John of Petra

John of Petra was a hieromonk of the Monastery of Petra on Olympus, killed at Naousa on the Thursday of Bright Week in 1822, in the church of St George, while he was serving. He is honoured as a new hieromartyr and is commemorated on 28 April, at the Monastery of Petra on the Thursday of Bright Week, and at Katerini on the Sunday of the Paralytic. He has no known canonization.

The date of his birth, probably toward the end of the eighteenth century, and his place of origin are not known. Love for Christ brought him to the historic Monastery of Petra on Olympus, where he lived with great self-⁠denial. For the purity of his life he was found worthy to receive the priesthood.

In March 1822 Christians from Olympus hurried, at the call of the chiefs of Naousa, to help the uprising against the Turks. For this the spiritual support of the fathers of Petra was also needed, and the monastery sent the hieromonk John to encourage and strengthen the Christians of Naousa.

On the Thursday of Bright Week the saint was keeping vigil in the church of St George the Trophy-⁠Bearer at Naousa. With him prayed the priest Demetrios Sakellarios, the spiritual father Gerasimos and two others whose names have not been kept. After the consecration of the Gifts, enraged Turks entered the church and killed many of the faithful, Saint John and the other four priests. The commemoration of these new martyrs, the five priests and the faithful who were killed, is held on the Sunday of Thomas. They belong to the 1241 martyrs of Naousa, canonized in 2011.