According to Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite, New Martyrs are those who died a martyr's death for the Orthodox faith after the fall of Constantinople, that is, after 1453 AD. These are all those who were martyred because they refused to deny Christ. Information about the New Martyrs of the Turkish occupation comes from the New Martyrology of Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite, Saint Nikephoros of Chios, Metropolitan Nicholas of Kythera, and also from foreigners such as Pouqueville, a French ambassador in Constantinople and traveler. It should be noted, of course, that the Church discouraged voluntary martyrdom as there was a risk that someone might not withstand the horrific tortures and deny Christ again. In the terrible era of the Turkish occupation, the New Martyrs filled Christians with hope, keeping the flame of faith alive. Through their martyrdom, they proclaimed that no matter how harsh and violent the oppressor was, no threat, no torture, no threat was capable of uprooting their faith, of enslaving the Orthodox soul of the Romans. We all know the fighter Nikitaras (Nikitas Stamatelopoulos or Turk-eater). But his younger brother? Ioannis Stamatelopoulos-Turkolekas: He dared to become a martyr at the age of 11! In the dark years of the Turkish occupation... when being an Orthodox Roman was a heavy and dangerous thing...