John the New of Ioannina

Saint New Martyr John the New of Ioannina (John of Yannina) was born around 1496 at Ioannina in Epirus, into a Christian family, and was burned and beheaded at Constantinople in 1526. He is commemorated on 18 April (according to the Serbian source, 18 April by the Julian calendar, 1 May by the Gregorian, in memory of the day of his death).

In his youth he was orphaned and went to Constantinople, where, with the means left by his parents, he bought a small shop at the city's bazaar and worked as a craftsman. Constantinople then belonged to the Ottoman Turks, who oppressed Christians. Many merchants and craftsmen, to avoid trouble, converted to Islam. John not only did not wish to change his faith, but also urged those who had become Muslims to return to their former faith and supported those who remained faithful to Christianity. Being poor, according to the Serbian source, he had moved to Constantinople to open a shop.

The new Muslims did not like John's religious activity, and he, knowing this, was ready to receive a martyr's death. On Great Friday he went to his spiritual father and asked a blessing for martyrdom. His confessor advised him to fast and pray, so as to receive death without fear and remain firm in his faith. John followed the advice. On the night of Great Saturday he had a prophetic dream, in which he was burning. John received the Holy Gifts and asked his confessor's blessing to go to the struggle. Arriving at the market, he learned that the craftsmen who had converted to Islam were spreading the rumour that he had promised to renounce his faith and become a Muslim, but was not keeping the promise. John declared aloud that he had never renounced and would never renounce Christ. He was brought to trial. The judge, who knew John and thought him a good craftsman, urged him to renounce his faith and accept another. John refused. He was thrown into prison, where he was left to hunger, was given no water and was tortured. In the end he was sentenced to burning. John boldly entered the middle of the blazing pyre; when his tormentors saw it, they fell into a rage, dragged him from the fire and cut off his head, then burned the innocent man's body on the pyre. According to the Serbian source, he himself ran and threw himself into the flames, and the tormentors, thinking that he liked to end his life burned, cut off his head with the sword and threw it into the fire together with the body. Some remains were nevertheless preserved, were found by Christians and buried in the great church in Constantinople, that is, according to the Russian source, gathered by Christians and taken to the cathedral church.