The title of New Martyr or Neomartyr ( el, νεο-, ''neo''-, the prefix for "new"; and μάρτυς, ''martys'', "witness") is conferred in some denominations of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

to distinguish more recent

martyrs A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

and confessors from the old martyrs of the persecution in the Roman Empire. Originally and typically, it refers to victims of Islamic persecution.. The earliest source to use the term ''neomartys'' is the ''Narrationes'' of Anastasius of Sinai, who died around 700. The title continued to be used for the next three hundred years to refer to victims of

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...

and

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

persecution. It was mainly used in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

sources, but is occasionally found in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, Georgian and

Syriac Syriac may refer to: *Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic *Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region * Syriac alphabet ** Syriac (Unicode block) ** Syriac Supplement * Neo-Aramaic languages a ...

sources. Between the 11th and 14th centuries, the Byzantine–Seljuq wars also generated a number of neomartyrs. The

Greek Orthodox Church The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

traditionally gives the title to those who had been tortured and executed during Ottoman rule in Greece in order to avoid forced conversion to Islam. This meaning is the dominant one, so much so that pre-Ottoman use of the term has been almost ignored in academia. Sectarian conflicts of the 19th century within the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and Communist persecution in eastern Europe also generated saints considered neomartyrs.

List of new martyrs

Under Umayyad rule

* Euphemia of Damascus (before 700) *

Sixty Martyrs of Jerusalem 60 (sixty) () is the natural number following 59 (number), 59 and preceding 61 (number), 61. Being three times 20, it is called ''wikt:threescore, threescore'' in older literature (''Kopa (number), kopa'' in Slavic, ''Schock'' in Germanic). In ma ...

(725)

Under Abbasid rule

* Elias of Heliopolis (779) *

Romanus Romanus (Latin for "Roman"), hellenized as Romanos (Ῥωμανός) was a Roman cognomen and may refer to: People * Adrianus Romanus, Flemish mathematician (1561–1615) * Aquila Romanus, Latin grammarian *Giles of Rome, Aegidius Romanus, mediev ...

(780) * Theophilus the New (780s) * Abo of Tbilisi (786) * Bacchus-Ḍaḥḥāk (786/7) * George-Muzāḥim (978)

Under Turkish rule

The first new martyrs were recorded after the Seljuk invasion of Asia Minor (11th century). In the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

, the third Sunday after Pentecost is known as the "Commemoration of All New Martyrs of the Turkish Yoke." * Ahmed the Calligrapher or ''Ahmed Kalfas'') * Akylina of Chalkidike *

Anthimos the Georgian Anthimus, also spelled Anthimos, Anthinos or Anthinus, is a Greek name for males. In Italian and Spanish, the name is rendered as Antimo. The name may refer to: * Anthimus of Nicomedia, bishop and martyr who died during a persecution in the ear ...

* Aquilina of Thessalonica * Athanasios the Neomartyr * Boris the Pomak * Chrestos the Albanian *

Chrysostomos of Smyrna Chrysostomos Kalafatis ( el, Χρυσόστομος Καλαφάτης; 8 January 1867 – 10 September 1922) known as Saint Chrysostomos of Smyrna, Chrysostomos of Smyrna and Metropolitan Chrysostom, was the Greek Orthodox metropolitan bishop o ...

Constantin Brâncoveanu Constantin Brâncoveanu (; 1654 – August 15, 1714) was Prince of Wallachia between 1688 and 1714. Biography Ascension A descendant of the Craiovești boyar family and heir through his grandfather Preda of a considerable part of Matei Ba ...

* Constantine Hagarit *

Cosmas of Aetolia Kosmas the Aetolian, sometimes Cosmas the Aetolian or Patrokosmas "Father Kosmas" ( el, Κοσμᾶς ὁ Αἰτωλός, ''Kosmas Etolos''; born between 1700 and 1714 – died 1779), was a monk in the Greek Orthodox Church. He is recognized as ...

* Cyril VI of Constantinople, ethnomartyr *

Demetrios Doukas Demetrios Doukas of Crete (, ; c.1480–c.1527) was a professor of Greek in Spain and teacher of many Spanish humanists. Originally a member of the Greek community in Venice (dating from the Fall of Constantinople, 1453), Ducas moved to Spain a ...

* Demetrios of Philadelphia * Demetrios the Neomartyr * Ephraim the Neomartyr *

Gabriel I of Pec In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek language, Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin language, Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic language, Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, transli ...

