Holy Martyr Agathopous of Panormos in Crete

By Emmanuel Doundoulakis, PhD
Professor, Higher Ecclesiastical Academy of Crete

The contribution of the island of Crete to the formation of the “inner person,” as well as to spiritual advancement, does not consist solely in the cultivation of Letters and the Arts, but also in the emergence and promotion of spiritual stature and exemplars which, through their personality and work, inspire modern humanity. In this category are included, among others, the saints of the Church, who through the martyrdom of conscience and their martyric consummation strengthen and inspire Christians in their struggle against the difficulties of everyday life.

Among the choir of the proto-martyrs († 250) of Crete — the Holy Ten — there is also counted the Holy Martyr Agathopous (or Agathopodas), from the harbor of Panormos, in the prefecture of Rethymno.

The direct and indirect hagiographical sources, published and unpublished (Detorakis: 53–60, 63–74), from which we draw information about this martyr and his fellow athletes in the martyrial struggle, are numerous. The principal ones are the following: the letter sent (458 AD) by eight bishops of Crete to Emperor Leo I, in which it is recorded, among other things, that the Holy Ten are honored as protectors and guardians of the island. The Martyrdom of the Saints as composed by an anonymous biographer; the encomiastic homilies in honor of the Martyrs by Saint Andrew of Crete the Hymnographer, Saint Gerasimos Palladas, Patriarch of Alexandria, Theodore Palladas the priest, Michael the Agapetos, and others. From the synaxarial tradition of the Metaphrastic period, one should note the Synaxarion of the Church of Constantinople (Delehaye: 337–340), the Basilian Menologion (PG 117, 224 CD), as well as the Martyrdom of the Saints attributed to Symeon the Metaphrastes (PG 116, 565C–573B). The commemoration of this Martyr is also recorded, together with his fellow athletes, in the later overall synaxarial tradition, in prose and metrical menologia (e.g., that of John of Chandax: 32).

The Holy Martyr Agathopous is listed eighth in the nominal catalogue of the Holy Ten Martyrs in the majority of the above synaxaria and other texts. Preceding him are the names of the five martyrs from the Metropolis of Gortyna, as well as the martyrs from Knossos and Leobene. Although the sources provide no additional information about the Saint beyond his place of origin, it is known to us that Agathopous, together with the other nine of the choir of the Holy Ten, refused to offer libations and to partake of the sacrificial offerings at the dedication of the temple of Tyche in Gortyna, under the proconsul Plutamios, during the reign of Emperor Decius. The refusal of Agathopous and the others to participate in what was required by the persecutor led to their imprisonment, where they endured many tortures in an attempt to break their resolve. Agathopous and his fellow athletes showed exceptional fortitude and unwavering devotion to Christ, and this stance led to their martyric consummation by beheading, at the place called “Halōnion” (the ancient city of Aulon), southwest of the village of Hagioi Deka in the Messara plain, on December 23, 250 AD, according to the prevailing tradition.

The proclamation of the sanctity of the Holy Ten Martyrs, among whom is included the Holy Martyr Agathopous of Panormos in Rethymno, was immediate. Their day of commemoration was regarded by both the Eastern and Western Church as the day of their martyric consummation, December 23.

The exhumation and translation of the relics of Saint Agathopous, as well as of the other members of the Holy Ten, took place by imperial concession, carried out by Saint Paul, Bishop of Gortyna, in 312 AD. More specifically, during the exhumation of their relics from Halōnion and their translation to the cemetery of the city (Gortyna), the honorable relics of the Holy Ten were found incorrupt [Papadakis Ch. (Archim.): 283–284], while the last clear testimony concerning their relics is given to us by Saint Andrew of Crete. Portions of the holy relics of the Holy Ten Martyrs are today found in reliquaries of monasteries on Mount Athos and elsewhere.

