Saint Chryse - A Ray of Light in the Years of Slavery
Directed by Nikos Katsoulis
Produced by the Metropolis of Edessa, Pella and Almopia
Released in 2023
Directed by Nikos Katsoulis
Produced by the Metropolis of Edessa, Pella and Almopia
Released in 2023
In Greek with English subtitles
"Saint Chryse - A Ray of Light in the Years of Slavery" is the true story of the martyrdom of Saint Chryse, a young girl who lived in Slatena, Almopia (present-day village of "Chryse") in the late 18th century.
The plot of the movie takes place in 1795, in the village of Slatena. It is winter, so the young Chryse, a devout Orthodox Christian, goes to get firewood. Chryse is abducted by a local Muslim man who is infatuated with her. The young woman endures terrible suffering over the following nine months. She consistently undergoes physical and mental abuse since she won't accept Islam and wed her kidnapper. On October 13, 1795, she is horrifyingly murdered for her refusal to compromise her faith in Christ.
The genuine account of Saint Chryse's martyrdom as told by Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite in the "New Martyrology" and supplemented/corrected by His Eminence Metropolitan Joel of Edessa, who also wrote the Service of the Saint, serves as the basis for the film. The spiritual father of Saint Chryse, Father Timotheos, lived for a long time at the Monastery of Stavronikita on Mount Athos, and told Saint Nikodemos the story of her martyrdom.
His Eminence Metropolitan Joel of Edessa, Pella, and Almopia provided the inspiration for the film during the Metropolis event commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821, which took place on November 28, 2021, at the Spiritual Centre of Yannitsa. The occasion was held in honour of Chryse the Neomartyr and the overall contribution of the Neomartyrs to the country's freedom.
The writing of the screenplay and the preparation for the filming of the movie took place in September 2021.
The 33 actors who played the roles in the movie come mainly from the village of Neochori, but also from other areas of the Pella prefecture. None of them had ever appeared in a movie before.
Due to the pandemic and the significant rainfall those days, the filming took place over the course of 5 days during the end of September and the beginning of October 2021 in challenging circumstances.
The locations where the filming took place are the village of Neochori, the castle of Chryse, the Monastery of Archangelos, and the waterfall of Notia.
