Cloud of Witnesses
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Hieromartyr16th century

Hieromartyr Euthymios of Rhodes

died 1529

Also known as Euthymius, Metropolitan of Rhodes

Metropolitan of Rhodes under Ottoman rule who was arrested and martyred after being accused of conspiracy.

August 9New Calendar
Feast Day
August 22Old Calendar
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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Euthymios, Metropolitan of Rhodes

Life

Euthymios was the Orthodox Metropolitan of Rhodes during the early years of Ottoman rule over the island. Elected to the see following the Ottoman conquest of Rhodes in 1523, he shepherded the Christian population of the island through a difficult period of foreign occupation until his arrest and martyrdom in 1529.

Accused of being the instigator or leader of a conspiracy against Turkish rule, Euthymios was put to death by impalement together with other clergy and leading citizens of Rhodes. He was honored as a martyr by the local Christians immediately after his death, and his grave became a prominent pilgrimage site on the island. He is commemorated in the Orthodox Church as a hieromartyr on August 9.

Troparion1 hymnReadHide
TroparionTone 4

By sharing in the ways of the Apostles,
you became a successor to their throne.
Through the practice of virtue, you found the way to divine contemplation, O inspired one of God;
by teaching the word of truth without error, you defended the Faith,
even to the shedding of your blood.
Hieromartyr Euthymios, entreat Christ God to save our souls.

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

Timeline2 momentsReadHide
  1. 1523Ottoman conquest of RhodesFollowing the Ottoman conquest of Rhodes in 1523, Euthymios was elected Metropolitan of the island, taking up the pastoral care of its Orthodox flock under the new occupation.
  2. 1529Arrest and martyrdomArrested on the charge of inciting or leading a conspiracy against Turkish rule, Euthymios was executed by impalement alongside other clergy and prominent citizens of Rhodes.

Contributions & Legacy

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Episcopate under Ottoman rule

Euthymios assumed the metropolitan see of Rhodes after the island fell to the Ottomans in 1523. The sources record that he shepherded his flock in a God-pleasing manner during those difficult years of occupation, ministering to a Christian population now living under foreign and non-Christian rule.

In 1529 he was arrested on the accusation that he was the instigator and leader of a conspiracy against the Turkish authorities. He was condemned and put to death by impalement, suffering together with other clergy and leading members of the Christian community of Rhodes.

Veneration and pilgrimage

Euthymios was honored as a martyr by the Christians of Rhodes immediately after his death, and his grave became a notable place of pilgrimage on the island. A report by a Latin missionary, sent to Rome, recorded that the tomb of Euthymios had become the most prominent pilgrimage site on Rhodes.

According to the same tradition, people suffering from malaria and fever-related illness would come to his grave, and they were reported to be cured there.

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints