Blessed John of Epirus
Model for workers
A young Catholic worker from Epirus, John worked in Constantinople in the 16th century. A victim of the jealousy and slander of his colleagues who falsely accused him of having renounced Islam, he remained firm in his Christian faith. He died burned at the stake, becoming a model of dignity and courage for the working world.
Guided reading
4 reading sections
THE B. JOHN OF EPIRUS, MODEL FOR WORKERS (16th century).
Origins and life in Constantinople
A native of Janina in Epirus, John settled in Constantinople as a day laborer, where his Catholic piety aroused the hostility of his schismatic colleagues.
Blessed John was bo Le bienheureux Jean Young Catholic worker from Epirus, martyr in Constantinople. rn in Janina , the Janina Capital of Epirus and birthplace of the saint. capital of Epiru s, wh Épire Region of origin of the saint. ich the valiant Sc anderbeg ha Scanderberg Albanian lord who fought against the Turks. d torn from the yoke of the Turks and reattached to Roman unity. The poverty of his parents forced John to leave them to go to Constantino ple, where he Constantinople City where the saint exercised his ministry and patriarchate. lived as a day laborer by the work of his hands. The noble freedom of this child of God, who walked with his head held high and knew no human respect, did not take long to offend his workshop companions, who were annoyed not to see him descend to their level of impiety and bad conduct. Moreover, these workers were for the most part schismatic Greeks, renegades to whom an Epirote Catholic had to be supremely displeasing, both because he was Catholic and because his fidelity to his religion was a living reproach to their apostasy.
Slander and spiritual preparation
Sensing danger, John confesses to an archpriest of Pera before being falsely accused by his colleagues of having renounced Islam.
Blessed John understood by instinct, or perhaps by inspiration, that his comrades would not stop at mere words. He therefore went to find his spiritual father, an archpriest in a district of the city, probably that of Pera, then i nhab Péra District of Constantinople inhabited by the Genoese and the Unionist Greeks. ited by Genoese and Uniates. The priest first tried to convince him that he was the plaything of some foolish terror, then said to him: "My son, martyrdom requires great preparation; if it pleases God to call you to it, strive to make yourself worthy of it." It was Holy Thursday; the young man confessed and performed his devotions. The next day, as soon as he returned to the workshop, one of the workers began to say aloud upon seeing him: "Is this not the one who, in such and such a place, renounced Christ to go over to Muhammad, an d today Mahomet Prophet of Islam, mentioned in the false accusation of apostasy. pretends to be a fervent Christian?" John cast a steady eye over all their faces and said: "Is it of me that you speak, or of another?" "All of us," they replied. "It is indeed of you and no other; we are only telling the truth."
To understand the significance of this slander, one must remember that the Turks punished with death those who, after having embraced Islam, abandoned it. By going to denounce John to the Muslim magistrates, these workers knew perfectly well what would happen.
The martyrdom by fire
After denying the accusations before a Muslim judge, the young John is imprisoned and then burned alive for his faithfulness to Christ.
As soon as our holy young man had rejected with all the indignation of which he was capable the atrocious accusation of apostasy that had just been thrown in his face, each of the workers left his workbench: a circle formed around him; everyone shouted: 'Admit that you have renounced.' — 'No, I tell you.' Then they dragged him rather than led him to the judge's tribunal, overwhelming him with insults, covering him with blows. John answered the judge as he had answered his accusers. He was thrown into prison, then a few days later, he was burned alive on a pyre. Pious Christians collected some bones that had escaped the destructive action of the fire. The blessed John the Epirote had not exceeded the years of youth.
Sources of the narrative
The account of the life of John of Epirus is derived from the Greek Anthology and the works of the Bollandists.
*Greek Anthology*, apud Bol l., v Boll. A society of Jesuit scholars who publish the Acta Sanctorum. ol. II of April, p. 608 et seq. (new ed.); new trans.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Departure from Janina to Constantinople due to poverty
- Worked as a day laborer in a workshop in Constantinople
- Slandered for apostasy by his workshop colleagues
- Confession and devotions on Maundy Thursday with an archpriest
- Arrest and refusal to renounce his faith before the judge
- Execution by burning
Quotes
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My son, martyrdom requires great preparation; if it pleases God to call you to it, strive to make yourself worthy of it.
The Archpriest of Pera