The Hieromartyr Metrophanes
and the Chinese New Martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion
by Fr. Symeon Kees
In June 1900, during the reign of the Qing Dynasty, violence erupted in the city of Beijing. Members of a sect named The Righteous and Harmonious Fists, called “Boxers” by Westerners, rose up against both foreigners and native Chinese Christians. The Boxers regarded as enemies all sources of non-native influence in China. Victims of this massacre included the Chinese Orthodox Christian community in Beijing, which was associated with the Russian Mission in China. Believers were tortured and killed, their bodies mutilated, and their homes burned. Some renounced the Faith out of fear, but many others showed forth courageous faith in Christ as they walked toward the glory of martyrdom.
After the Boxers burned down the Orthodox church and the mission buildings, Orthodox faithful fled to the home of their priest, Fr. Metrophanes (Cháng Yángjí, 常楊吉). Ordained in 1882 by (St.) Bishop Nicholas of Japan, Fr. Metrophanes served as the first native Chinese priest in the Orthodox Church. When the Boxers approached the priest’s home and surrounded it, some of those who had taken refuge there escaped. After breaking through into his residence, the Boxers repeatedly stabbed Fr. Mitrophanes, who had been sitting in the courtyard, and left his body lying under a date tree. The wife of the Hieromartyr, Presbytera Tatiana, and two of their sons, 23-year-old Isaiah and 7-year-old John, later joined him in martyrdom. Isaiah’s wife (or fiancee according to another source), 19-year-old Maria, desired to remain with Isaiah’s family. Although she helped others escape from the besieged house, Maria joined the ranks of the New Martyrs.
Other Chinese Martyrs from the community include Pavel, a catechist, and Ia, the head teacher at the mission school. 222 Chinese Orthodox Christians received the crowns of martyrdom by the end of the uprising. A few years after the Boxer Rebellion, the relics of the Hieromartyr Metrophanes and other Chinese Martyrs were given rest at the newly-constructed Church of All the Holy Martyrs in Beijing. A surviving son of St. Metrophanes, Fr. Sergei (Cháng Fú, 常福), was elevated to the rank and dignity of Archpriest. His descendants include a daughter and two granddaughters.
St. Metrophanes and the Chinese New Martyrs are commemorated on June 10th. These New Martyrs, including the courageous children among them, inspire us by their heroic words and deeds. As we endeavor to boldly live the Way and proclaim the Gospel, let us call upon the Saints of China to intercede for us and also for the men and women of their native land.
For more information on the Orthodox Faith in China, visit the website (http://www.orthodox.cn/saints/chinesemartyrs_en.htm) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/OrthodoxChina/) of the Orthodox Fellowship of All Saints of China, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt pan-Orthodox organization that aims to provide information on the Orthodox Faith in East Asia, support Chinese translation of Orthodox texts, and encourage the veneration of the Hieromartyr Metrophanes and the Chinese New Martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion.
Acknowledgement: I would like to thank Mitrophan Chin and all who helped us make contact with a great-granddaughter of St. Mitrophanes to verify certain historical details.
This article was published in the June 2017 edition of The Word (pp. 5-6), a publication founded in 1905 by St. Raphael of Brooklyn. The Word remains an official publication of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. At the time this article was published, Fr. Symeon served on the Board of Trustees of the Fellowship of All Saints of China.
The photo at the top of the article by Fr. Symeon includes a small icon card of the Chinese Martyrs from the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia (Ecumenical Patriarchate) and two icons (Ss. Tatiana and Mary of Beijing) by Nick Papas.
Historical Images
Children’s Book
The following images have been taken from the book Saint Mitrophan: The First Chinese Martyr, written and illustrated by Egle-Ekaterine Potamitis. Fr. Symeon was pleased to provide support for this project in coordination with Potamitis Publishing. This edition is #83 in the Paterikon for Kids series.
