19th century
Saint Lygeri of Chios
New martyr from Anavatos on Chios who was beheaded in 1822 for refusing to renounce her faith.
Biography
Lygeri was born in the early 19th century in the village of Anavatos on Chios and was known for her beauty, which drew the desire of a Turkish lord. Despite promises of wealth and honors, she firmly refused to marry him, remaining true to her Christian faith.
On 6 September 1822, the Turk's men reached the village and seized her by force to bring her to him. On the way she embraced a tree, declaring she would not renounce Christ, and one of the men beheaded her.
According to tradition, her mother marked three crosses with her blood on the nearby rocks, one of which survives to this day.