A little information about Stegi Agapis
The Boarding House of Stegi Agapis, Evangelist John in Peania, Attica, completed 35 consecutive years of operation in 2023. The founders of Stegi Agapis were the late George and Ekaterini Emmanuel, parents of the current Chairman of the Board of Directors, Konstantinos G. Emmanuel. The purpose of the creation of Stegi Agapis was not only to provide shelter, food and nursing home services to our elderly neighbors. Its purpose, in addition to the above, was and remains the offer of brotherly love and care to its residents as well as opportunities, at the desire of each one, to participate in Orthodox Church life. Since the beginning of the operation of Stegi Agapis, more than 1,500 boarders have stayed in the Boarding House. None of our guests have been treated as a random unit passing through this place. We saw and see each and every one of them individually, as a unique personality, as one of our own people.
Stegi Agapis is housed in a building with a total surface area of approximately 3,700 sq.m., which is distributed over four levels. The first of these houses the kitchen, dining room, refrigerators, storage rooms, boiler room, laundry, large bathroom, staff apartments, the St. Nektarios church, interns' rooms, interns' lounge and the staff cloakroom.
The second one houses the event hall of Stegi Agapis, a small lounge for visitors, the reception area and the secretariat of the institution, the management and accounting offices, the doctor's office, the pharmacy, the interns' lounge and the interns' rooms. The third floor houses a small apartment, the physiotherapy room, staff rooms and rooms for the interns. A photovoltaic panel unit with a capacity of 10 kW has been installed on the exterior of the floor. On the fourth level are housed the mechanical rooms of the elevators, storage rooms, solar water heaters have been installed and there are five fully equipped apartments for the hospitality of visitors (clergy and laity) as well as a reception area and the board meeting room.
The surrounding area of Stegi Agapis has an area of approximately 16 acres. In this area the holy church of St. John the Theologian has been erected. Next to the Holy Church of St. John the Theologian, a small house of 60 m² has been erected, which is available for the accommodation of clergymen and next to it is the boiler room that serves to heat the house and the church. In the surrounding area, storage rooms and garages have also been erected, a biological purification system for the waste of the Boarding House, the electric generator of Stegi Agapis, the covered fire protection pump station of Stegi Agapis, above-ground and underground water tanks to cover various needs of Stegi Agapis, the house of the person responsible for technical matters of Stegi Agapis and various other smaller constructions have been built.
In the same area small ponds and fountains have been built for the recreation of the ecologists, visitors and workers, a pavilion for resting, a cage for songbirds, walking areas, etc., etc.
In the surrounding area, elegant gardens, greenhouses and fruit and vegetable gardens have also been laid out and landscaped for the needs of the farmers. In the same area, vines, olive trees, natural trees and citrus trees are also cultivated, the production of which is entirely available for the needs of the interns and the workers of Stegi Agapis. It should be noted that the two Holy Churches, of St. Nektarios and St. John the Theologian, thanks to the love of the Metropolitan of Messogaia and Lavreotiki Mr. Nikolaos and his predecessor, the late Metropolitan Agathonikos, have been operating on a rotating basis on a continuous basis since the beginning of the operation of Stegi Agapis until today. It was the wish of the founders and the desire of the respective Board of Directors and the staff of Stegi Agapis that the residents and employees of Stegi Agapis should live in this place in a warm, family, dignified and beautiful environment. As one of the founders of Stegi Agapis, the late George Emmanuel, had stated, referring to the construction of Stegi Agapis Boarding House and the work carried out there: "This work was done to the glory of God and in gratitude to God for His visible and invisible benefits". It is in the same spirit that the current management of Stegi Agapis and its staff strive to continue the work of giving back to its hosts. Our goal always remains to ensure that everyone lives at Stegi Agapis in the warm, family-like, dignified and beautiful environment that the founders inspired.