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Chrysostomos of Smyrna

Chrysostomos of Smyrna (birth name Kalafatis, in Greek Καλαφάτης), was a Metropilitan of the Greek Orthodox population of Smyrna (now İzmir in Turkey). He was notable for his charity work and for having been deeply involved in the politics of his day [1]. [2] The Metropolitan Bishop was lynched and brutally murdered by a Turkish mob incited by Nurettin Pasha in Smyrna, on 9 September 1922, soon after the Turkish army regained control of the city:

"In the early afternoon, Smyrna's new military commander, Nureddin Pasa, sent for Archbishop Chriysostomos. Nureddin explained calmly that a military tribunal had already sentenced the Greek Metropolitan to death:

"The Prelate was walking slowly down the steps of the Konak when the General [Nureddin] appeared on the balcony and cried out to the waiting mob, 'Treat him as he deserves!' The crowd fell upon Chrysostomos with guttural shrieks and dragged him down the street until they reached a barber's shop where Ismael, the Jewish proprietor, was peering nervously from his doorway. Someone pushed the barber aside, grabbed a white sheet, and tied out the Prelate's beard, gouged out his eyes with knives, cut off his ears, his nose, and his hands..." [ibid, p. 133-4, a contemporary account]"

Footnotes

^ [1] In his 1926 book "The Blight of Asia" with otherwise hardly justifying tones for the Turks, the former US Consul to Smyrna, George Horton, who (in his own words) "was there up until the evening of 11 September 1922, on which date the city was set on fire by the army of Mustapha Khemal" (the fire had started on 13 September) refers to Metropilitan Chrysostom (as he names him) several times. The first time, he remarks, on one occasion I was present at an important service in the Orthodox Cathedral [possibly with his Greek-American spouse Catherine Sacopoulo], to which the rep­resentative of the various powers, as well as the principal Greek authorities had been invited. The [Hellenic] High-Commissioner [for Ionia, Mr. Stergbiades as the Consul names him; the correct name is Aristidis Stergiadis] had given the order that the service should be strictly religious and non-politi­cal. Unfortunately, Archbishop Chrysostom (he who was later murdered by the Turks) began to introduce some politics into his sermon, a thing which he was extremely prone to do. Sterghiades, who was standing near him, interrupted, saying: "But I told you I didn’t want any of this." The archbishop flushed, choked, and breaking off his discourse abruptly, ended with, "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Amen," and stepped off the rostrum.

^ [2] Marjorie Housepian (Hovsepian) Dobkin, another source not known for advocating Turkish causes remarks in her book, The Smyrna Affair that, The Archbishop's murder was reported to Admiral Dumesnil aboard the French flagship.

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