New Martyr18th century

Virgin Martyr Helen of Sinope

18th century

Also known as Helene Bekiaris

A young Christian woman of Sinope raised in piety who suffered martyrdom under Ottoman pressure.

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Commemorated as

The Holy New Virgin-Martyr Helen of Sinope

Life

Helen of Sinope was a young Christian woman of the pious Bekiaris family in Sinope, in the region of Pontus in Asia Minor (modern Sinop, Turkey), who suffered martyrdom in the 18th century during the period of Ottoman rule. According to her life, she was about fifteen years old, notably beautiful, and had been raised devout in the Orthodox faith.

Her uncle, a brother of her father, taught at a secret Greek school that operated clandestinely under Ottoman rule, where Helen learned the Orthodox faith, the Greek language, and history. She was known for her obedience to her parents and her devotion to Christ. According to her life, after she was sent by her mother to buy embroidery thread from a shop in Kryonas, the Ottoman governor of Sinope sought to take her into his household; when she resisted she was imprisoned, tortured, and beheaded. She is commemorated on November 1.

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide

KontakionTone 4

(Podoben: “You appeared today...”) As an undefiled virgin,
you overcame the most cunning Enemy by the power of Christ,
O all-praiseworthy Virgin Martyr, Helen.

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

TroparionTone 5

(Podoben: “Come, let us worship the Word...”) Let us honor the most fragrant flower of purity,
the boast and divine offspring of Sinope,
the Virgin Martyr of Christ,
the most pure Helen who struggled steadfastly,
and overcame the Enemy by the power of faith,
and she intercedes fervently with Christ God for everyone,
that He may have mercy on our souls.

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

Timeline5 momentsReadHide

18th centuryBirth and upbringing in SinopeHelen is born into the pious Bekiaris family in Sinope, in Pontus. Raised in the Orthodox faith, she is educated by her uncle at a secret Greek school where she learns the faith, the Greek language, and history.
18th centuryEncounter with the governorSent by her mother to buy embroidery thread from a shop in Kryonas, Helen, then about fifteen, is seen by Ukuzoglu (Oukouzoglou) Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Sinope, who summons her to his residence. According to her life, his repeated attempts to violate her are each thwarted by an unseen force, and she escapes home.
18th centurySurrender, torture, and martyrdomThe governor threatens the Christian community with death unless Helen is brought to him, and the community elders persuade her father to comply. According to her life, while she recited the Six Psalms and other prayers his assaults again failed; he imprisoned her, had two nails driven into her skull, and finally had her beheaded.
18th centuryRecovery of her relicsHer body was sewn into a sack and cast into the Black Sea. According to tradition the sack floated under a heavenly light to a place called Geai (Gaei), where it sank, and Greek sailors drawn by a light from the seafloor recovered her remains.
1924Translation of the skull to ThessalonikiFollowing the 1924 Greek-Turkish population exchange, a man named Christos Kafaropoulos brought her skull relic to Greece. It is now venerated in the Church of the Holy Great-Martyr Marina in the Ano Toumba quarter of Thessaloniki.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributionsReadHide

Historical Context

Helen lived in Sinope, an ancient city of Pontus on the Black Sea coast of Asia Minor, during the 18th century under Ottoman rule. In this period Greek Orthodox communities maintained their faith and language under pressure, and education was often conducted in secret schools. According to her life, her uncle taught at one such clandestine Greek school in Sinope, where she received her instruction in Orthodoxy, Greek, and history.

Her account belongs to the broader category of the New Martyrs venerated by the Orthodox Church for confessing the faith and refusing apostasy under Ottoman rule. The community elders associated with the Greek School of Sinope are said to have intervened in her case, persuading her father to surrender her in order to avert a threatened massacre of the local Christians.

Relics & Shrines

According to her life, after her body was recovered from the sea, her remains were divided: her body was reportedly sent to Russia, while her head remained in Sinope's Church of the Panagia, where it was venerated. Tradition holds that the relic was reported to cure ailments, headaches especially.

Following the 1924 Greek-Turkish population exchange, a man named Christos Kafaropoulos is said to have carried her skull to Greece. It is now preserved and venerated in the Church of the Holy Great-Martyr Marina in the Ano Toumba quarter of Thessaloniki. The place in the sea where her relics were recovered became known as Agiasmata, associated by tradition with fresh water of miraculous properties.

Miracles & Traditions

Traditional Accounts: According to her life, the governor's repeated attempts to violate her were each repelled by an unseen force, including on an occasion when she recited the Six Psalms and other prayers. After her martyrdom her body, sewn into a sack and cast into the sea, is said to have floated beneath a heavenly light until it sank at a place called Geai (Gaei); Greek sailors, drawn by a light shining from the seafloor, then recovered her remains, with the nail still embedded in her skull.

Traditional Accounts: The site of her relics' recovery, known as Agiasmata, is associated by tradition with fresh water of miraculous properties, and her skull relic in Thessaloniki is reported in tradition to continue producing fragrance and miracles. A monk named Gerasimos of Mount Athos composed the church service (akolouthia) in her honor. No formal glorification date is recorded in the sources consulted; she appears to have been venerated by local tradition from the time of her martyrdom.

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