"The body doesn’t matter, Pasha. What matters is what is hidden inside it, what is your purpose and what you want to do with your life... ...Up in the mountains, I fight for freedom. I fight for my Greek brothers. That for which I fight, is not yours to give to me despite all of your glory and wealth.”"

"Rigas became the great benefactor of our nation. His ink will be precious before God, as will his holy blood", said Theodoros Kolokotronis about Rigas Feraios, whose words raised an entire nation.

The conveyor of the revolution to Roumeli and the first bishop to fall in the battle for the freedom of our homeland. "My homeland placed me here to defend this passage. That’s what I was asked to do and that’s what I’m going to do, even if it costs me my life."

- Let's see how wise you are.
- My mind is full of love for Greece. There is no space for other thoughts. Don’t bother.
- You will be just bones like all the others...
- It is worth it! The more the bones sown in the earth, Pasha, the faster freedom will grow out of them...

"Never before has a mother given birth to a hero like Markos. He was a grand man. His intelligence was unique. His heart was as brave as a lion's and his judgment as fair as Jesus Christ's. None of us are as worthy as him!"
Georgios Karaiskakis

“He who fights for freedom will either earn it through fighting or sanctify it through death…”
- There is nothing left anymore. I promise to fight to the last drop of my blood without ever being intimidated by any human circumstances.

“Our Homeland is calling us. So let all the mountains of Greece echo with the sound of our battle trumpet. It is time to throw off this insufferable... yoke, to liberate the homeland,... to raise the symbol by which we are always victorious, the Cross... Among us, the best will be the one who will most bravely defend the rights of the homeland and who will best serve it. To arms, then, friends, the homeland is calling us!”

“You have to protect your faith and keep it, for when we started the fight, we proclaimed ‘For our faith’ first and then ‘For our homeland’. It is your responsibility now to straighten and replenish the land that we freed; and in order to do that, you need to have unity, faith and freedom as the foundations of the state.”

“Therefore, you should love each other. Arm yourselves with the zeal of God and take up arms, for it is preferable for one to die fighting rather than disgrace the sacred values of his Faith and his Homeland.
...The history and the future of Greece are based on the Faith, the Freedom and the Homeland.”

When the long battle is over, he heads back when, suddenly, he hears a wounded man moaning. He gets closer and realizes that he is a Turk. He feels sorry as he sees him suffering. The Tourkofagos puts the wounded enemy on his back, and he returns to the camp. As his men spotted him on his way back, they began cheering and celebrating. The wounded Turk is awed to hear that this man is Nikitaras, and he asks with a low voice: "Are you truly the famous Nikitaras?" A few moments later, the hero shudders. Nikitaras feels a knife on his neck. "You, dog! I am saving your life and you are trying to trick me and kill me?"
"No, my master, I swear to Allah. I did not harm you! Here, look, I only cut some hairs from your head to make a charm from you, to remember you and your compassion."

“During ancient times, the Greeks would believe that goddess Athena is arriving at the coasts of Attica. But her father’s cross that was shining on her chest was showing that the Christian heroine and daughter of a martyr took up arms for her faith and her homeland.”

"Konstantis, your time has come to die!" A loud crash is heard. Many Turks fall down. That was it. The fireship hits with such force that it penetrates the flagship. “In the name of the Lord!” He sets fire to the fireship and quickly jumps into the boat waiting for him. The Turks are panicked. In a short time, everything has been burnt on the Turkish flagship.

“You and your faith need to get lost. I was born a Greek and a Greek I will die... I do not want you to feel sorry for my bravery. He who dies for his homeland and the faith of Jesus Christ is not afraid of being impaled or baked.”

“We must not sit with crossed arms and look at the sky. God gave us hands and knowledge. Let us ask our heart what it wants and whatever it answers, let us make it happen. And let us be assured, brothers, that our beloved Jesus Christ, will put His hand over us. To arms, brothers, we shall free ourselves or we shall die!”

Greeks! Never forget your debt to God and to your homeland. I ask of you to vow that you’ll either win or die under the flag of Christ.

So, fight bravely and rest assured that the names of those who fight for the homeland will remain immortal...

“We were fighting naked, barefooted, without money, without food. But with God’s help and the blessing of our nation, we stood united, we won… My God, I gave my all for the nation, I did my duty…”

“I lost my husband. Bless The Lord! My older son fell while fighting. Bless The Lord! My second son, 14 years old, fights with the Greeks and will probably die in glory. Bless The Lord! I will shed my own blood under the sign of the Cross. Bless the Lord! We shall come out victorious or dead, but we will find solace to the fact that we won’t leave the next generation of Greeks enslaved.”

“I thought a lot about it and imagined everything in front of me. All the suffering I will sustain for the freedom of my homeland and my religion, including death and dangers and struggles. I met him and told him: “I am worthy.” I kissed his hand... And with the blessing of the blessed priest, of my homeland and my religion, God didn't let me be ashamed.”

I am convinced that I shall never forget the interests of my homeland. What benefit does this high favour have that the emperor honors me with, since I wouldn't be able to use it to help my compatriots, to whom I belong wholeheartedly and exclusively? God is my protector… and without this faith, I wouldn’t even be able to either understand myself or hope for anything.

