Great Martyr Zlata (Chryse) of Meglen

Great Martyr Zlata was born to a poor peasant family in the village of Slatina (now Chrysi, Pella prefecture, Greece), located within the Meglen diocese; she had three sisters. She was distinguished by beauty, piety, and chastity. She was abducted by a Turk who tried to persuade her to convert to Islam. Zlata firmly refused, and attempts to make her change her faith came not only from Turkish women but also from her own relatives, who were compelled by threat of punishment. Despite all persuasion and cruel torture, the saint remained unwavering in her confession of Christ and was executed on October 18, 1795, in the village of Slatina. A brief account of her martyrdom was composed in Greek in 1799 by St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite, based on the testimony of Timothy, the proto-hegumen of the Stavronikita Monastery on Mount Athos, a witness to the saint's torments. She is venerated by the Bulgarian and Serbian Orthodox Churches as a great martyr. Her memory is kept on October 13 (commemoration of the miracle in Skopje) and October 18/31 (day of repose).