Early Life and Apostasy
According to the synaxarion, the saint was born George in Megalo Chorio, a village near Karpenisi (Carpenision) in central Greece. At about eleven years old he was sent to Constantinople to live with a relative who kept a grocery.
After an accident in which he broke goods belonging to his employer, a Muslim woman took him into her household. When the woman's husband was preparing his own sons for circumcision, George, out of gratitude to those who had sheltered him, agreed to be circumcised as well, and so fell away from the Christian faith. He is said to have remained in the household for two years before being handed over to a Muslim official and taken to Bulgaria and Bosnia.
Repentance and Monastic Life
The synaxarion relates that George eventually returned to his native Megalo Chorio, where he repented of his apostasy and attended church faithfully for three years.
He then joined a monk named Gerasimus who was traveling to Mount Athos, and entered the Skete of Saint Panteleimon under the spiritual direction of an elder named Cyril. A year later he was tonsured to the monastic life and given the name Gerasimus.
Confession and Martyrdom
By tradition, the monk Gerasimus returned to Constantinople and sought out the Muslim household of his earlier years, openly declaring that he had been born an Orthodox Christian and intended to die one. Refusing to conceal or renounce his faith, he was arrested and imprisoned.
The synaxarion records that he was subjected to torments during his imprisonment yet remained steadfast in his confession. He was put to death for the faith on July 3, 1812, in Constantinople, at the age of twenty-five.
Relics & Shrines
The synaxarion relates that the martyr's remains were first buried on the island of Proti, later transferred to the Holy Monastery of Prousos, and in 1971 brought to a church dedicated to his name in his native village of Megalo Chorio.
Portions of his relics are said to be distributed among several monasteries.
Miracles & Traditions
Historically Documented: The sources consulted record his veneration as a New Martyr, the July 3 commemoration, and the burial and successive transfers of his relics.
Traditional Accounts: The synaxarion preserves the account of his bearing at the place of execution, where he is said to have knelt and faced east, and when turned away by the executioner, turned again toward the east.
