George of Rapsani

Holy Martyr George of Rapsani (1798-1818) was born in 1798 in the mountain village of Rapsani, not far from Larissa and Mount Olympus, in Thessaly, of a rich and noble family. His parents were Hadji-⁠Laskaris, son of Anastasius Psaltos, and Smaragda, daughter of Theodore Sakellaridis. His teacher was an enlightened priest of Rapsani, kyr Christodoulos Karazisis, married to George's sister Maria. Receiving an excellent education, George became teacher in his village.

The cause of his martyr's death was the baptism of a young Turk. The Muslims suspected that George's enlightening activity had played a part in the conversion of this youth to Christianity. George was seized and brought to the village of Tyrnavos, to the Turkish pasha. There he was questioned and condemned to numerous tortures and to death.

The martyr was laid naked on red-⁠hot iron, iron nails were driven into him, he was strangled, stretched, struck with the sword, his naked body shackled with red-⁠hot hoops. Then heavy fetters were put on his feet and he was led outside the town, where he was chained to a post, wrapped with ropes soaked in pitch and naphtha and set on fire, but by the mercy of God the martyr remained unharmed. Then, in impotent rage, the Turks beheaded him. This happened in 1818, near Tyrnavos.

The martyr was buried at Tyrnavos, near the bridge, close to the Turkish barracks. On the very first night the Turks saw a pillar of light rising to heaven from the martyr's grave. The same happened on the second night. Frightened, the Turks called from Rapsani George's relatives, to take the saint's body. With the greatest honours his relics were carried to Rapsani and buried there, near the church of the Dormition of the Mother of God. The saint is commemorated on 5 March, old style, which is 18 March in the new calendar, following the Greek calendar. He is not included in the present calendar of the Russian Church.