Agapius of Galatista

Holy New Martyr Agapius of Galatista was a hieromonk, born in 1710 at Galatista, in Halkidiki, and martyred at Thessaloniki in 1752. He was recognized as a saint in 1997, and since then his commemoration has been kept on 18 August. Our sources do not give the act by which the recognition was made.

At that time Galatista was the seat of a bishopric and had many schools which provided a good education. The same town was the birthplace of the painters Galatsanoi, who painted many icons and murals in the Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos. Agapius, while still young, went to Jerusalem, where he became first a monk and later was ordained priest by Patriarch Parthenius (1737 to 1766). He returned to Thessaloniki, where he served as a priest. In 1743 (according to another source, 1742) he was sent to Moscow to collect alms and financial help for the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and remained there until 1747.

He returned to Thessaloniki, where he taught at the city school and at the Athonite Academy and other schools. On 18 August 1752 Agapius was tortured and killed by Janissaries on his way from Galatista to Thessaloniki. It is not known where he was buried.