26 Monastic Martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos
In the year 1274 at the Council of Lyons (in France), the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Paleologos decided to buttress his waning power by forming a union with Rome. This policy aroused universal discontent. In 1278, the Emperor issued a decree to introduce the Union at Constantinople by forceful measures if necessary.
Mount Athos stood in firm opposition to the Union. The monks sent a letter to Michael pointing out that accepting the primacy of the Pope, commemorating him in the churches, celebrating the Eucharist with unleavened bread, the insertion of the “filioque” [“and from the Son”] into the Creed, could not be accepted by the Orthodox, and they begged the Emperor to change his mind. In their letter they wrote, “We see clearly that you are becoming a heretic, but we implore you to forsake all this and to abide in the teachings which have been handed down to you.... Reject the unholy and novel teachings of false knowledge, speculations, and additions to the Faith.”
Crusaders left Palestine, and finding refuge in the Byzantine Empire, declared to the Emperor their readiness to uphold the power of the Pope by fire and sword. Furthermore, Michael hired mercenaries, both Turks and Tatars, to enforce his decree.
The Emperor hated the monks of Mount Athos for their opposition. Since he did not want to provoke the Greeks, he decided to attack the Slavic monks on Mount Athos. By Michael’s orders, the servants of the Pope descended upon the Bulgarian Monastery of Zographou. When their demand to accept the Union was presented to the Zographou monks, they refused to listen. They held fast to the doctrines of the Fathers, and fearlessly censured those who accepted the Latin teachings. The majority of the Zographou monks left the Monastery, but twenty-six of the most steadfast remained within the Monastery tower.
Their names are: Igoumen Thomas, Barsanouphios, Cyril, Michaios (or Micah), Simon, Hilarion, James, another James, Job, Cyprian, Savva, Martinian, Kosmás, Sergius, Mēnás, Ioásaph, Ioannίkios, Paul, Anthony, Euthymios, Dometius, Parthénios, and four more whose names are not known.
The holy Martyrs for their Orthodox Faith, were burnt alive in the Monastery tower on October 10, 1284.1
The Martyrs of Zographou are also commemorated on September 22.
1 Some sources say 1276.