A small Orthodox colony on the Black Sea coast, Trebizond (now Trabzon, Turkey) has existed since the 13th century. In the early 14th century there lived a merchant named John. He was a merchant and continued the work of his father. The trade was successful. John was a just merchant, deeply believing, never deceived anyone and generously donated to the church.
Unfortunately, his competitors, the Genoese, were very jealous of him. On one trip, John visited Belgrade, which at the time was under Turkish rule. There the Genoese informed the governor that John wanted to convert to Islam. The governor did not want to miss such an occasion, and he invited John to his palace.
The unsuspecting merchant found himself surrounded by the people, with the mullah eagerly awaiting the initiation rite. When John understood what was going on, he categorically refused to become a Mohammedan. In a rage, the governor ordered him to be beaten with sticks. The blows were so cruel that even the people greedy to bloody spectacles could not see it. There was a murmur in the crowd. John only thanked God for the suffering with which he atoned for his sins.
Then the viceroy ordered to tie the merchant to a horse and he was escorted through the streets of the city, his head was cut off, and the corpse was thrown in the street.
With the onset of darkness, the townspeople were struck by an unusual phenomenon. Above the body of John they saw 3 figures that sang psalms. One of the townspeople decided that it was the Christians who came for the body of the merchant and decided to shoot them with a bow. He was immobilized by an unknown force and stood with a bow in his hand until the morning, until he told passers-by about the miracle.
Christians were allowed to bury the body of the saint. To protect the body from abuse, John was buried in the altar of the Belgorod temple. There were many miraculous healings immediately after.
Hearing about the miracles, the Moldavian ruler bought the body of the saint and transported it to the Moldavian principality, to the city of Sochava. In 1402, on June 2, the relics were solemnly laid in the Cathedral Church of Sochava. There were many healings and wonderful visions that day.
When in 1622, the Tatars attacked Sochava and threatened to take the city, the townspeople held a procession with the relics of the saint. They wanted to hide them in the fortress, but the cart did not move. Then the cancer was returned to the temple. At night, a storm broke out, the river overflowed. The Tatar army could not cross and left home.
But in 1686, the cart with the relics moved from the place and for the next 97 years the relics stayed in Poland, doing miracles and healings there. Only in 1783, after a solemn march through the cities and villages, the saint’s cancer was returned to Sochava.
Remembrance days
June 15
The Holy Land Charitable Foundation
Lives of Saints