The expression of veneration by the Cretans toward the Holy Ten Martyrs contributed, over the centuries, to the construction of churches and chapels dedicated to their memory. In particular, for the Holy Martyr Agathopous, the construction of a beautiful church in his birthplace, Panormos of Rethymno, is being completed, where the devout faithful will have a visible expression of his presence among them and will invoke his intercessions before the Lord [this church was consecrated on July 29, 2023].

The hymnography for Saint Agathopous is not extensive. In his honor there is recorded a supplementation of a chanted service, a composition by the philologist Georgia Louloudaki from Panormos, in which—through direct and indirect references, eight in number — the connection of the Martyr with his birthplace is emphasized. In the published hymnography of the Holy Ten [Papadakis Ch. (Archim.): 449–685], Saint Agathopous is not placed in the prevailing eighth position according to the synaxarial texts, but is mentioned between the second and tenth positions, as required by the metrical and musical needs of the hymn. In honor of this Saint and his fellow athletes, two unpublished chanted Canons are recorded, compositions of Joseph the Hymnographer and Theophanes the Graptos, the manuscripts of which are preserved in libraries in Greece and abroad [Papailiopoulou: 131 (369, 370)].

The depiction of the Holy Martyr Agathopous does not present uniformity in wall paintings and portable icons. According to the Hermeneia of Dionysios of Fourna, the Saint is depicted as “a young, beardless man” (Fourna: 160), although this is observed only in very few portable icons, since the Martyr is usually depicted as bearded. Saint Agathopous is portrayed sometimes frontally and sometimes with a slight inclination of the head to the left, either alone or included in the choir of the Holy Ten Martyrs. He holds a cross in his right hand, as observed in the majority of depictions, while, when the left hand is not covered by one of his garments, it is shown raised and open, as an affirmation of martyrdom and an expression of innocence. At other times the Martyr is shown holding a palm branch in his left hand (Church of the Holy Ten at Mallia), as a symbol of victory and immortality, or holding an open scroll (Monastery of Pantanassa at Mystras), on which is declared the voluntary approach of the Holy Ten to martyrdom for the love of Christ.

Indicative Bibliography

Ἀνώνυμος, Propylaeum ad Acta Sanctorum. 

Synaxarium Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae, ἔκδ. Delehaye H., Bruxellis 1902. 

Βασίλειος Β΄, Μηνολόγιον Ἑλληνικόν, PG 117, 224. 

Δετοράκης Θεοχάρης, Οἱ ἅγιοι τῆς πρώτης Βυζαντινῆς περιόδου τῆς Κρήτης καὶ ἡ σχετική προς αὐτούς φιλολογία, διατριβὴ ἐπὶ διδκτορίᾳ, Ἀθήνα 1970. 

Διονύσιος ὁ ἐκ Φουρνά, Ερμηνεία τῆς Ζωγραφικῆς Τέχνης, Πετρούπολη 1909. 

Ἰωάννης ὁ ἐκ Χάνδακος τῆς Κρήτης, Φιλάδα ἐν ᾗ εἰσὶ στίχοι ἰαμβικοὶ τῶν καθ’ ἑκάστην ἑορταζομένων ἁγίων ἀρχόμενοι ἀπὸ Νοεμβρίου, Ἡράκλειον 1828. 

Παπαδάκης Χ. (ἀρχιμ.), Οἱ ἅγιοι Δέκα μάρτυρες οἱ ἐν Κρήτῃ 250 μ.Χ., ἔκδ. Δήμου Γόρτυνας καὶ πολιτιστικοῦ Συλλόγου Ἁγίων Δέκα, Ἅγιοι Δέκα 2004. 

Παπαηλιοπούλου – Φωτοπούλου Ε., Ταμείον ἀνέκδοτων Ἀσματικῶν Κανόνων, Ἀθῆναι 1996. 

Συμεών Μεταφραστής, Μαρτύριον τῶν ἁγίων Δέκα μαρτύρων τῶν ἐν Κρήτῃ, PG 116, 565C-573B.

 

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.