Saint Saint John from Tourkolekas

John of Tourkolekas (born 1805 in Tourkolekas, Arcadia; died October 16, 1816, in Monemvasia, Peloponnese) was a martyr and the son of the famous resistance fighter against long-standing Ottoman rule in the Peloponnese, Stamatelos Tourkolekas, and his wife Sophia, née Demetriou Karoutsou, who was the sister of the wife of the famous revolutionary Theodoros Kolokotronis. His family was known for their strong religious conviction, love for their homeland, and courage. One of his four brothers was the well-known partisan captain Nikitas, also known as Nikitaras the Turk-Eater, who later became President of the Greek Parliament. Another brother was the military tactics instructor and partisan leader Nikolas. At the age of eleven, John accompanied his father and the son of the fighter Parnonas, Zacharias, on their way to the island of Kythira. When they stopped in Neapoli in Laconia—present-day Neapoli Voion—the local Agha, Hussein, noticed them and took them prisoner. He then handed them over to the supreme Turkish ruler in Monemvasia, who locked them in his house. The voivode of the ruler of Monemvasia, who was based in Mystras, ordered the execution of the prisoners, which was carried out on the other two. John was confronted with the bodies and urged to convert to Islam, which he firmly refused. For this reason, he too was beheaded in front of the Church of Elkomenos Christos in Monemvasia. The heads of John and the other two were sent to the Pasha in Tripoli, while their bodies were buried in an unknown location. The cross on the ground of the courtyard of the Church of Elkomenos Christos in Monemvasia became a symbol of strength for the oppressed Greeks and a significant pilgrimage site in memory of the martyr John. The murder of the three took place on October 16, 1816, and a cross formed from John's blood on the churchyard floor, which was regarded as a sign of veneration. John of Tourkolekas is commemorated on October 16 in the Orthodox Church.