At the times of slavery, the little children faced themselves the difficulties of being enslaved. They experienced the same pain and fears of the older and tried to help. They were working in the fields and toiled for their families. Guided by their parents they went to the churches and tried to learn the Greek language, some writing and reading. There, they learned about the love of Jesus and some things about their glorious history. As the genuine kids of their ancestors, while listening about the bravery of the klepths, they started to set up their own brave stories.

“When they mess with my country and my religion, I will speak, I will act and they can do as they like… This is my country and it was not set free with fairytales, it was freed with blood and sacrifices. And I love nothing more than my homeland. If someone should come and tell me that Greece will move forward, I am willing to let him take out both my eyes. For if I am blind, but my country prospers, it shall feed me, if my country is in a bad state, even if I had ten eyes, I would be blind. For I shall live in this country, I have no intention to go anywhere else.”

There are battles that are fought not with the sword, but with the pen. With the ladle that struggles to feed the hungry. With the scalpel, with the plow, with the bucket of - the scarce - water. With sophisticated tools, but also with bare hands. With eyes that insist on looking at the Truth. With the voice, that gets hoarse and bleeds from fighting for justice.

In life, each one of us gives a fight. Sometimes we are not succeeding and are making mistakes. A moment comes, though, when God helps us understand our mistakes and calls us again to approach Him. If we listen to Him, then in front of us opens up a path never ending… This path was walked by Saint Constantine of Hydra.

"Filothei, even if all the Turks fall on you, they cannot touch even one of your head’s hairs if the Lord does not allow them. Do you hear that? Entire armies might destroy all that you built. But the fortress of the heart cannot be destroyed, if faith and patience are its weapons."

His body remained hanging in the gallows for 3 days as per Turkish tradition. Everyone could see a heavenly light come down and make the saint’s body glow. Not only did his holy relic glow but it had a lovely scent as well.

Imprisoned as he is, he prays on his knees to the Theotokos to give him the strength to not succumb. Every day, delicious meat meals with no bread arrive at the stable, to make him eat and break the fast. But in vain. John passes out, but stays adamant.

“Your soul and Christ are all you need. The whole world does not have the power to take those two things from you, unless you surrender them willingly. Always protect those two, so that you do not lose them.”

The foreign embassies are imploring him to leave. He positively refuses to do so, as he had repeatedly done in the past.
“I am the Patriarch in order to save my people, not in order tο leave them to the knives of the janissaries. My death might be more useful than my life would be a benefit. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.”

“I had all those things that you're now offering, my Agha. I had everything, I had everything and realized that all those things were garbage and got rid of them, as is appropriate with trash. What I want is for you to call your men and tell them that I regret everything, so that the other Christians learn about it, take courage and forgive me.”

He is eager to prove himself useful to the homeland. On the other hand, he is worried that he might be too young and inexperienced yet. For that reason, he runs to the abandoned chapel outside the village. He does what he has been taught by his mother. Deeply moved, he kneels on the ruins. He talks to the Theotokos, to the sweet Jesus Christ who listens to every pain: “My Lord, Judas betrayed You, Peter abandoned You. The rest of your disciples abandoned You to save themselves. And we, here, against these Turks... Will we be able to keep our faith? And me... What if I succumb, what if I betray You? Only You can give me the strength to endure. I love you, my Lord.

But the five still endure. They encourage each other: “Brothers, let us not fear this temporary death. Let us not be intimidated by this torture, because it will end. We should only fear God. He is the One who gives strength to whomever hopes in His holy name.”

They drag her to court. First, they try to convince her with kind words and promises of a comfortable life. Akylina steadily says: "I am a Christian".
Kyranna stands tall peacefully. "I am a Christian. My pure soul belongs to Jesus Christ. It's Him I long for and have longed for since my childhood. I'm ready to shed my blood for His love... You heard my response, so don't expect any other word from me."

What are you even talking about! The Lord is inviting me to His Kingdom and I shall refuse to go? All that you have promised me is nothing compared to what my Lord has prepared for me in His Kingdom! Strike me for my faith! Strike, I say!

“Know that my wealth is the faith that I have in my heart for Jesus Christ. No one can deprive me of that wealth. That wealth is being prepared by Jesus Christ in His Kingdom for those who love Him and never deny Him until the end…”

“We were born Christians and we shall die Christians. We will never deny Christ, even if you tear us into pieces. Do whatever you have to do and save yourselves some time. We will not betray our faith!”

Chrysi: "I believe and worship only Jesus and He is the only One I acknowledge as my husband, Whom I will never deny even if you torture me in a thousand ways, and slice my body into pieces."
Lygeri: "I was born a Christian and will die a Christian, I will not change my faith. I am not going anywhere, do whatever you want to me."

"I don't want to live in darkness anymore. I saw true light! I believe in Christ! Help me, Jesus, to come near You! I repent! Have mercy, Christ. I truly thank You for what You have revealed to me, from the bottom of my heart!"

Not only was the sacrifice of the Neomartyrs important from religious aspect, but also from a national aspect for the oppressed christians. With their sacrifice, they stood up against the Turkish conqueror and saved the Greek civilization, because all Greeks knew really well that if they betrayed their faith it would be like they betrayed their origin. We read that for anyone who became a muslim, it was the same as becoming a Turk, he ceased being a Greek. For them, denial of the faith was the same as denial of Greece and death for the faith signified an offer to the battle for freedom. Those heroes of faith became fighters of freedom as well.