The holy New Martyr Ignatius was born in the village of Eski
Zagora in the Trnovo region of Bulgaria, and was named John in Baptism.
While he was still a young child, his parents George and Maria moved to
the city of Philippopolis and enrolled him in a school there.
Although
he did well at school, he had a strong desire for the monastic life.
Upon reaching adulthood, he entered the Rila monastery in western
Bulgaria. There he was assigned to an Elder, with whom he lived in
obedience for six years. When the Elder’s strictness became unbearable,
John returned home.
About that time the Serbs rose in revolt
against the Moslem government. John’s father was asked to take command
of an Ottoman brigade, but he refused to fight against other Orthodox
Christians.
The Moslems attacked George with furious anger. He was
stabbed and then beheaded. John’s mother and sisters were also taken by
the Hagarenes, and they ultimately agreed to convert to Islam.
John
fled and hid in the home of an elderly Orthodox woman. His mother and
sisters learned where he was hiding, and they told the Moslems. Those
sent to capture him did not know what he looked like, so the old woman
told them she did not know him. The woman helped him escape to
Bucharest, Romania, where he became acquainted with St Euthymius, who
would also endure martyrdom.
John did not wish to stay in
Bucharest, however, and so he left for Mt. Athos. On the way he visited
the village of Soumla, where he ran into his friend Fr Euthymius again.
Learning that Euthymius had denied Christ and beome a Moslem, John
became very sad and left the village.
He had not gotten very far
when Turkish soldiers stopped him and took all his possessions. They
demanded that he convert to Islam, and in his fright he told them that
he would do so. Satisfied with this reply, they let him go.
John
reached the village of Eski Zagora, where he met an Athonite monk from
the monastery of Grigoriou. They journeyed to the Holy Mountain
together, and John settled in the Skete of St Anna. There he met Fr
Basil.
One day John and Fr Basil traveled to Thessalonica on
monastery business. While they were there the monks David and Euthymius
of Demetsana suffered martyrdom because they were Christians. John was
inflamed with the desire for martyrdom. Fr Basil, however, urged him to
postpone his intention, and so they returned to the Holy Mountain. A
short time after this, Fr Basil died.
When a monk from the Skete
of St Anna told him of the martyrdom of the New Martyr Euthymius (March
22), John was once more filled with zeal for martyrdom. He was placed
under the spiritual direction of the Elder Acacius, who prescribed for
him prayer, prostrations, and reading the Gospel.
In time, John
was found worthy of monastic tonsure, and was given the new name
Ignatius. The Elder Acacius blessed him to travel to Constantinople with
the monk Gregory in order to bear witness to Christ. After receiving
the Holy Mysteries in Constantinople, Ignatius felt he was ready for his
ordeal.
Dressed in Moslem garb, Ignatius went before the kadi and
proclaimed his faith in Christ. He told him how he had promised to
become a Moslem when he was younger, but now he threw his turban at the
kadi’s feet and said that he would never deny Christ.
Thinking
that Ignatius was insane, the kadi warned him that if he did not come to
his senses he would endure horrible torments before being put to death.
On the other hand, if he embraced Islam, he would receive rich gifts
and great honor from them.
The courageous martyr told the kadi to
keep his gifts, for they were merely temporal gifts. “Your threats of
torture and death are nothing new,” he said, “and I knew of them before I
came here. In fact, I came here because of them, so that I might die
for my Christ.”
St Ignatius went on to call Mohammed “a false
prophet, a teacher of perdition, and a friend of the devil.” Then he
invited the Moslems to believe in Christ, the only true God.
The
kadi then became so angry he could not speak, so he motioned for a
servant to lead St Ignatius out of the room. Ignatius turned and struck
the servant, then knelt before the kadi and bent his neck, as if
inviting him to behead him then and there. Other servants entered the
room, however, and dragged him off to prison.
Later, Ignatius was
brought before the kadi for questioning. When asked who had brought him
to Constantinople, he replied, “My Lord Jesus Christ brought me here.”
Again
the kadi urged him to reconsider, for he was about to experience
unimaginable tortures. “Do not expect to be beheaded so that the
Christians can collect your blood as a blessing,” he said, “for I
intend to hang you.”
Ignatius replied, “You will be doing me a
great service whether you hang me or put me to the sword. I accept
everything for the love of Christ.”
Seeing that he could not turn
Ignatius from his Christian Faith, the kadi ordered him to be hanged. He
was taken to a place called Daktyloporta, where the sentence was
carried out. The martyr’s body remained hanging there for three days,
then some pious Christians paid a ransom for it and took it to the
island of Prote for burial.
St Ignatius gave his life for Christ on October 8, 1814. He is also commemorated on May 1 with Sts Acacius and Euthymius.
The head of St Ignatius is in the Monastery of St Panteleimon on Mt Athos.
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