Saint Neomartyr Manuel of Crete - Mykonos
Saint Manuel, who from the very first day of his glorious martyrdom was honored and respected by Christians, was born in the heroic region of Sfakia in Crete in the mid-18th century, between the years 1758 and 1760. His parents were Christians who raised young Manuel with the principles of the Orthodox faith. However, when the Turks invaded Sfakia, Manuel was captured, violently converted to Islam, and subjected to circumcision.
Nevertheless, Manuel's soul longed only for Jesus Christ. Feeling indescribable shame and deep sorrow for his violent conversion, he managed to escape from the native land of Crete and reached Mykonos by boat. Arriving on the Cycladic island, he immediately sought a priest to confess his heinous sin. Indeed, Manuel confessed and sincerely begged God's forgiveness with a contrite soul. The priest guided Manuel spiritually and introduced him to the prescribed rules of the Church, which apply to apostates. Thus, after the appropriate prayers were read, Manuel received Holy Chrism and partook in the Holy Mysteries of the Church. Following his sincere repentance, he returned to the Church and began a renewed, godly life.
In Mykonos, Saint Manuel lived the majority of his life, about three decades, and after marrying a Mykonian woman, he had six children. However, after a few years, his marriage fell apart because he learned that his wife dishonored herself by committing adultery with another man. Fearing the All-seeing God, Manuel neither abused nor ridiculed her but took his children and rented another house for them to live in. Nonetheless, Manuel also had to face his brother-in-law, who was excessively malicious and immoral. Continually threatening him, he attempted to seek revenge and cause harm to Manuel, believing that he had scorned and disparaged his wife's sister.
The opportunity to cause harm was given when Manuel was traveling from Samos to Mykonos aboard a boat loaded with wood. At sea, they encountered a Turkish ship patrolling the Aegean Sea. The Turkish aga immediately ordered Manuel's boat to approach theirs, on which Manuel's brother-in-law worked as a servant to the Turkish aga. As soon as Manuel's brother-in-law recognized him on the boat, he promptly informed the aga that Manuel was once a Muslim who later renounced his faith and embraced Christianity. Upon this revelation, the aga ordered Manuel's arrest. When they captured him, the aga questioned if Manuel was a Christian. Fearlessly, Manuel responded that he had been a Christian since the very day of his birth. The angered aga claimed that Manuel had once been a Christian but willingly converted to Islam, demanding that he return to the Islamic faith. Otherwise, he threatened to torture him relentlessly until death. However, Manuel did not falter for a moment. Drawing spiritual strength from the Lord Himself, he boldly declared that he was born a Christian, lived as a Christian, and desired to die as one.
Manuel's bold response infuriated the aga, who handed him over to torturers for exemplary punishment. The young champion of Christ endured severe torture and continuous threats to his life for many days until the ship arrived in Chios, where Koutchouk Pasha, the admiral of the Turkish fleet, was based.
Upon reaching Chios, Manuel requested a fellow Christian from Hydra aboard the ship to seek a spiritual guide for confession, but due to fear, none dared to go. However, secretly, a spiritual guide gave advice to the Hydriot Christian on how to strengthen and console the young martyr of Christ. Upon hearing these spiritual words, Manuel was greatly strengthened and felt immense enthusiasm. He declared that he, too, had the same intention—to die for Christ today, saving his soul, rather than escaping the temporary world tomorrow, facing damnation.
On the same day, following his courageous confession of faith, the ship's aga handed Manuel over to the Turkish Admiral Koutchouk Pasha, recounting the events involving the young Christian martyr. The Turkish admiral questioned if Manuel had indeed converted from Islam to Christianity. Fearlessly, Manuel confessed that he was a Christian. The order was then given to strip him naked to reveal the concealed parts of his body. As a result, they saw the circumcision he had undergone forcibly. The Turkish admiral questioned how, after this revelation, Manuel could still persist in claiming to be a Christian. However, the brave Manuel confessed that he was born a Christian but was forcefully converted by the Turks at a young age. Yet, now he was a Christian and would remain faithful to Jesus Christ. Astonished by Manuel's resolute confession of faith and witnessing his unwavering Christian belief, the Turkish admiral ordered his immediate beheading.
The brave champion of Christ raised his hands and eyes to heaven, saying, "Glory be to You, O God." The executioners of the Pasha, however, hesitated and, overwhelmed by fear, threw their swords and fled. This unexpected event caused great disturbance among the Turks, but Manuel remained calm and kneeling, patiently awaited and prayed for his martyrdom. Then, an officer seized a knife and began striking Manuel vehemently on his neck and various parts of his body, yet failed to sever his head. Infuriated, the officer threw Manuel to the ground, fell upon him, and slaughtered him like a true lamb of Christ.
The martyrdom of Saint Manuel took place on Monday, March 15, 1792, in the early hours. In this manner, the brave champion of Christ departed from the transient world and received the unfading crown of God's glory. Upon learning that hundreds of Christians were already flocking with feelings of spiritual joy to venerate the sacred and precious relic of Saint Manuel, the Pasha immediately ordered that large stones be tied to the body and head of the martyr and thrown into the sea.
The martyrdom of Saint Neomartyr Manuel of Crete was documented by Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite, and a handwritten account of his martyrdom has been preserved in the library of the Holy Monastery of Xenophontos on Mount Athos. In 1959, upon the decision of Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and following the recommendation of the revered Metropolitan Isidoros of Lampi and Sfakia, Saint Manuel was officially recognized as a saint of the Orthodox Church and was included in the Orthodox Synaxarion. To honor the glorious neomartyr, a hymnographic service was composed by Monk Gerasimos of Mikra Agia Anna. His memory is honored in the village of Askyfou in the province of Sfakia, Crete, where a splendid church dedicated to him has been erected with contributions from all over Crete. An annual grand festival is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos.
Additionally, a church named after Saint Manuel has been built on the Holy Island of Patmos, specifically in the Faskianos area of Kampos, where its consecration took place on March 14, 2010. Furthermore, a shrine has been constructed in Kardamyla, Chios, in honor of the Saint to commemorate his martyrdom on the fragrant Aegean island.
Every year, with special splendor and broad participation from Mykonos, the feast day of Saint Manuel is celebrated on the last Sunday of September, where the illustrious new martyr lived for approximately three decades. The worshipful events honoring Saint Manuel take place in the historic Metropolitan Cathedral of Zoodochos Pigi (Megali Panagia) in Mykonos during the yearly celebration of his memory on the last Sunday of September.
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