Under Turkish rule, the Greek Orthodox Church had no small number of martyrs who were put to death for their exceptional zeal for the Christian faith and for publicly denouncing Islam. The later Greek Orthodox Church, and the universal Church with her, has regarded and continues to accept her martyrs just as the ancient Church regarded the martyrs of the early Christian era, acknowledging martyrdom as sufficient foundation for glorification, irrespective of the gift of working miracles, although miracles did have a place in many cases.

Saint of Andrew of Crete (660-740 AD) chants,  

O Bride of the Father, immaculate Mother of the Son, and holy and resplendent temple of the Holy Spirit; O Most chaste of all creation, Most suitable to His ultimate purpose, on this account the universe was created and, by thy birth, was the eternal will of the Creator fulfilled.

In the first centuries of the Christian Church, three-basic types of saints were recognized. These were a) The Old Testament Patriarchs, Prophets [among whom St. John the Forerunner and Baptist is pre-eminent] and the New Testament Apostles; b) the Martyrs, who gained crowns of glory through the shedding of their blood, and c) outstanding hierarchs [Bishops] who served the Church, as well as people acclaimed for their personal struggle [the righteous and the ascetics]. As concerns the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, and Martyrs, membership in any one of these categories carried with it recognition as a saint.

In Phrygia, not far from the city of Hierapolis, in a place called Kherotopa, there was a church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. Near the church there flowed a healing spring. The church was built through the efforts of a resident of the city of Laodicea, in thanks to God and to the Archangel Michael for the healing of his mute daughter with waters from the spring; the maiden received healing at the spring and began to speak.

What, in essence, is the Church's formal glorification of Saints? In the Holy, Catholic, Orthodox Church the prayerful memory of each of her members who has departed in faith, hope, and repentance is cherished. This commemoration of the majority of the departed is limited, comparatively, to the narrow circle of the "Church of the home," or, in general, to persons of close blood relation or acquainted with the departed. It is expressed by prayer for the departed, prayer of remission of sins, that "his soul be numbered among the righteous," that "his repose be with the saints."

Every single human being, whoever he may be, wherever he lives, whatever position he holds, be he erudite or unlearned, rich or poor, famous or unknown, young, middle-aged or elderly, happy or wretched, to some extent or another ponders on meaning of life and asks himself, 'What is truth?' (St. John 18:18).