This week in Christian history: Dwight Moody marries, Greek monk martyred, Jerry Falwell Jr. resigns

Saint Kosmas of Aetolia martyred – Aug. 24, 1779

This week marks the anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Kosmas of Aetolia, a Greek monk renowned for his travels as a preacher and his alleged miracle-working abilities.

Born in Greece, which was occupied by the Islamic Ottoman Empire, Kosmas traveled throughout the region, preaching to large crowds in open plains and caring for the less fortunate.

Although his gatherings were done with the permission of local Turkish officials, eventually the monk garnered the attention of several Muslims led by an official named Kurt Pasha, who conspired to kill him.

“On the pretext that the Pasha wished to see him, they took the Saint to a remote spot and hung him,” according to the St. Kosmas Aitolos Monastery website. “His murderers stripped the sanctified body of the Saint, tied a stone to it, and threw it into the river.”

“In a miraculous manner, it rose to the surface and was pulled out by Papa Markos, the priest of the All-Holy Theotokos of the Presentation Monastery, which is near Kolikontasi, and buried it at the back of the sanctuary.”