 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Great martyr" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Agreat martyr (also spelledgreatmartyr orgreat-martyr) ormegalomartyr (fromByzantine Greekμεγαλομάρτυς,megalomártus, fromμέγας,mégas'great' +μάρτυς,mártus'martyr';Church Slavonic:великомꙋ́ченикъ;Romanian:mare mucenic;Georgian:დიდმოწამე) is aclassification ofsaints who arevenerated in theEastern Orthodox Church and thoseEastern Catholic Churches which follow theRite of Constantinople. The term is also used inMalta especially by parishes dedicated toSaint George in reference to him (San Ġorġ Megalomartri).
Generally speaking, a greatmartyr is amartyr who has undergone excruciatingtortures[1]—often performingmiracles and converting unbelievers toChristianity in the process—and who has attained widespread veneration throughout the Church. These saints are often from the first centuries of the Church, before theEdict of Milan. This term is normally not applied to saints who could be better described ashieromartyrs (martyred clergy) orprotomartyrs (the first martyr in a given region).
