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→Martyrdom
==Martyrdom==
In 1815 a group of Aleut seal and otter hunters, including Peter, was were captured by Spanish sailors, who took them to San Francisco for interrogation. With threats of torture, the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] priests in California attempted to force the Aleuts to deny their Orthodox faith and to convert to Roman Catholicism.
When the Aleuts refused, the priest had a toe severed from each of Peter's feet. Peter still refused to renounce his faith and the Spanish priest ordered a group of California Indians to cut off each finger of Peter's hands, one joint at a time, finally removing both his hands. They eventually disemboweled him, crowning his life with [[martyr]]dom. They were about to torture the next Aleut when orders were received to release them under escort to their monastery in Monterey.
