His Eminence Andrei, Metropolitan of Cluj, Maramureş and Sălaj, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Holy Trinity Monastery in Bichigiu, on the feast of the four Holy Martyrs and Confessors of Năsăud, 12 November 2016, Radio Renasterea reports.
Pilgrims, priests, monastics from all across the country, and representatives of local authorities participated in the Divine Liturgy.
In his homily, His Eminence Metropolitan Andrei referred to the example offered by the life of the Holy Martyrs and Confessors of Năsăud.
The four saints confessed our Lord Jesus Christ, keeping their faith, received once and for all from Christ, through the Apostles and the Holy Fathers. They regarded as sacred the words saying: whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32).
Holy Trinity Monastery in Bichigiu was founded in 1997 upon the site of old monastery dating from 1523. The monastery has a new chapel dedicated to Saint Athanasius Todoran, Martyr and Confessor of Bichigiu. St Athanasius is the eldest Romanian Saint who died as a martyr at the age of 104.
HOLY CONFESSORS AND MARTYRS OF NĂSĂUD: ATHANASIUS TODORAN OF BICHIGIU, BASIL OF MOCOD, GREGORY OF ZAGRA AND BASIL OF TELCIU
(12 November †1763)
Holy Martyr Athanasius Todoran was born in Bichigiu village, Sălăuţa valley, Năsăud region of Transylvania, to a family of Orthodox Christians. Few things are known about his childhood; it is only known that he was an outstanding person in his community, an educated person, who has been administrator and tax collector in the communes on Bichigiu and Sălăuţa valleys.
Given his virtues and courage he was a member of a military regiment of the empire from Vienna ever since his youth. Hence, as his retirement was postponed, he left the army of his masters, who had a different faith, and went back home. Followed by the people of the empire, he took refuge in Ţibleş Mountains, in Maramureş and Chioaru land. While in this exile, he always prayed God for him and for his fellow human beings who were suffering and in all kind of humiliations.
His pains grew when the ones of other faiths caught and imprisoned him for a few years in the Hoopers’ Tower, in Bistriţa citadel. Once released from prison, he went back to Bichigiu village, where the Orthodox faith of his forerunners was threatened by uniatism. Thus, because the village had no Orthodox priest, he firmly refused to confess to and take Holy Communion from a uniate priest.
He has always manifested his faith in God and desire for justice and truth. Therefore, from 1761-1762 he held talks with the government in Vienna, together with some other leaders, for the militarisation of 21 communes in Bichigiu, Sălăuţa and Great Someş valleys. He went to Vienna together with other Romanians where the pact with the government was concluded and where they were assured that, after joining the frontier guard, the Romanians from Năsăud area would enjoy more facilities and would not be forced to give up their faith.
When he came back home expecting to enjoy the results of the agreement, blessed Athanasius realised that the Romanians’ demands were not taken into account, so that he started openly opposing the attempts of conversion to the papal church.
On 10 May 1763, the fight flags were to be blessed and nine companies of the recently set up frontier guard were to be sworn in Salva locality, at the place called “At the Marsh”. General Bukov, sent by the Court of Vienna to survey and accelerate the conversion of the Romanians to Catholicism in Transylvania, came to attend the swearing in of the frontier guards of Năsăud and the blessing of the flag, accompanied by the uniate bishop. At that time of hard trials for the Orthodox Christians, when the militaries were prepared to swear in, “old Tănase Todoran”, aged 104 at the time, came in front of the crowd riding a horse and delivered a speech for the Romanian frontier guards. He said: “We have been frontier guards for two years and we have not received papers from the empress to confirm we were free people, as we were promised!… So, we shall not bear arms to see our holy faith mocked! Let down your arms!”.
The passionate words of the pious old man bore fruits in the hearts of his listeners and so the soldiers who were about to swear in the oath of faith to Vienna took Athanasius’ side and put down their arms.
Soon afterwards, the authorities undertook investigations in order to punish the Saints confessors. Thus, on 12 November 1763, the supporters of the centuries old faith and of the freedoms of the Romanian people were tortured on the same plateau of Salva. The bones of the righteous martyr Athanasius were broken with a wheel from head to toes and his head was tied to a wheel, “because he hindered the people to convert to uniatism and join the frontier guard…”. Three other faithful died a martyr’s death together with him: Basil from Mocod, Gregory from Zagra and Basil from Telciu. Nineteen other Orthodox Christians were whipped, many of them to death. The heads of the martyr saints were put on pillars at the gates of the houses were they had lived and pieces of their bodies cut to pieces were laid at crossroads.
This was the martyr’s death of the worth of remembering Holy Martyr Athanasius, who shed his blood for the faith of the forefathers and for the rights of his Romanian brothers from Transylvania. His suffering and those of those who died together with him have been always honoured in the souls of the Orthodox faithful of Năsăud area. The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, through the Tomos of 22 October 2007, placed them among the saints, celebrated on 12 November.
Through their holy prayers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Troparion, tone 4:
Your life well-pleasing to God has shone like a brilliant star in the land of Năsăud, oh, Holy Martyrs Athanasius of Bichigiu, Basil of Mocod, Gregory of Zagra and Basil of Telciu; for being strengthened by the divine grace you became protectors and confessors of Orthodoxy against rulers of other origin and faith. Therefore, suffering to the very shedding of your blood, you have been crowned in Heaven by Christ our God, to Whom do pray for our souls.
