Saint Constantine of Hydra: Apostasy, Repentance, and Martyrdom

Saint Constantine of Hydra, a New Martyr commemorated on November 14, was born in the late eighteenth century to pious Orthodox parents Michael and Marina on the Greek island of Hydra. Driven by poverty and lack of work, he left home at eighteen for Rhodes to earn a living and support his family. There he entered the service of the local Ottoman governor, Hasan Kapetan.

Through deceit and social pressure, he abandoned his Christian faith, converted to Islam, and took his master's name, Hasan. For three years he lived in comfort and enjoyed high honors in the governor's household. Overwhelmed by remorse for denying Christ, Constantine sought forgiveness and began giving alms to poor Christians.

When his own family and community rejected him for his apostasy, he traveled to Mount Athos. There he confessed to a spiritual father at the Iveron Monastery and prepared himself through strict fasting and prayer to atone for his sin through martyrdom. Constantine returned to Rhodes and boldly appeared before Hasan Kapetan, openly renouncing Islam and declaring himself a Christian.

Furious at his former servant's defiance, the governor had him thrown into prison and subjected to severe tortures. Throughout his ordeal, Constantine remained steadfast in his faith and prayed continually to God. By order of the Sultan, Constantine was executed by hanging in Rhodes on November 14, 1800, at the age of thirty.

His mother later recovered his relics and brought them back to Hydra, where he is venerated as the island's patron saint on his feast day, November 14.