Newly-Appeared Martyrs
of Lesbos, Sts Raphael, Nicholas and Irene were martyred by the Turks on Bright
Tuesday (April 9, 1463) ten years after the Fall of Constantinople. For nearly
500 years, they were forgotten by the people of Lesbos, but “the righteous
Judge... opened the things that were hid” (2 Macc. 12:41).
For centuries the
people of Lesbos would go on Bright Tuesday to the ruins of a monastery near
Thermi, a village northwest of the capital, Mytilene. As time passed, however,
no one could remember the reason for the annual pilgrimage. There was a vague
recollection that once there had been a monastery on that spot, and that the
monks had been killed by the Turks.
In 1959, a pious man
named Angelos Rallis decided to build a chapel near the ruins of the monastery.
On July 3 of that year, workmen discovered the relics of St Raphael while
clearing the ground. Soon, the saints began appearing to various inhabitants of
Lesbos and revealed the details of their lives and martyrdom. These accounts
form the basis of Photios Kontoglou’s 1962 book A GREAT SIGN (in Greek).
St Raphael was born on
the island of Ithaka around 1410, and was raised by pious parents. His
baptismal name was George, but he was named Raphael when he became a monk. He
was ordained to the holy priesthood, and later attained the offices of
Archimandrite and Chancellor.
In 1453, St Raphael was
living in Macedonia with his fellow monastic, the deacon Nicholas, a native of
Thessalonica. In 1454, the Turks invaded Thrace, so the two monks fled to the
island of Lesbos. They settled in the Monastery of the Nativity of the
Theotokos near Thermi, where St Raphael became the igumen.
In the spring of 1463,
the Turks raided the monastery and captured the monks. They were tortured from
Holy Thursday until Bright Tuesday. St Raphael was tied to a tree, and the
ferocious Turks sawed through his jaw, killing him. St Nicholas was also
tortured, and he died while witnessing his Elder’s martyrdom. He appeared to
people and indicated the spot where his relics were uncovered on June 13, 1960.
St Irene was the
twelve-year-old daughter of the village mayor, Basil. She and her family had
come to the monastery to warn the monks of the invasion. The cruel Hagarenes
cut off one of her arms and threw it down in front of her parents. Then the
pure virgin was placed in a large earthen cask and a fire was lit under it,
suffocating her within. These torments took place before the eyes of her parents,
who were also put to death. Her grave and the earthen cask were found on May
12, 1961 after Sts Raphael, Nicholas and Irene had appeared to people and told
them where to look.
