Great Martyr Nicholas of Sofia (Bulgaria)

Saint Nicholas was born in 1510 in Thessaly, in the city of Ioannina. His parents were Albanians, but their names (Martin and Euphrosyne) indicate that they were Christians. He received a good upbringing and education, and was a handsome, intelligent young man.

After the death of his parents, he worked as a shoemaker. After a while, desiring to be a pilgrim for Christ's sake, he began to wander and arrived in Serdets (now Sofia), where he settled and led a holy life. At the insistence of some friends, he got married. But one night, he hid from everyone, even from his wife, he set off on new journeys.

After crossing the Danube, he settled in Ugro-Wallachia and took up his former trade, thus fulfilling the vows he had made previously to God. Since he was a skilled shoemaker, he soon became known in the ruler's palace and even to the ruler Mircea Cioban, who invited him to work at the court.

Life in the palace was burdensome to the gentle Nicholas, especially since the ruler Mircea was an angry and cruel man, devoted to all sorts of iniquities, and without the fear of God. Having no wish to witness the ruler's crimes any longer, Nicholas found a convenient opportunity, and in 1554 he returned to Serdets, where he was reunited with his family. After some time, his two sons died.

One day the Muslims invited him to visit and gave him a good deal of wine¹ then circumcised him in order to convert him to Islam in such a treacherous way This treachery outraged and saddened Nicholas.

The Saint spent an entire year in solitary continuous prayer, trying to atone for his sin. On the day after the Feast of the Ascension, a Turk came to him and asked why he did not observe the precepts of Islam. Nicholas said that he had never betrayed the Orthodox Faith and that he remained a Christian, which greatly outraged the Turks.

Then he He was beaten, tortured and put on trial. Since there was no evidence of the defendant's free acceptance of Islam, the qadi (judge) tried to acquit him, but the crowd demanded the blood of the "apostate."

On May 17, 1555, the Muslims stoned him outside the city at the place of the "Three wells". A certain Christian, who watched the execution, was able to save part of the Saint's relics. Then the Turks burned his body near the place called "Tarnitsata", and his ashes were scattered.

The local Metropolitan James convened a diocesan council, at which the Holy New Martyr Nicholas was canonized.

¹ According to another version, they drugged grape juice with a sleeping potion.