.

According to the Consulate, a person resembling the missing monk appeared at its offices on the afternoon of Saturday, 25 July.

The man was seeking information about ways to travel to the Pontus region.

In its response, the Consulate stated:

“He was seeking information about ways to travel to the Pontus region. As it was a non-working day, he managed to contact the official responsible by telephone through the Authority’s emergency number, using a mobile phone that belonged to a third party. Late that evening, a brother of the missing man contacted us for the first time.”

The reference to the use of a third party’s mobile phone is another detail that could potentially help in the search for the monk.

The chronology also indicates that the man’s appearance at the Consulate took place two days after the 58-year-old left Giannitsa. However, the Consulate’s response refers to a person who resembled the missing man, rather than confirming the monk Joseph’s identity.

Interpol notified as relatives remain desperate for answers

The family continues its efforts to locate the monk, having contacted both the Greek authorities and the relevant agencies that can assist with a cross-border search.

“Interpol and the Greek Consulate in Turkey have been informed,” his sister Evangelia said.

The relatives believe the search should focus primarily on Constantinople, Trabzon and other areas of Pontus, as these were the places the 58-year-old intended to visit. They have also not ruled out the possibility that he tried to travel to Cappadocia, another region he had wanted to see.

So far, however, there is no confirmed information about where he might be or whether he has joined a monastic community.

The family’s greatest concern is to find out whether he is in good health and in a safe environment.

“We want to know… Is he alive? Is he well?” they say.

Identifying features of the missing monk

Monk Joseph, born Nikolaos Tsigozis, is 58 years old and approximately 1.64 metres tall. He has long grey hair, which he usually ties back in a ponytail, a grey moustache, a closely trimmed beard and green eyes. He has an average build.

According to the information available, the man resembling him who visited the Greek Consulate was not wearing monastic robes. This detail could make him harder to recognise for people who know him only by his appearance as a monk.

The family is appealing to anyone who may have information about his movements in Turkey, or who knows whether he is staying at a monastery or hermitage, to contact the relevant authorities.

Almost three months after his departure, the central question remains unanswered: did Monk Joseph manage to reach Pontus and fulfil his dream, or did something happen that brought his journey to an end?

For his loved ones, only one thing matters: receiving a sign that he is alive and learning that the 58-year-old is safe.