Martyr Saints Constantin Voivod Brâncoveanu, his sons Constantin, Radu, Ştefan and Matei and the counselor Ianache Văcărescu

The Martyrdom
The execution of Constantin and his family happened on 15 August 1714, at Ialy Kisc, on the day of the Dormition of Our Lady, the very day when he turned 60 years and his wife celebrating her namesday. Constantin was brought here not alone, but with his four sons Constantin, Radu, Ştefan and Matei and his confident Ianache Văcărescu. The sultan permitted them a last prayer and offered them one more chance to convert to Islam.

After the beheading of Ianache Văcărescu, the executioners took the four sons. Even if Matei, the youngest protested and asked his father to let him convert to Islam, because he didn’t live his life, Constantine was radical and forbade him such a thing. His son accepted his father’s decision and finally chose to die too. He was only 11 years old. Finally Voivod Constantine was also beheaded.

The bodies of the martyrs were thrown into the waters of Bosphorus and their heads were worn in spears through the streets of Constantinople and hanged for 3 days at the gates of the Seray. Later they were also thrown into the waters o the sea. Some Christians have „fished” the bodies and buried them secretly in the Assumption Church from Halki island, during their heads were brought in Wallachia by Lady Mary in 1720 and secretly buried in the new church of St. Gheorghe from Bucharest.