Saint Markella

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Saint Markella (also called Marcella) was a 14th-century Christian from Volissos, Chios, Greece. She was raised by a devout mother, while her father is described in different stories as a pagan or as violent. Around her eighteenth year, she fled from her father, hiding in a bush in the mountains. He and a local herdsman found her and set the bush on fire. Markella ran to the sea, but her father shot an arrow that wounded her. Local tradition says her blood dyed the rocks, and during her feast on July 22 the rocks are said to glow with her blood as a miracle. She prayed as she was wounded, and a rock opened to hide her body, but her head was severed and thrown into the sea. Her head is said to have floated to Komi beach, where a Genoese ship later found it and carried it home as a sacred relic. It is also believed that holy water springs from the rocks at the site of her martyrdom, and pilgrims say the water can feel warm when their faith is strong. Today there is a church in Saint Markella’s cave, and her icon is one of the most revered in the Orthodox Church. Her feast day is July 22, and she is the patron saint of Chios.