Память преподобного отца нашего Иоанна епископа Готфского

Our holy father John lived in the Gothic country 3316 during the reign of Emperor Constantine 3317. He was born through the prayer of his parents, like the prophet Samuel in ancient times (1 Samuel 1:9-20), and, from a young age, devoted to monastic deeds, became the dwelling place of Christ. He traveled to Jerusalem and, having visited all the holy places for three years, returned to his fatherland. At that time, Emperor Constantine transferred the bishop there to Heraclius of Thracia 3318, and the Gothic Orthodox Christians began intensely to ask St. John to be their bishop. They escorted him to Iberia 3319, where he received episcopal consecration and after that returned again to his native country. When disturbances occurred in his country caused by the Kagan 3320, who exterminated many innocent people with the sword, he barely found the opportunity to escape and arrived in Amastris 3321, where he lived for four years. Hearing about the death of the kagan, he said to those who were with him: - In forty days I will go to court with him before Christ. This is exactly what happened. Forty days after this, Saint John taught the people, instructing them towards spiritual salvation, and at that time he gave up his spirit to the Lord 3322. Immediately, according to his prediction, a ship arrived at the pier, and then the most holy Bishop of Amastrid, George, laid his body in a coffin, with candles and incense, accompanied by all the inhabitants of the city, escorted him to the ship. On the ship, the saint's body was taken to his monastery Parthenit 3323 and buried here at the burial site of the monks of the monastery. In this place, after the burial of St. John, many miracles were performed and even to this day are performed. The monk performed many miracles during his lifetime. Under the name of the Gothic country we mean here the region then subject to the Gothams on the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula, known as Tauro-Scythia. The place of residence of Saint John was the Parthenite port at the foot of Mount Ayudaga. This was Emperor Constantine Copronymus, known in history for his persecution of icons; reigned from 741 to 775. The city of Heraclius of Thracia, otherwise Perinth, was located on the shores of the Propontis, or the Sea of ​​Marmara. The Gothic bishop in 754 signed the definition of the iconoclastic council and for this Constantine Copronymus made him Metropolitan of Irakli. Iberia is present-day Georgia. At that time, it was not infected with the iconoclastic heresy, which explains the fact that Saint John was transferred to this country for episcopal consecration. The Khazars occupied Dori, the main city of the diocese of St. John, with their garrison, and he convinced the ruler of Gothia to expel the Khazars, but the Khazar Khagan again took possession of the city, executed many, and put John into custody, from which, with the help of Gothic Christians, he fled overseas to Amastris. The city of Amastris was located in the ancient Roman province of Asia Minor Paphlagonia on the shores of the Euxine or Black Sea. Saint John died on June 26 at the end of the 8th century, around 790. In the prologue, the Parthenon is mistakenly named as the burial place of St. John. The latter was located near Crimean Chersonese, and the monastery where the body of the saint was buried was located at the foot of Mount Ayudaga. Here Saint John lived and here he built a large church in the name of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, restored in 1425 by the Metropolitan of All Gothia Damian and now defunct. You might be interested in: