One of the converted Christian New Martyrs is also Saint New Martyr Constantine of Hydra, who paid with his martyrdom for his decision to abandon Islam and return to the Church.
Was born in Hydra in 1770, from pious parents, the Michael and Marina Dimara. When he turned eighteen, he decided to leave the barren island and go to Rhodes for a better life, despite all the objections of his mother. There he met some of his compatriots and changed various jobs. He ended up working for a grocer, where he had the opportunity to meet many Turks and Jews and kept company with them. In fact, a Turk, named Hassan Kirza, proposed to him to marry his sister Menirem. After this, the grocer fired him and Konstantinos was left unemployed. A Turkish friend of his intervened to meet the Turkish governor of the island. Hassan Kapitan, to take him into his service at his mansion. His employer appreciated his gifts and made him his groom.
She stayed with him for three years, where she lived in luxury, with honors and pleasures. At a three-cover feast, during a Ramadan, he got drunk and then the Turks took the opportunity to dress him as a Muslim and circumcise him, giving him a Muslim name Hassan. The event became known throughout Rhodes and reached Hydra, filling his parents with bitterness. His father could not stand it and died in a short time and his mother was left alone to mourn her lost child day and night! Some money that he sent her did not accept and she returned it to him.
In a short time he decided to go to Hydra, dressed in Muslim clothes. But the unexpected happened, no one spoke to him. The women in the alleys closed their doors so as not to see him. When he arrived at his parents' house, his mother did not open the door for him and said to him: "Go away, stranger, I did not give birth to a son, Hassan, my son Constantine died"! His mother's attitude shocked him. He felt dizzy and asked a neighbor for some water, she gave it to him, but broke the pitcher because she considered it contaminated by the exotomist! That was it, he came to his senses and realized his great pity!
He returned to Rhodes and wept inconsolably for his denial of faith in the true God. He distributed his money to the poor. In his unbearable sorrow, he made the great decision to wash away his foolish choice with his blood. He found a good spiritual father to whom he confessed his mistake and communicated his decision to publicly confess his conversion to Christ. The confessor advised him to go far away and avoid martyrdom, because he was afraid that he would not be able to bear the tortures and would convert to Islam for the second time.
Constantine obeyed, threw off his Turkish garb and left for the Crimea, where there were no Turks, living as a conscious Christian with prayer, fasting and incessant tears of repentance. After a while he went down to Constantinople, where he sought out an experienced spiritual advisor to advise him on how to reach martyrdom. He introduced him to the Patriarch, a saint Gregory V, who listened to him carefully and recommended that he go to Mount Athos to strengthen him spiritually and gain strength, preventing him from being led to martyrdom, for fear of becoming timid.
Following the exhortations of the holy Patriarch, he went to Mount Athos in 1799, in Iviron Monastery, where he stayed for five months praying and crying day and night. He had the blessing of meeting the Saint Nicodemus of Mount Athos (1749-1809), who became the "scrap" his, that is, the one who prepared him for his martyrdom. He even took the monastic form.
The following year he received the blessings of the fathers of the Monastery and, defying their admonitions to stay with them, he departed for Rhodes to settle his great debt, taking with him the power of Holy Mother of God Portaitissa. He went straight to Hassan's mansion, to whom he announced that he was Constantine and the former Hassan, who had become a Christian again. The Turkish official tried to convince him to convert to Islam again, offering him money, honors and positions. But he remained unconvinced and even urged Hassan to become a Christian too, in order to enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven! The Turk became furious with his anger and ordered him to be thrown into prison. "Zindani" to the Knights' Tower and begin the most horrible tortures, until he changes his mind.
In three days they brought him before him again, but again he experienced the Martyr's absolute refusal to remain faithful to Christ. Then he gave orders for more painful torture. They pulled out his hair, tore his flesh with iron claws, broke his jaws with stones. They taunted him, saying: "Let your Christ come, to save you"! They put thick chains on him and threw him back into prison. Every day they asked him if he had changed his mind and they beat him mercilessly five hundred times. They pulled out his nails and threw him bloody into prison, where he was granted the privilege of seeing the Lord one night, Who healed him of his wounds! In fact, this miracle had been seen by the other prisoners, as well as the Turks, who attributed the miracle of his healing to Allah, so that he could convert to Islam! But the martyr remained steadfast! Another night, a heavenly light bathed his cell. Everyone saw this light and Hassan was also informed about it. A Christian secretly brought him Holy Communion in prison.
The martyrdom lasted five months. Hassan called on him for the last time to deny Christ. But he confessed his Christian faith with greater force. So he decided to put him to death, by hanging. The thirty-year-old Martyr asked for and received the Immaculate Mysteries and was led to the place of execution and received the amaranth crown of martyrdom. It was November 14, 1800. Above his hanging lifeless, honest remains, a luminous cross appeared. His body was purchased by the faithful of Rhodes, who buried it with honors. In 1803, his mother came to Rhodes to receive the holy relics of her Martyr son. She proudly transported them to Hydra. But while she was placing them in the metropolitan church, she passed away while holding them! His memory is celebrated on 14 November, on the day of his martyrdom.
photo https://www.imr.gr/article/21/neomartys-kwnstantinos-o-ydraios
Holy Metropolis of Rhodes
