Hieromartyr16th century

Hieromartyr Nikodemos of Meteora

died 1551

Also known as Nicodemus of Meteora

A hieromartyr of Meteora in Thessaly who suffered for Christ in 1551.

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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Nikodemos of Meteora

Life

Hieromartyr Nikodemos of Meteora was a monastic of the Great Meteoron Monastery (the Monastery of the Transfiguration) in Thessaly who suffered martyrdom for his faith in 1551, during the Ottoman period. He is commemorated on August 16th.

Almost nothing survives concerning his life. The sole historical attestation is a brief notice by Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite, who recorded the martyr's name, his monastery, and his year of death, and composed commemorative verses about him. Beyond this, the circumstances that led to his martyrdom are not known.

He is classified among the New Venerable Martyrs of the Ottoman era and is commemorated jointly with Daniel of Meteora.

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 Nikódēmos, entreat Christ God to save our souls.

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

Timeline2 momentsReadHide

1356Foundation of the Great MeteoronThe Monastery of the Transfiguration (the Great Meteoron) is founded by Athanasius the Meteorite in Thessaly, the community where Nikodemos would later live.
1551MartyrdomNikodemos, a monastic of the Great Meteoron, suffers martyrdom for his faith during the Ottoman period. He is commemorated on August 16th.

Contributions & Legacy

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Historical Context

The Great Meteoron, the Monastery of the Transfiguration, was founded in 1356 by Athanasius the Meteorite atop the rock pillars of Meteora in Thessaly. During the century following its foundation the region fell under Ottoman rule, which lasted until Thessaly passed to the Kingdom of Greece by the Convention of Constantinople in 1881.

Nikodemos lived and struggled at the Great Meteoron and was martyred there in 1551, within this long Ottoman period. Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite, who preserved his memory, recorded that the martyr declared during his passion that he was being put to death for the love of the Lord.

Sources and Uncertainty

The historical record for Nikodemos is extremely sparse. The Orthodox Church in America's synaxarion notes only that he struggled in Thessaly and suffered in 1551. The fullest account, drawn from Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite, explicitly states that apart from his having lived at the Great Meteoron Monastery and having been martyred on August 16th, no other information about the saint or the cause of his martyrdom is preserved.

No birthplace, birth date, biographical detail, or account of relics survives in the reachable sources.

Commemorated With

Nikodemos is commemorated together with Daniel of Meteora, another New Venerable Martyr of Meteora. Daniel originated from Farkadona (ancient Tsioti) in southeastern Trikala. Daniel's sacred skull is preserved at the Great Meteoron Monastery in a reliquary case dating to 1786, and is brought to Farkadona for veneration on the first Saturday of the August fast.

Related Saints1 saintShowHide

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

Monastic forefather; founder of the Great Meteoron, the community to which Nikodemos belonged.

Athanasiusof Meteora

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