c. 1634 – 1652
A young Christian of Thasos apprenticed to a tailor in Constantinople, who refused conversion to Islam and was martyred.
The Holy New Martyr John of Thasos
John of Thasos was a young Greek Christian of the Ottoman period who was martyred at Constantinople in 1652 for refusing to renounce his faith and accept Islam. He is numbered among the New Martyrs who suffered under Turkish rule, and is commemorated on December 20.
According to the synaxarion, John came from the village of Marias on the island of Thasos in the northern Aegean. While still a youth he was brought to Constantinople and apprenticed to a tailor. There he was seized by the Turks and accused of having insulted the Muslim religion. Pressed to convert to Islam, he refused to renounce the Christian faith, and for this he was beheaded at the age of eighteen.
(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”) You appeared as a bright star announcing Christ with your radiance,
which is repulsive to this world, O Martyr John;
extinguishing the allure of false gods,
you enlighten the faithful,
always interceding for us all.
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
Your holy martyr John, O Lord,
through his suffering has received an incorruptible crown from You, our God.
For having Your strength, he laid low his adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.
Through his intercessions, save our souls!
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
The tradition relates that John was accused before the Turkish authorities of insulting Islam, a charge that under Ottoman law could carry the death penalty unless the accused embraced the Muslim faith. He was urged to convert and so save his life, but he would not deny Christ. He was put to death by beheading in 1652, at the age of eighteen, and was thereafter venerated as a New Martyr.
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