ST. JOHN THE RUSSIAN
Saint John the Russian (Russian: Иоанн Русский) (1690-1730) is one of the most renowned saints in the Greek Orthodox Church. Being a prisoner of war and a slave to a Turkish Agha, he became famous and respected even by his Muslim master for his humility, steadiness in faith and benevolence. His holy relics are undecayed and wonder-working; there are myths that this saint particularly helps sick children and those who suffer from cancer. His relics were brought from the village of Prokopion to Euboea by refugees from Ürgüp in Cappadocia, after the Asia Minor Disaster of 1922-24. For several decades the relics were in the church of Ss. Constantine and Helen at New Prokopion, Euboia, and in 1951 they were transferred to a new church dedicated to St John the Russian (within the new Monastery of Saint John the Russian). St. John's body is small, and he is clothed in a garment similar to an altar server. His face is dark and is covered by a gold mask; Thousands of pilgrims flock here from all the corners of Greece, particularly on his feast day (May 27).
