Relics Identified as Those of St. Chryssi Discovered in Greece

PELLA, GREECE — The holy relics identified as those of St. Neomartyr Chryssi have been found near the ruins of the old Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos at the castle of Chrysi, according to scientific documentation cited by the Orthodoxia News Agency. Laboratory testing conducted in specialized facilities in Germany reportedly confirmed that the remains belonged to a young woman approximately 17 years old who died in 1795, corresponding to the account preserved in the saint’s life.

The discovery will give special significance to this year’s October 13 feast of St. Chryssi. Metr. Joel of Edessa, Pella, and Almopia announced that the saint’s relics will be transferred on her feast day and called their recovery a blessing for the local Church. “We praise God for the great blessing, which He granted us two centuries after the glorious and horrible martyrdom of the Saint,” the Metropolitan wrote, urging the faithful to seek the saint’s intercessions and the grace associated with her relics.

St. Chryssi was born in what is now the village of Chrysi in the Almopia region. According to her life, she was abducted by a Turk who attempted to force her to renounce Christianity and marry him. Chryssi refused, declaring her devotion to Christ despite repeated appeals from her family.

She was subsequently subjected to torture and was killed on October 13, 1795. Her life records that she was cut with knives and received the crown of martyrdom.

Previously, the UOJ reported that the relics of St. Anne were to be brought to Romania for the first time.