Origins and Monastic Life
David was descended from the Kydonians of the town of Aivali (Greek: Kydonies) in Asia Minor. According to the sources, the inhabitants of this town held a special relationship with Mount Athos, owing to Athonite dependencies and embassy churches connected to their city; one account associates these ties with the monasteries of Iveron and Pantokratoros.
He became a monk at the Skete of Saint Anna on Mount Athos, a hermitage-style community attached to the Great Lavra and situated on the Aegean shore, where he joined a compatriot already living there.
Fundraising Mission
David was sent to Smyrna to raise funds for the repair of two churches damaged by lightning: the Church of the Transfiguration on the peak of Mount Athos and the Church of the Theotokos.
His efforts succeeded. With the funds he gathered, both churches were repaired, and in addition two containers for water and a row of cells for pilgrims were built.
Martyrdom
Filled with a desire for martyrdom, David traveled to Magnesia, where he proclaimed Christ publicly. The Turkish authorities beat him severely, wounded him in the head, and expelled him.
Returning to Mount Athos, David sought permission to pursue martyrdom. His spiritual father at first refused, fearing he might deny his faith under torture, but the former Metropolitan Pankratios of Christoupolis eventually gave him his blessing and permission.
At Thessaloniki, David learned that a monk from a dependency of Vatopaidi Monastery had converted to Islam. While attempting to bring the apostate back to the faith, David's intentions became known to Muslims, who brought him before a judge. Fearing that David would succeed in reconverting the apostate, the judge issued a swift sentence. On the night of 26 June 1813, David was hanged, receiving the crown of martyrdom.
