Martyr
A martyr is someone who suffers persecution and later assassination or death for advocating, renouncing (giving up), or refusing to renounce (not giving up) a religious belief or other cause, despite another person or group demanding that they do so.[1]
Originally it was applied only to those who suffered for their religious beliefs but now the term has come to be used in connection with people killed for a political or nationalist cause as well.
Famous examples of people considerd religious martyrs
- 1941:Maximilian Kolbe, a Roman Catholic priest is martyred in the Auschwitz concentration camp.[2] He is later canonized by Pope John Paul II as a martyr of charity.[3]
- 2015:[4] 21 construction workers who were in the Coptic Orthodox Church except for one,[5] are killed by the Islamic State(IS) because they believed in Jesus Christ.[6] These are the names of the 21 martyrs:
- Bishoy Adel Khalaf
- Samuel Alhoam Wilson
- Hany Abdel-Masih Salib
- Melad Mackeen Zaki
- Abanoub Ayad Attia
- Ezzat Bushra Nassif
- Yousef Shokry Younan
- Kirillos Shukry Fawzy
- Majed Suleiman Shehata
- Samuel Stéphanos Kamel
- Malak Ibrahim Siniot
- Bishoy Stéphanos Kamel
- Mena Fayez Aziz
- Girgis Melad Sniout
- Tawadros Youssef Tawadros
- Essam Badr Samir
- Luke Ngati
- Jaber Mounir Adly
- Malak Faraj Abram
- Sameh Salah Farouk
- Matthew Ayariga[7]
Martyr Media
Miniature from the Menologion of Basil II depicting the 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia, who were martyred when Roman soldiers set their church on fire on Christmas Day, AD 302
Charles I is regarded by many members of the Church of England as a martyr because, it is said, he was offered his life if he would abandon the historic episcopacy in the Church of England. It is said he refused, however, believing that the Church of England was truly "Catholic" and should maintain the Catholic episcopate.
Sculpture at Mehdiana Sahib of the execution of Banda Singh Bahadur by Mughals in 1716[source?]
From the gallery of 20th century martyrs at Westminster Abbey—l. to r. Mother Elizabeth of Russia, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Archbishop Óscar Romero and Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer[source?]
A painting commemorating the martyrdom of the 3rd Shia Imam Husayn ibn Ali at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD[source?]
Interior of the Coliseum at the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, Auriesville, New York, showing the sanctuary and high altar
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References
- ↑ Definition of MARTYR (in en). www.merriam-webster.com (2026-03-12). Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ↑ The sacrifice and death of father Maximilian Kolbe / Podcast / E-learning / Education / Auschwitz-Birkenau. www.auschwitz.org. Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ↑ Kijas, Zdzisław Józef. THE PROCESS OF BEATIFICATION AND CANONIZATION OF MAXIMILIAN MARIA KOLBE. Studia Elbląskie XXI (2020). p. 199-213.
- ↑ Coptic Christians Remember the 21 Martyrs Beheaded by Terrorists - International Christian Concern (in en-US). persecution.org (2022-02-17). Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ↑ Lewis, Charles. Remembering the 21 Coptic Martyrs (in en). NCR (2019-04-13). Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ↑ Ten years since brutal Islamic State murder of Christians in Libya (in en-GB). Barnabas Aid (2025-02-10). Retrieved 2026-03-24.
- ↑ lordalton. February anniversary of the brutal murder of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya one year ago. (in en-GB). David Alton (2016-02-12). Retrieved 2026-03-24.
