April 19. (May 2).
The Five were martyred for Christ on the Monday after Thomas Sunday in 1836 in the village of Makre, on the seashore of Thrace, right across the Thracian Sea from Samothrace. Their Holy Relics are treasured in the Theotokos, Chora, and Samothrace Church of the Dormition.
Samothrace is one of the Northernmost islands of Greece. There are more Greek islands to the North of Samothrace, but albeit they liberated themselves from the yoke of the Hagarenes, they were assigned to the state that succeeded the so-called Ottoman Empire. The Hagarenes martyred these five saints, and we believe their intercessions with Christ kept their island free to worship Christ. As the local bishop says, their sober bravery is worth emulating by other Orthodox youths.
It's probably interesting to know that, as far as we know, every inhabitant of the island of Samothrace has at least one copy of this Paterikon.
Glory to God, and many thanks to the local bishop.
Which of the Five will be your kid's patron saint?
With each Paterikon book, feel free to choose a "Paterikon Purse" of your liking and either a fasting or non-fasting treat.