In 1274, at the Council of Lyon, the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos decided to strengthen his power, which was close to collapse, through an alliance with Catholic Rome - a union. This step caused general discontent in the country, and the emperor in 1278 issued a decree to introduce a union in Byzantium, even if through violent measures. Holy Mount Athos firmly opposed the union. The Athonite monks sent a message to Michael, in which they thoroughly argued that the primacy of the pope, his commemoration in churches, the celebration of the Eucharist on unleavened bread, and the addition of “and from the Son” to the Creed cannot be accepted by the Orthodox, and they called on the emperor to come to his senses. “We clearly see,” the message said, “that you are a heretic, but we beg you: leave all this and abide in the teaching that you have accepted... Reject the unholy new teachings of false knowledge, which adds guesswork to faith.” The crusaders, expelled from Palestine and finding refuge in Romagna, declared to the emperor their readiness to assert the power of the pope with fire and sword. Mikhail also hired Turks and Tatars.
When the troops approached Athos, which the emperor hated, in order not to irritate the Greeks, he decided to take out his anger on the Slavs of Athos. By order of Michael, the pope's servants attacked the Bulgarian monastery of Zograf. When the Zograf monks were asked to accept the union, none of them even wanted to hear about Catholicism. Most of the Zografs left the monastery, and the most solid ones, 26 in number, remained in the monastery tower. These were: abbot Thomas, monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Micah, Simon, Hilarion, Jacob, Job, Cyprian, Savva, Jacob, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Mina, Joasaph, Ioannikios, Paul, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, Parthenius and 4 laymen. The holy martyrs for the Orthodox faith were burned in the monastery tower on October 10, 1284.
St. Cosmas of Zografsky (Athos), hierome, hermit († 1323, commemorated February 23, September 22)
The Monk Cosmas, the hermit of Zograf, a Bulgarian, in his youth avoided marriage and went to Holy Mount Athos secretly from his parents. Even then, on the way to the Holy Land, the devil tried to shake the young man’s aspirations, confusing him with a vision of the insurmountable depths of the sea surrounding the Holy Mountain. The young man's fervent prayer dispelled the demonic obsession. On Mount Athos, Saint Cosmas was received into the Zograf monastery. There he was a novice for a long time, and then took monastic vows and was appointed ecclesiarch. Saint Cosmas received the special grace of being the seer of the Heavenly Abbess of Mount Athos herself, Who, on the feast of the Annunciation in the Vatopedi monastery, deigned to visibly reveal to him the care of Her earthly lot: he saw a Woman of royal beauty and majesty, Who was in charge both in the church at the service and in the refectory, yet the monks were obedient to Her servants. Soon the saint was ordained a deacon, and then a presbyter, which prompted him to new exploits.
Zealous for salvation, the saint, through fervent prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos, again received a sign of Her special protection: he heard the voice of the Mother of God coming from Her holy icon and asking Her Son: “How can Cosmas be saved?” The Lord’s answer was this: “Let him leave the monastery in silence.” Having asked for the blessing of the abbot, Saint Cosmas withdrew into the desert, and there, in a cave carved into the rock, a new feat of silent hermitage began. God did not abandon his faithful prayer book: the saint was granted the gift of clairvoyance.
Just as at the beginning of his asceticism the enemy of the human race tried to divert the saint from his intended path, so the dying days of the righteous man were a difficult test for him. Shortly before his death, the chosen one of God was awarded a vision of Christ Himself, who informed the saint that before his soul departed to the Kingdom of Heaven, Satan himself with his horde would cruelly beat and wound him. Prepared for suffering by Divine consolation, the saint courageously endured the terrible mockery of the devil, allowed by God, and on the third day after the fierce beatings, having partaken of the Most Pure Mysteries, with praise on his lips, he peacefully departed to the Lord. God, “who glorifies those who glorify Him,” miraculously glorified the venerable One after death: during the burial of the saint, many animals and birds flocked to his cave, as if understanding the general loss of the Holy Mountain, but when the body was lowered into the grave and began to be covered with earth, each of the dumb creatures uttered a sad voice, paying their last respect to the saint of God.
When, according to custom, 40 days after the all-night vigil, the brethren opened the holy remains of the righteous man in order to transfer them with honor to the monastery, miraculously they were not there - the Lord hid them. This was in 1323.