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Commemorated on March 20
The Monks John,
Sergios, Patrikios and Others Murdered in the Monastery of Saint Sava:
During the VIII Century the surroundings of Jerusalem were subjected to
frequent incursions of the Saracens. The monastery of Saint Chariton was
devastated and fell into ruin. Twice the Saracens tried to plunder the Lavra
monastery of Saint Sava the Sanctified, but Divine Providence protected the
monastery. The Lavra monks would have been able to escape the barbarian
incursions by going to Jerusalem, but they decided not to forsake the spot
where they had sought salvation for so many a year.
At the end of Great
Lent in the week before Palm Sunday, on 13 March, the Saracens broke into the
monastery and demanded all the valuables be given them. Upon receiving the
reply of the monks, that in the monastery was nothing besides a scant supply of
food and old clothing, the Saracens began to shoot arrows at the monastery
inhabitants. Thirteen men were killed and many wounded, and monastery cells
were set afire. The Saracens intended also to torch the monastery church, but
seeing in the distance a throng of people, they mistook this for an army force
sent out from Jerusalem. The Saracens managed to get away, carrying off the
little they had succeeded to plunder. After the enemy fled, Father Thomas, an
experienced physician, began to render help to those remaining alive.
On Great Thursday, 20
March, the Saracens with a yet larger force again descended upon the Lavra and
began to beat up the monks. Those remaining alive were driven into the church,
so as to learn from them under torture where any treasure might be hidden. The
monastery was surrounded, so that no one could save themself by fleeing. The
barbarians seized hold of Saint John, a quite still young monk, who before had
cared for the vagrant. They beat him fiercely, then they cut through the sinews
of his hands and feet and dragged him by the feet over stones with the woeful
effect of tearing the skin of the back of the martyr.
The keeper of the
church vessels, the Monk Sergios, hid the church-ware and attempted to flee,
but he was captured and beheaded. Several of the monks nevertheless managed to
hide themselves away outside the monastery in a cave, but this was spotted by a
sentry on an hill and they ordered everyone to come out. Inside the cave the
Monk Patrikios in a whisper said to the brethren huddled with him: "Fear
not, I alone on your behalf will emerge and meet my death, meanwhile sit ye and
pray". The Saracens questioned whether there was anyone else in the cave,
and the monk answered that he was alone. They led him off to the Lavra church,
where those yet alive awaited their fate. The Saracens demanded of them a
ransom of 4,000 gold pieces and the sacred vessels. The monks were not able to
give such a ransom. Then they led them around into the cave of the Monk Sava,
located at the monastery enclosure, and in front of the entrance to the cave
they set a bon-fire, on which they piled up dung, so as to suffocate the
imprisoned with the poisonous fumes. In the cave perished eighteen men, among
which were the Monks John and Patrikios. Those remaining alive the Saracens
continued to torture, but getting nothing out of them, they finally left the
monastery.
Later in the night on
Great Friday the monks hidden in the hills returned to the Lavra, they took up
the bodies of the murdered monastic fathers to the church and in grief buried
them there.
The barbarians that
plundered the monastery were punished by God. They fell victim to a sudden
illness, in which they perished all every one, and their bodies became the
spoil of wild beasts.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.
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