Birth of Gregory V
Three-time Ecumenical Patriarch, executed in 1821, remembered as a saint and national martyr.
Why it matters
Gregory V links Dimitsana with the highest level of Orthodox leadership and with the martyr memory of 1821.
Born in Dimitsana (1746), Gregory V served thrice as Ecumenical Patriarch, promoting education and social welfare while navigating Ottoman oppression. During the 1821 Revolution, he was forced to excommunicate rebels under duress. Refusing to flee, he was hanged on Easter Sunday, becoming a symbol of sacrifice. Canonized in 1921, he remains a revered national figure.