Patriarch Gabriel II of Constantinople Gabriel II ( el, ), (? – 3 December 1659) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for one week in 1657. In 1659 he was hanged by the Ottoman Sultan for having baptized a converted Muslim, and after refusing to abjure his own Christian fait ...

George of Ioannina George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President ...

George the New George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...

George of Kratovo Saint George of Kratovo ( mk, Свети Ѓорѓи Кратовски, sr, Свети Ђорђе Кратовац, bg, Георги Софийски Нови, translit=Georgi Sofiyski Novi) was a writer and silversmith from Kratovo. Peja wro ...

(d. 1515) *

Gregory V of Constantinople Gregory V ( el, , born , ''Georgios Angelopoulos''; 1746) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1797 to 1798, from 1806 to 1808, and from 1818 to 1821. He was responsible for much restoration work to the Patriarchal Cathedral of St ...

* Hasan
John Calphas ("the Apprentice")
*

John of Ioannina John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, a.k.a. John the Tailor * John the New of Suceava *Archbishop

Kyprianos of Cyprus Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus ( el, Αρχιεπίσκοπος Κύπρου Κυπριανός) was the head of the Cypriot Orthodox Church in the early 19th century at the time that the Greek War of Independence broke out. Kyprianos was born i ...

* Makarios the Monk *

Michael Mavroudis Michael Mavroudis ( el, Μιχαήλ Μαυρουδῆς) was a martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce ...

*Niketas the Young * Paisius and Habakkuk * Panteleimon Dousa
Paul of Constantinople
6/19 April 1683 * Paul the Russian * Philothei * Theocharis of Nevşehir (Neapoli) *

Teodor of Vršac Teodor ( sr-cyr, Теодор; fl. 1594) was the Serbian Orthodox Bishop of Vršac (епископ вршачки), who in 1594 was the leader of the Banat Uprising against Ottoman occupation amidst the Long War (1593-1606). After talks with Si ...

* Theodore Gabras * Theodore of Komogovina * Thomas Paschidis *

Zlata of Meglen Zlata () is a female given name of South Slavic languages, South Slavic origin meaning "golden". It is common amongst all South Slavic countries in the Balkans, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia and Serbia. The n ...

Under Communist rule

In the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

, the Sunday closest to 25 January (7 February on the

Gregorian Calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

) is the "Sunday of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia." The date of 25 January was chosen because that was the date in 1918 of the martyrdom of St. Vladimir (Bogoiavlensikii), Metropolitan of Kiev, who is referred to as the "

Protomartyr A protomartyr (Koine Greek, ''πρότος'' ''prótos'' "first" + ''μάρτυρας'' ''mártyras'' "martyr") is the first Christian martyr in a country or among a particular group, such as a religious order. Similarly, the phrase the Protom ...

of the communist yoke in Russia." * Alexander Hotovitzky * Anastasia Hendrikova * Andronic Nikolsky * Bishop Arcadius Ostalsky, * Bishop Arseny Zhadanovsky, who was the last abbot of the

Chudov Monastery The Chudov Monastery (russian: Чу́дов монасты́рь; more formally known as Alexius’ Archangel Michael Monastery) was founded in the Moscow Kremlin in 1358 by Metropolitan Alexius of Moscow. The monastery was dedicated to the mi ...

which was also destroyed
Bishop Basil (Preobrashensky) of Kineshma
* Archbishop Dimitry (Dobroserdov) * Grand Duchess

Elizabeth Fyodorovna Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (s ...

and Nun Barbara * Dr.

Eugene Botkin Yevgeny Sergeyevich Botkin (russian: Евгений Сергеевич Боткин; 27 March 1865 – 17 July 1918), commonly known as Eugene Botkin, was the court physician since 1908 for Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra. He sometimes ...

(see

Romanov sainthood The canonization of the Romanovs (also called "glorification" in the Russian Orthodox Church) was the elevation to sainthood of the last House of Romanov, Imperial Family of Russian Empire, Russia – Nicholas II of Russia, Tsar Nicholas II, his wi ...

) * Bishop Hermogenes (Dolganyov) * Metropolitan

Benjamin of Petrograd Benjamin of Petrograd (russian: Вениамин Петроградский, Veniamin Petrogradsky, – ), born Vasily Pavlovich Kazansky (russian: Василий Павлович Казанский), was a hieromartyr, a bishop in the Russian ...

