Joannicius of Zographou

Holy Venerable Martyr Joannicius of Zographou (Athos) is one of the twenty-⁠six martyrs of the Zographou monastery. In 1274 the emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus entered into union with Rome, but most of the monasteries of Athos firmly refused to betray Orthodoxy and rebuked those who abandoned it. For this the Holy Mountain was attacked by Latin armies and mercenaries, who killed many monks. The Zographou monastery, inhabited by Bulgarians, was especially exposed, since the emperor did not wish to turn the Greeks away and vented his anger on monasteries of other nations.

Learning in a wonderful way that the soldiers were approaching, the abbot of Zographou, Thomas, warned the brothers that whoever wished to escape must flee from the monastery, and whoever desired martyrdom must stay. Twenty-⁠six people stayed, among them the abbot Thomas, the monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Michaias, Simon, Hilarion, two Jacobs, Job, Cyprian, Sabbas, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Menas, Joasaph, Joannicius, Paul, Anthony, Euthymius, Domitian, Parthenius and four lay workers whose names are not known. They shut themselves in the monastery tower.

On arrival, the Latin soldiers set fire to the tower. While it burned, the martyrs of Christ sang psalms and the akathist to the Most Holy Mother of God and so gave their souls to God on 10 October, between the years 1274 and 1284. The Church commemorates Venerable Martyr Joannicius on 4 July, on a movable day, in the Synaxis of the Venerable Ones of Athos.