Saint Ignatius of Mariupol, the Kythnian.
Jacobus Cozadinos was born in 1716 in Kythnos, which was then called Thermia, and was a descendant of the well-known and devout Cozadinos (Gozadinos) family, who migrated to Kythnos in the 12th century. In 1613, his ancestors built the Church of Saint Sabbas in Kythnos, where he was baptized, and which continues to function to this day. As a young man, he went to Mount Athos and became a monk at the Vatopedi Monastery, taking the name Ignatius.
In 1771, the Patriarch of Constantinople elected him Metropolitan of Gothia and Kafa in Crimea, where he dedicated his efforts to the spiritual rebirth of the Greeks and the preservation of their national consciousness and Orthodox Christian faith. In 1778, he undertook the challenging task of leading Orthodox Greeks out of Crimea, which was under the rule of the Tatars, to the Christian land of Azov, where the renowned city of Mariupol was founded.
After the Divine Liturgy on April 23, 1778, at the cave church of the Dormition of the Theotokos, he called upon the faithful to prepare for their departure from the land of slavery and prolonged humiliation. Trusted individuals announced to all the faithful of the peninsula about the exact departure. The Tatar authorities remained unaware of the impending event and thus could not prevent the masses. They were forced to leave their possessions, homes, estates, churches, and ancestral graves. In June 1778, the arduous journey began. They carried the icon of Panagia of Bakhtisarai, who protected them. Their spiritual leader was Bishop Ignatius. Approximately 50,000 Greeks abandoned the Turkish-Tatar-ruled Crimea. For his courage, bravery, and ordeal, Empress Catherine awarded the brave and wise hierarch the prestigious "adamantine bosom of the Panagia." Through his prayers, as a good and faithful shepherd, the refugees overcame many difficulties, shortages, and illnesses during their long journey.
His memory is honored on February 3 (the day of his repose) and on the first Sunday of October in Kythnos, commemorating the transfer of part of his sacred relics from Mariupol to Kythnos on October 1, 2016.
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