Memorial Day of Confessor John the Russian

Every year on June 9, Orthodox Christians celebrate the day of remembrance of John the Russian John the Russian was born at the end of the 17th century in the Hetmanate His father and mother cultivated meekness and love for the Lord in him Having matured, he took part in the Russian-Turkish war of 1710-1713 In the battle for Azov, the young man was captured by the allies of the Turks After his capture, John was sent to Constantinople and resold to Agha, the commander of the Turkish cavalry The new owner brought the slave to his homeland in central Turkey Here, in Prokopion, the young man was offered to convert to Islam several times, but he refused Because of this, the Turks humiliated the slave, threw him into stinking dung, burned his hair and skin, beat the “infidel” in every possible way, but he still did not renounce his religion John honestly and with great love performed his duties at Aga's stable Seeing the diligence and zeal of the young man, the owner and his household stopped bullying the slave Later, the Aga even granted him freedom But the prisoner refused to leave the stable, believing that God had sent him trials to save his soul John prayed a lot and fasted; every night he attended the church in the cave The prisoner gave all his food to those in need At the end of the week, John always took communion Aga soon became rich and highly respected He believed that this happened thanks to the righteous man living in his house One day Aga went as a pilgrim to Mecca John, staying at home, was able to perform a miracle: with the help of prayer he sent his owner a plate of his favorite pilaf Since then, the glory of a saint has been assigned to John the Russian The Turks, Armenians and Greeks who inhabited Prokopion fell in love with him However, the attitude of the local residents towards the captive did not force John to change his lifestyle He still worked for the benefit of Aga's family On June 9, 1730, he became seriously ill and died Aga personally handed over the body of his slave for burial according to Orthodox canons John the Russian was carried with honor throughout the village and buried on the territory of the cave church that he visited Soon a pillar of fire rose over his grave When they opened the burial, they saw that the relics of John the Russian remained incorrupt and spreading a pleasant aroma Then they were taken to the church Miracles began to happen at the relics of the righteous man: the healing of the sick, the sight of the blind, the calming of the demoniac The Greeks venerate John the Russian, just as in Russia they venerate Nicholas the Wonderworker At the end of the 20th century the name of the righteous man was included in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church In temples and churches on June 9, troparia and kontakia are read in his honor On the day of memory of John the Russian, people turn to him for deliverance from illnesses and the salvation of sailors They also pray to him to help in litigation The righteous man especially patronizes minors