New Martyr19th century

Saint Joseph of Dionysiou

died 17 February 1819

Also known as Joseph the Iconographer · New Martyr Joseph of Dionysiou

An iconographer and monk of the Dionysiou Monastery on Mount Athos, hanged in 1819 after refusing to convert to Islam.

February 17New Calendar

Feast Day

March 2Old Calendar

Also commemorated

September 14NewSeptember 27Old
October 26NewNovember 8Old

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Commemorated as

The Holy Venerable New Martyr Joseph of Dionysiou, the Iconographer of Mount Athos

Life

Saint Joseph of Dionysiou was a monk and iconographer of the Dionysiou Monastery on Mount Athos who was put to death in Constantinople in 1819 for refusing to renounce Christ and convert to Islam. He is commemorated as a new martyr of the Ottoman period.

Within his monastery he was known for the virtues of the monastic life and for his work in religious art; the surviving tradition associates him in particular with the icon of the holy Archangels on the iconostasis of the monastery's main church. Sources record nothing of his birth, secular name, or early life, and his memory rests almost entirely on the account of his martyrdom.

Troparion & Kontakion4 hymnsReadHide

TroparionTone 1

The image of God was truly preserved in you, O Father,
for you took up the Cross and followed Christ.
By so doing you taught us to disregard the flesh for it passes away
but to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore your spirit, venerable Joseph, rejoices with the angels.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

KontakionTone 2

As a venerable and proven ascetic, as an honorable and renowned martyr,
and as a model of the desert life, O most exalted Joseph,
we sing hymns of praise to you,
for you have trampled upon serpents.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

KontakionTone 2

(Podoben: “Seeking the Highest...”) Having divinely armed yourself with purity of soul and firmly grasping unceasing prayer as a spear,
you have slain the armies of the demons.
Therefore, we beseech you, O Father Joseph:
“Always intercede for those who honor you.”

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 8

In you the image was preserved with exactness, O Father,
for taking up your cross, you followed after Christ.
By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away,
but to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore, most venerable Father Joseph your spirit rejoices with the Angels.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline4 momentsReadHide

early 19th centuryMonk and iconographer at DionysiouJoseph lived as a monk at the Dionysiou Monastery on Mount Athos, where the synaxarion records that he shone forth in the virtues of monastic life and worked as an iconographer, painting the icon of the holy Archangels for the iconostasis of the monastery's main church.
before 1819Journey to ConstantinopleUnder the direction of his abbot, Igumen Stephen, Joseph traveled to Constantinople accompanying Eudocimus, a former Orthodox Christian who had converted to Islam and afterward repented, wishing to wipe out his apostasy through martyrdom.
1819Eudocimus recants and accuses JosephWhen the two were confronted with torture and the threat of death, Eudocimus again denied Christ and turned against his companion, blaming Joseph for having drawn him away from Islam.
17 February 1819Martyrdom by hangingLeft to face the authorities alone, Joseph endured many tortures but steadfastly refused to convert to Islam. He was hanged on 17 February 1819.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributionsReadHide

Monastic life and iconography

Joseph belonged to the Dionysiou Monastery, a coenobitic house on the southwest coast of Mount Athos founded by Saint Dionysius of Korisos in the mid-14th century, dedicated to John the Baptist, and ranking fifth in the hierarchy of the self-governing Athonite monasteries.

The synaxarion remembers him both for his monastic virtue and for his craft as an iconographer. The work most closely tied to his memory is the icon of the holy Archangels on the iconostasis of the monastery's main church, the one concrete artistic attribution that the surviving accounts preserve.

Martyrdom

Joseph's death belongs to the long succession of new martyrs of the Ottoman period, Orthodox Christians executed under Muslim rule for confessing Christ. He came to Constantinople not as one accused for his own faith but as the companion of Eudocimus, an apostate who had returned to Orthodoxy and sought to atone through a martyr's death.

When the trial came, Eudocimus' resolve failed: he denied Christ a second time and shifted the charge onto Joseph, alleging that the monk had turned him away from Islam. Joseph was then subjected to many tortures meant to force his conversion. He refused, and was hanged on 17 February 1819.

Commemoration

Joseph is commemorated on 17 February, the day of his martyrdom, which several traditions keep as his principal feast. He is also commemorated on 14 September and on 26 October, the dates varying among the sources and calendars that observe him.

Related Saints7 saintsShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

Founder of his monastery — the builder of the Dionysiou Monastery on Mount Athos, the house where Joseph lived as monk and iconographer.

Saint DionysiosBuilder of the Prodromou Monastery of Mount Athos

Fellow monastic of Dionysiou — a venerable-martyr of the same Athonite house.

Venerable-Martyr Gennadiusof Dionysiou

Fellow monastic of Dionysiou — a monastic-martyr of the same Athonite house.

Monastic-Martyr Christopherof Dionysiou

Fellow monastic of Dionysiou — the clairvoyant elder of the same Athonite house.

Venerable Leontiusthe Hagiorite

Fellow monastic of Dionysiou — a venerable father of the same Athonite house.

Venerable Dometiusof Dionysiou