Saint Onufrije Hilandarac

Saint Onuphrius the New Martyr of Hilandar is an Orthodox Bulgarian saint who practiced asceticism at the Serbian monastery of Hilandar. He was born in Gabrovo, in the Eparchy of Tarnovo, Bulgaria. In his youth, he became angry with his parents and declared to the Turks that he would convert to Islam. Immediately repenting of these words, he went to Hilandar, where he became a monk. Tormented by his conscience, he resolved to seek martyrdom. With the blessing of his spiritual father, he went to Tarnovo, where he presented himself to the Turks, proclaimed himself a Christian, and mocked Muhammad. For this, he was beheaded on January 4, 1818, at the age of thirty-two. The body of this spiritual knight was not preserved, as the Turks threw it into the sea. The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates his feast day on January 4 according to the Julian calendar, which corresponds to January 17 according to the Gregorian calendar.