The Life of the Holy Martyr Ephrem the New
On September 14, 1425 (also the day of the Holy Cross, when Saint Ephrem the New celebrated his 41st birthday and 27 years of severe monastic asceticism), Saint Ephrem the New was taken captive by the Turks who attacked the monastery on the Hill of the Innocents, and the other monks from his community were beheaded.
The martyrdom of Saint Ephrem the New – the Great Martyr of Nea Makri – lasted 8 months: it began on September 14, 1425 (the day of the Holy Cross, which is also the birthday of Saint Ephrem the New), when the Turks invaded the Monastery on the Hill of the Innocents (Nea Makri – Greece) and killed the other monks by beheading, and they took Saint Ephrem into captivity; ended on May 5, 1426, on a Tuesday, at 9 am, when Saint Ephrem the New gave his soul into the hands of the Lord, following the terrible tortures to which he had been subjected (he was hung upside down, a burning ember was stuck in his stomach and his flesh was torn). During this entire 8-month period of captivity, the Turks tortured the Holy Great Martyr Ephrem the New every day, in order to make him renounce his Orthodox faith and become a Muslim.
The sufferings suffered by Saint Ephrem the New, the Great Martyr of Nea Makri, were first revealed to the Monk Macaria, and then to other believers in Greece. Saint Ephraim the New appeared to these people sometimes in reality, and at other times in a dream, to encourage them and promise them his help (which the people promptly received), then Saint Ephraim revealed to them some of the terrible torments he had suffered for preserving his Orthodox faith. A believer from Athens saw in a vision the terrifying martyrdom of the Great Martyr and Healer Ephraim. Here is how he describes the sufferings of the Great Martyr Ephraim the New:
"I saw the savages and the infidels descending from the mountainside, thirsty for blood and revenge against the Christian monks. Their goal was to kill the monks, after subjecting them to terrible torments. They all scream and wave their swords above their heads, giving rise to an atmosphere full of savagery and brutality. They arrive at the monastery, in this little oasis with its white cells and its little church: an innocent and righteous place, open to God and given to people, easily overrun by the savages. They begin to subject the monks to harsh torments. Of all of them, Saint Ephrem is the most peaceful and the most undisturbed. This drives them crazy. Thus, while they cut off the heads of others with swords, they put the Saint in chains to punish him and to defeats the will to God, in order to force him to renounce his faith. They lock him in a small cell, without food and water. They beat him day after day, torture him, humiliate him, ask him to renounce his faith. Days pass without them achieving what they desire. The Saint remains steadfast in his faith towards the true God, so they decide to end his life, after first torturing him in a terrifying way. Then they take the Saint out of the small prison and take him to the tree of his martyrdom, the mulberry tree which is full of leaves, all green, these days. They hang him upside down and begin to beat him furiously. They hit him, curse him, mock him, make fun of his God:
– Where is your God to help you now?
The Saint does not lose his courage. He prays:
– Lord, do not pay attention to the words of these people, but let Your will be done.
They pull out his beard, tyrannize him. His strength is failing. One, with a piece of iron, hits him furiously on the left side of his head, near the eyebrow. His clothes are torn, his body is almost naked, the wounds are countless. But they are still not satisfied with the blood. They would like to torture him further. Then, one of those who martyr him takes a piece of burning wood and thrusts it forcefully into his belly (navel). His screams are heartbreaking, his pain immeasurable. His eyes are bloodshot. Blood flows from his belly abundantly, but even now they do not stop. They start the same painful tortures over and over again. His body struggles like that of a fish when you take it out of water. All his limbs are seized with spasms. And soon, the Saint no longer has the strength to speak. His powers leave him, he can only pray to himself and ask God for forgiveness. Blood and saliva flow from his mouth at the same time. The earth beneath him is drenched with his blood, which flows abundantly. He loses consciousness. The pagans consider him dead. With a sword, he cuts the rope that holds him hanging from the tree and his body falls to the ground. But the madness that drives him does not stop. They kick him, beat him, even now, when they think he is dead… After a while, the Saint comes to his senses a little. With the little strength that remains, he opens his eyelids. He prays and I hear the voice of his heart:
– Lord, into Your hands I entrust my spirit.
His fingers dig into the ground in pain and, at this moment, his soul separates from his body as a Martyr. Then the Angel of the Lord descends from Heaven. In his hands he holds a red velvet pillow. On top he places the soul of the Saint and ascends to Heaven. Then he sees Angels lined up on the right and left, forming a great heavenly path, and the angel of the Lord passes through their midst, accompanying Saint Ephrem to the Lord.
And the Lord welcomes him, saying to him: “You are worthy, Ephrem, for you have confessed Christ!”
What happened next with the Holy Great Martyr Ephrem the New was revealed in a vision to a nun from the Holy Monastery of the Annunciation in Nea Makri, Greece. The nun saw how a dog from the monastery of those times, white with black spots, who had lived during the time of the Saint, was clinging close to the hollow tree (this is the mulberry tree from which Saint Ephrem the New was hanged, a mulberry tree that still exists today, around which a chapel has been built in our days). The dog was very unhappy and tears were flowing from its eyes. Then, three peasants entered the monastery; immediately the dog began to run back and forth between the peasants and the hollow tree, barking. One of the men understood that something was happening. They approached and saw the bloody and dismembered body of the Saint. They dug a hole and placed the body in it. After they had taken the body of the Saint, the dog ran to the hole and took a piece of the body, which had fallen off as a result of the many torments to which it had been subjected, and, holding it delicately between its teeth, placed it in the grave together with the body of the Saint. Then the people covered the grave and left.
In June 1971, Saint Ephrem the New – the Great Martyr of Nea Makri – appeared in a dream to a nun from his Monastery on the Hill of the Righteous, and revealed to her some of the torments he had been subjected to by those infidel Ottomans. Saint Ephrem said to her in his gentle voice:
– If you only knew how much I suffered, even in my head…
And he pointed with his hand:
– They drove large nails into me and nailed my head to a tree.
The Saint made the Sign of the Holy Cross and continued:
– With many, many nails.
For over 500 years, no one knew anything about this Great Martyr, and on January 3, 1950, the nun Macaria discovered, through divine revelation, the Holy Relics of the Great Martyr Ephraim the New, as well as his life and sufferings.
Therefore, Saint Ephraim the New, the Great Martyr of Nea Makri (Greece), is celebrated twice a year: on January 3 (the day of the discovery of his Holy Relics) and on May 5 (the day of his repose in the Lord, following the terrible torments he suffered as a Great Martyr).
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