New Martyr15th century

New Martyr Eleni (Susanna) of Lesbos

c. 1448 – 1463

Also known as Eleni of Lesbos · Susanna

A young kinswoman of St. Irene of Lesbos, martyred by the Turks at Thermi on the island of Lesbos, whose memory was revealed centuries later; she is commemorated together with the New Martyrs Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene.

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Commemorated as

The Holy New Martyr Eleni (Susanna) of Lesbos

Life

Eleni, also called Susanna, was a young Greek woman of the island of Lesbos who, according to tradition, was martyred by Turkish forces on Bright Tuesday, April 9, 1463, about ten years after the Fall of Constantinople. She is remembered as a fifteen-year-old kinswoman — a cousin — of Saint Irene, one of the martyrs of Lesbos.

Her death forms part of a single episode of martyrdom that also claimed Saint Raphael, an archimandrite serving as igoumen of the Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos near Thermi; Saint Nicholas, a deacon; the young Saint Irene; and other companions. The memory of these martyrs was lost to the people of Lesbos for nearly five centuries and was recovered only through a series of reported visions and excavations beginning in 1959.

She is commemorated together with the newly-revealed Martyrs of Lesbos, principally Saints Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene, on Bright Tuesday, a movable feast reckoned as April 9 in some calendars.

Timeline5 momentsReadHide

c. 1448BirthBy tradition Eleni is born on Lesbos; she is remembered as a fifteen-year-old cousin of Saint Irene.
1453Fall of ConstantinopleThe Ottoman conquest and continued raids drive clergy such as Raphael and Nicholas to seek refuge on Lesbos.
April 9, 1463MartyrdomOn Bright Tuesday, Eleni is martyred by Turkish forces amid the killing of Raphael, Nicholas, Irene, and their companions.
1959–1961RediscoveryThe relics and story of the martyrs are recovered through excavations and reported visions on Lesbos.
1970CanonizationThe martyrs of Lesbos are formally recognized as saints by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Contributions & Legacy

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Historical Context

The martyrdom is set on Lesbos in 1463, in the decades after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, when Turkish invasions of the Aegean and of Macedonia drove clergy and faithful to flee. According to the tradition, Saint Raphael — born on the island of Ithaka around 1410 with the baptismal name George, and later an archimandrite and chancellor — came to Lesbos with the deacon Nicholas, a native of Thessaloniki, in 1453 or 1454, and served as igoumen of the Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos near Thermi.

During a Turkish raid the community was seized and tortured over the days from Holy Thursday through Bright Tuesday. Eleni, the young cousin of Saint Irene, received the crown of martyrdom on Bright Tuesday, April 9. Among the others associated with the group are Irene's father Basil, the village mayor; her mother Maria; and Theodore, the village teacher.

Rediscovery and Veneration

The memory of the martyrs of Lesbos was forgotten for nearly five hundred years. In 1959, when Angelos Rallis undertook to build a chapel near the ruins of the monastery, workers discovered the relics of Saint Raphael on July 3, 1959. The saints were subsequently said to have appeared to various inhabitants of the island, revealing the details of their lives and deaths.

The relics of Saint Nicholas were reported found on June 13, 1960, and the grave of Saint Irene on May 12, 1961. The iconographer Photios Kontoglou documented these accounts in his 1962 book A Great Sign. The martyrs of Lesbos were formally canonized in 1970 by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The rebuilt monastery, on a hill called Karyes about 12 km from Mytilene and 3 km from Thermi, has become a prominent center of pilgrimage.

Family1 relativeShowHide

The New Martyrs of Lesbos with whom she is commemorated; Irene was her cousin by tradition.

New Martyrs RaphaelNicholas and Irene of Lesbos

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Browse other saints who share her calling and place.

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Sources: OrthodoxWiki; the Newly-revealed Martyrs of Lesbos