CONFESSOR

SAINT LEONIDIS BISHOP OF ATHENS (April 15th )

SAINT LEONIDIS BISHOP OF ATHENS

The known whereabouts of Saint Leonidis are limited .Most historians identify the Saint with the martyr Leonidi whom celebrates at 16th of April. And for everyone that diversify the two saints ,the Saint Leonidis the Bishop of Athens was the 6th Bishop Athens ,whom finished his life peacefully ,the one identified with the martyr Leonidi origin was from Peloponisos.

It is unknown how ,being a bishop, he was found in Epidavros and arrested for his faith to Christ along with seven women  and suffered many tortures. They started by hanging  the saint and tore apart his flesh. Afterwards they threw him in the sea along with the seven women after they tied their feet with rocks. So they found a martyrical death and received the wreath of the race.

Their holy remains were found in a miraculous way 100 years ago. Anyhow either it is for one Saint Leonidis or different ones they both lived around the middle of the 3rd century in the reign of Dekios . In Athens there is a first-Christianic Temple (crypt) dedicated to the name of Saint Leonidis behind the pillars of Olympic Zeus.

SAINT NEW MARTYR GEORGIOS FROM IOANNINA (January 17th)

SAINT NEW MARTYR GEORGIOS FROM IOANNINA

This Saint New martyr Georgios was born at 1810 in the village of Tsourhli (today is named Saint Georgios) in the province of Grevena . At the age of 8 he and his brothers, became orphans from parents. Because they were very pour ,Georgios went to work for a Turkish officer named Hantzi Abdulah and followed him wherever he went. As the Turks used to do ,they had changed his name in Giaur Hasan so in time most didn’t know he was a Christian. At 1836 was appointed again at Ioannina Imin Passas and with him came the officer Hantzi Abdulah along with Georgios.

There young Georgios was engaged with a young Christian girl called Eleni. Then was when Georgios was blamed from a Hotza of Ioannina whom consider him to be a muslim ,that he was engaged with a Christian and took him to the Judge. In the trial young Georgios confessed that he was a Christian from his birth and he was released free after they called his master whom declared that he knew that Georgios was a Christian all that time he was working for him.

So Georgios got married and left with his master for a little while and returned to Ioannina where his wife give birth to his son. One day in the market happened to meet the same Hotza that had blamed him in the past and again he blamed him that he was a muslim that became a Christian ,so Georgios  was guided again to the judge. There he confessed for one more time that he was born a Christian but they did not believe him and put him in prison.

In the jail they tried to pursue him to become a muslim otherwise they would hang him ,but Georgios all the time continued to say that “I was born a Christian ,I am a Christian and I am going to die Christian”.At 17th of January of 1838 ,in the age of 28 he was guided the confessor Georgios to the gallows and he confessed his faith. His holy remains are found in Ioannina and make a lot of miracles to everyone that visit them with faith.

SAINT NEW MARTYR  CONSTANTINOS FROM IDRA (November 14th)

SAINT NEW MARTYR CONSTANTINOS FROM IDRA

Saint Neomartyr Constantinos was born in Idra at 1770. At the age of eighteen he went to Rhodes to find a job . There he was employed by the ruler of Rhodes Hasan Kapitan and there young Constantinos was mislead from the riches and the easy life and became a muslim and renamed Hasan. After three years as a Turkish officer he visited his homeland Idra ,there he received the contempt of his relatives ,friends and countrymen.

Then young Constantinos felt the evil he made . By returning to Rhodes  he went to a hermit to whom he confessed and asked for his blessing for him to go and become a martyr for Christ. His confessor asked him to delay to be a martyr fearing of the young of his age. So he moved to Crimea and stayed there for three years. Taking the choice of returning back he passed by Constantinople and asked for the blessing of the Patriarch to become a martyr. From there he went to Mount Athos and made a pilgrimage in the monastery of Panagia Iviron begging Her to reinforce him for his decision to be a martyr.

By returning in Rhodes he confessed the Orthodox faith and he was arrested and guided to jail where he suffered a lot of tortures for five months. At the end the ruler ordered to hang him ,thus he gave his Saint Soul to God at 14th of November. His martyrical remains were buried the Christians of Rhodes at the village of Varousi. From there they were transferred to his birthplace of Idra were they remain in the honored temple bearing his name.