John, son of Balzi
Armenian martyr near Maraş in Cilicia
Feast: 22 November (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
By the river Zihun near the town of Maraş in Cilicia, in the territory of present-day Turkey, Blessed Salvatore Lilli, priest of the Order of Friars Minor, John son of Balzi and six other companions of Armenian origin, martyrs, who, having been ordered by Ottoman soldiers to deny Christ and having refused to betray their faith, reached the eternal kingdom run through with lances.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Roman Martyrology remembers him on 22 November as one of the Armenian companions of Blessed Salvatore Lilli, run through with lances near Maraş for refusing to deny Christ.
Connected on this site
- Salvatore Lilli Blessed“By the river Zihun near the town of Maraş in Cilicia, in the territory of present-day Turkey, Blessed Salvatore Lilli, priest of the Order of Friars Minor, John son of Balzi and six other companions of Armenian origin, martyrs, who, having been ordered by Ottoman soldiers to deny Christ and having refused to betray…” — this site's research
- Roman Martyrology, 22 November (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Rcd492c9e — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.