Raphael of Lesvos
Encyclopedia
St. Raphael the Newly-Appeared Martyr
of Lesvos (1410 – 9 April 1463) is an Eastern Orthodox
saint martyred by Turkish soldiers with his companions Sts. Nicholas and Irene on Bright Tuesday
(April 9) of 1463, a decade after the Fall of Constantinople
.
ca. 1410. Though baptized
with the name George, he was tonsured Raphael and became a hieromonk
, and eventually became Archimandrite
and Chancellor.
native. The two fled to Lesvos after the 1454 Turkish invasion of Thrace. They ended up in the Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos near Thermi, of which St. Raphael became the igumen, or abbot.
composed the church service for them.
There are numerous accounts of miracles worked by St. Raphael and his companions for people who show devotion to the saints. These miracles include supernatural healing of the sick and injured, and the strengthening of faith.
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
of Lesvos (1410 – 9 April 1463) is an Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
saint martyred by Turkish soldiers with his companions Sts. Nicholas and Irene on Bright Tuesday
Bright Week
Bright Week or Renewal Week is the name used by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine Rite for the period of seven days beginning on Pascha and continuing up to the following Sunday, which is known as Thomas Sunday...
(April 9) of 1463, a decade after the Fall of Constantinople
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...
.
Forgotten Martyrs
For almost five centuries the inhabitants of Lesvos would visit the ruins of a monastery near the village of Thermi, northwest of the capital Mytilene, on Bright Tuesday. These people had forgotten the specific reason for the annual pilgrimage but remembered that Turkish soldiers had murdered monks in the old monastery there many years ago.Discovery of Relics
The devout Angelos Rallis chose to construct a chapel by the monastery ruins in 1959. That July 3, workers found the holy relics of St. Raphael as they cleared rubble, and shortly thereafter St. Raphael, along with Sts. Nicholas and Irene, started appearing to many Lesvos residents and told them the stories of their lives.Youth
The saint revealed that he was born to devout parents on the island of IthacaIthaca
Ithaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
ca. 1410. Though baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
with the name George, he was tonsured Raphael and became a hieromonk
Hieromonk
Hieromonk , also called a Priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholicism....
, and eventually became Archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...
and Chancellor.
Later life
The year Constantinople fell, St. Raphael lived in Macedonia with the deacon Nicholas, a ThessalonikiThessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
native. The two fled to Lesvos after the 1454 Turkish invasion of Thrace. They ended up in the Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos near Thermi, of which St. Raphael became the igumen, or abbot.
Martyrdom
Turkish soldiers invaded Lesvos and raided the monastery, kidnapping St. Raphael and his fellow monks. The twelve-year-old Irene had been tortured, then burned alive in a large earthenware jar in the presence of her parents. The Turks tortured St. Raphael from Holy Thursday until Bright Tuesday, then tied him to a tree and sawed through his jaw, murdering him. Thus St. Raphael received the crown of martyrdom. Saint Nicholas (his deacon) died at the sight of this.Apparitions and Other Miracles
St. Raphael appeared alone and, on other occasions, with Sts. Nicholas and Irene of Lesvos, expressing to the inhabitants his desire for veneration, an icon painting, and the composition of a church service. Photios Kontoglou painted the icon of the saints based on witness descriptions and Father Gerasimos of the Little St. Anne Skete on Mt. AthosMount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
composed the church service for them.
There are numerous accounts of miracles worked by St. Raphael and his companions for people who show devotion to the saints. These miracles include supernatural healing of the sick and injured, and the strengthening of faith.