John Kochurov Saint John Alexandrovich Kochurov (russian: Иоанн Александрович Кочуров), hieromartyr of the Bolshevik Revolution, Soviet revolution, was one of a number of young educated priests who came to the United States in the lat ...

of Tsarskoye Selo (First martyr of the Revolution) * Archpries
John Vostorgov

1938 * Archimandrite Kronid Lubimov * Archpries
Makary Kvitkin
* Margarete of Menzelinsk
Maria of Gatchina
c. 1930

23 June/6 July 1931 *

Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...

with his immediate family and servants (see

)
Fr. Nicholas Zagorovsky
1943 (confessor) * Bishop Nikita Dilektorsky
Nikodim of Solovki
* Archbishop Nikolay Dobronravov * Metropolitan Peter of Krutitsy * Metropolitan

Seraphim Chichagov Seraphim Chichagov (9 June or 9 January 1856 – 11 December 1937), born Leonid Mikhailovich Chichagov, was a Metropolitan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church who was executed by firing squad, and was canonized by the Church in 1997 as a New ...

of St. Petersburg *

Patriarch Tikhon Tikhon of Moscow (russian: Тихон Московский, – ), born Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin (russian: Василий Иванович Беллавин), was a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). On 5 November 1917 ( OS) he was ...

, 1925 (confessor) * Vladimir Beneshevich * Metropolitan

Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) Vladimir (russian: Владимир), baptismal name: Vasily Nikiforovich Bogoyavlensky (russian: Василий Никифорович Богоявленский; 1 January 1848 – ), was a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was appoi ...

First hierarch martyred by the Bolsheviks. * Bishop Platon (Kulbusch)

Under Nazism

* Alexander Schmorell, member of the

White Rose The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a Nonviolence, non-violent, intellectual German resistance to Nazism, resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, ...

Resistance group * Bishop

Gorazd Gorazd is a given name. It is a Slavic version of the Hebrew given name Gilad which means Hill Of Testimony, Monument. Notable people with the given name include: *Gorazd Hiti (born 1948), Slovene ice hockey player *Gorazd Kocijančič (born 19 ...

of Prague * Archimandrite Grigol Peradze * Maria Skobtsova of Paris and Ravensbrück, nun

Serbia

The feast of "All New Martyrs of Serbia" is celebrated on . *

Đorđe Bogić Đorđe Bogić (Serbian Cyrillic: Ђорђе Богић; 6 February 1911 – 17 June 1941) was a protopresbyter in the Serbian Orthodox Church and the parish priest of the Orthodox church in Našice. He was canonized by the Serbian Orthodox Church ...

* Gorazd Pavlik * Joanikije Lipovac * Saint Prince Lazar * Petar Zimonjić *

Platon Jovanović Hieromartyr Platon, Bishop of Banja Luka (born Milivoje Jovanović; 29 September 1874 – 5 May 1941) was a Serbian Orthodox cleric who served as the Bishop of Banja Luka between 1940 and 1941. His tenure ended in May 1941, when he was abducted ...

* Rafailo of Šišatovac * Sava Trlajić * Vukašin Mandrapa

Boxer Rebellion

is celebrated as the feast of the "New Martyrs of China Slain During the Boxer Rebellion" * Ia the Teacher * Holy Martyrs of China

Austria-Hungary

Hieromartyr Maximus Sandovic Maxim Timofeyevich Sandovich (russian: Максим Тимофеевич Сандович, pl, Maksym Sandowicz; 1 February 1888 - 6 August 1914) is a New Martyr and Orthodox saint. known as saint hieromartyr Maxim of Gorlice ( pl, Maksym Gorlick ...

, 24August/6 September 1914

Post-Soviet Russia

* Daniel Sysoyev Muscovite priest and missionary assassinated by an Islamist militant * Yevgeny Rodionov, a Russian soldier who fought in First Chechen War, was taken prisoner, tortured and eventually murdered for his refusal to convert to Islam the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

has not glorified either of the martyrs listed above, but each has received widespread popular veneration.

References

{{reflist

External links

Calendar of Orthodox Church England contains NeoMartyrs
Eastern Orthodox martyrs of the Late Modern era Canonised servants of the Romanov household 20th-century Eastern Orthodox martyrs Types of saints