Saint Gerasimus the New Ascetic of Cephalonia was born in the village of Trikkala in the Peloponessos.
As a young adult, he became a monk on the island of Zakynthos.
On the Holy Mountain he became a schemamonk and studied with the ascetics of Mt Athos.
Receiving a blessing from the Elders, the monk went to Jerusalem to worship at the Life-bearing Tomb of the Savior.
After visiting many holy places in Jerusalem, Mount Sinai, Antioch, Damascus, Alexandria and Egypt, he returned to Jerusalem where he became a lamp-lighter at the Sepulchre of the Lord.