John and Other Martyrs

The Holy Venerable Martyrs John and Other Martyrs were of the community of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified near Jerusalem. This glorious monastery of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, visited also by Saint Sava of Serbia and endowed by several Serbian rulers, exists to this day. Several times it was attacked by the Arabs, plundered and laid waste, but it was always rebuilt and has been preserved to this day.

In the time of the reign of Constantine and Irene it was attacked by the Arabs and plundered. The monks did not want to flee but, taking counsel with their abbot, Thomas, said: "We fled from the world into this desert out of love for Christ; it would now be shameful to flee from the desert out of fear of men. If we are killed here, we shall be killed for our love of Christ, for whom we came to live here." Having so decided, they awaited the armed Arabs unarmed. The Arabs killed some with arrows, and others they shut in the cave of Saint Sabbas, lit a fire at the entrance and suffocated them with smoke. So many of them died as martyrs for Christ. They suffered before Easter in the year 796, in the time of Constantine and Irene and the Patriarch of Jerusalem Elias. The Serbian Church commemorates them on 20 March by the old calendar (2 April by the new).