St. George the Newmartyr of Sofia

On February 11 the Bulgarian orthodox church celebrates the memory of St. George the Newmartyr of Sofia, who was born in 1496 or 1497, and died on February 11 1515. He was a great patriot, who sacrificed his life for his nationality and his faith. He refused to become Islam, and was brought to court, where he explained in detail the advantages of Christianity to the Islamic religion. For this audacious act, he was shackled in chains, thrown to the fanaticized crowd and murdered. The Bulgarian orthodox church has canonized him as a Bulgarian saint. One of his contemporaries – the priest Peyo, wrote his passional, which contains many details about his life and his tragic death.