His Grace Bishop Nifon (Nikolaos in the world) Daskalakis of Mahajanga (Northern Madagascar) comes from Gerani, in the municipality of Platanias, Chania, Crete. He was born in Chania in 1970, where he completed his schooling.
He holds a doctorate in theology, jointly supervised by Neapolis University Pafos and the University of the Peloponnese, with a thesis on “The development of the feast from the Sabbath to the Lord’s Day”. He also holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Neapolis University Pafos and a degree from the School of Humanities of the Hellenic Open University, specialising in Greek Civilisation. He is the author of “Father Ioannis Matonakis, the merciful servant of God” (2014), “The life and spiritual legacy of St Porphyrios the Kafsokalyvite” (master’s thesis) and “The development of the feast from the Sabbath to the Lord’s Day” (doctoral thesis).
He is a brother of the Holy Monastery of St Demetrios “Valetsiko” in Tsaritsani, Elassona. He was ordained deacon on 5 February 2016 and priest on 6 February 2016, also receiving the office of Archimandrite, by His Eminence Metropolitan Gennadios of Botswana.
He served as an officer of the Hellenic Police and, for several years, as Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Platanias, Chania. On 20 August 2023 he was awarded the Cross of the Apostle and Evangelist Mark by His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa.
On 7 October 2025, on the proposal of His Beatitude, he was elected by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria as Bishop of the newly founded Diocese of Mahajanga (Northern Madagascar), and he was ordained on 5 December 2025 at the Patriarchal Monastery of St Sabbas the Sanctified in Alexandria.
The Bishop’s commemoration
Νήφωνος τοῦ Θεοφιλεστάτου καὶ θεοπροβλήτου
Ἐπισκόπου τῆς Ἁγιωτάτης Ἐπισκοπῆς Ματζούγκα καὶ
Βορείου Μαδαγασκάρης, ἡμῶν δὲ Πατρὸς καὶ
Ποιμενάρχου, πολλὰ τὰ ἔτη.
☩ ☩ ☩
Of Nifon, the most God-beloved and God-chosen Bishop of the most holy Diocese of Mahajanga and Northern Madagascar, our Father and Shepherd: many years!