Monastic Martyrs James and his two disciples, James the Deacon, and Dionysios the Monk

Commemorated on November 1.

Saint James was tonsured at Docheiariou monastery on Mount Athos. Moving to the neglected Georgian Skete of Saint John the Baptist, he restored it under the supervision of Elder Ignatius.

Fulfilling various obediences in the monastery, Saint James ascended to the heights of purity. He was granted heavenly revelations, as was the Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:2-4), so the Saint also beheld the mansions of Paradise and the depths of Hades. By God's grace, Saint James was able to perceive the mysteries of human hearts, and the secret thoughts of those who came to him.

He was also found worthy of the gift of performing miracles. While visiting Aetolia with his disciples, he healed the sick and instructed all. The Turkish authorities fabricated false charges against the Saint, accusing him of fomenting rebellion. In this manner, they tried to force Saint James into renouncing Orthodoxy. Saint James and both of his disciples, Deacon James and the Monk Dionysios, endured the most severe torments for seventeen days, receiving the crown of martyrdom on November 1, 1520.

The relics of the Monastic Martyrs, glorified by miracles, were placed in the monastery of Saint Anastasia, the Deliverer from Potions, in the small town of Galatista, near Thessaloniki. In a short time, the fame of the holy relics attracted about 100 brethren to the monastery under the Igoumen Saint Theonas (April 4), who was himself a disciple of Saint James.