Parthenios Partheniadis

Holy New Hieromartyr Parthenios Partheniadis was a hieromonk and belonged to the Kollyvades movement. When the Kollyvades had to leave the Holy Mountain, he withdrew to the Monastery of the Annunciation on Ikaria. In 1798 he arrived at Patmos, with other monks, and the Meadow of Koutroulis, on the north side of the island, was ceded to him in return for twenty-⁠five piastres a year. With builders from Samos he built there a small monastery, called the Meadow of Monks, and for that reason the place is also called the Kathisma of Parthenios. Needing more resources, he went to Thrace to raise funds.

At Didymoteicho he served as a priest. Until 1804 the public market had been held on Saturday, but the Turks moved it to Sunday, and the Greeks protested. Parthenios, who was staying at the Monastery of the Zoodochos Pege, spoke strongly in church against this unjust decision of the Turkish governor. One day he also advised a young Christian woman to break off a relationship with a Muslim Turk. When the latter learned of it, he became enraged and shot Parthenios at the entrance of the Metropolitan Church of Saint Athanasios, on Sunday, 5 March 1805, after he had served the Divine Liturgy. The Christians buried his head next to the church of Saint Athanasios, and his body separately. He is commemorated on 5 March (new style).