02 — Slavery in Cappadocia
The captive carried into the interior: brought to Prokopion (Greek Prokopi; Turkish Ürgüp) in Cappadocia, into the household of a Turkish cavalry officer, John lived the life of a slave — and there met the defining test of his sanctity, the sustained pressure to renounce Christ and accept Islam, which he refused at the risk of his life.
Tradition: Russian Orthodox confessor (venerated across the Greek world; Pan-Orthodox)
These two files set out the condition and the confession. The first describes the place and the household — Prokopion in Cappadocia, a town with a substantial Greek Orthodox Christian population, and the master, a sipahi (cavalry officer) whose stable John was set to tend. The second treats the heart of his sanctity: the demand that he apostatize, the abuse he suffered for refusing, and the respect he eventually won even from his persecutors. Per the repository methodology, the reported words and scenes are pinned to the devotional tradition that carries them.
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| The Slave of Prokopion | John brought to Prokopion (Ürgüp) in Cappadocia; the household of a Turkish agha/sipahi; the Greek Christian community of the town; his assignment to the stable and the condition of a Christian captive in an Ottoman household. |
| Refusing Islam | The pressure to convert to Islam; John’s steadfast confession, the reported words of his refusal; the abuse he endured and the respect his constancy eventually won from his master and neighbors — reported as the tradition attests. |
See Also
- Capture in the Pruth Campaign (1711) — how he came to be a slave
- The Stable and the Prayer — the hidden life of prayer within the slavery
References
- Orthodox Church in America. “Saint John the Russian and Confessor, Whose Relics Are on the Island of Euboia.” oca.org/saints/lives/1953/05/27. (Prokopion in Asia Minor; the Turkish cavalry commander; the demand to convert and John’s refusal.)
- Holy Shrine of St. John the Russian, Nea Prokopi (Evia). “A Brief Life of Saint John the Russian.” oir.gr. (The household, the stable, and the confession.)