Martyr John, the soldier at Constantinople

John served as a soldier in the reign of the emperor Julian (361–363), who was a pagan and reversed the policy of his Christian predecessors. According to the account retold by St Dimitry of Rostov, John was sent with other soldiers to hunt Christians, and in public looked like a persecutor. In secret, the account says, he warned Christians so they could escape and freed those who had been caught, and he helped the poor and the sick with food and comfort.

He died in peace and was buried in the place where strangers were buried. In later centuries he came to be invoked as a helper for people who have lost something or had something stolen, and for slaves who wished to escape. He is remembered as of the 4th century.