Saint Theophylactos Bishop of Nicomedia

Saint Theophylactos Bishop of Nicomedia

Celebration date: 08/03/2021

Saint Theophylactos came from the East and lived during the time of Emperor Leo IV (775 – 780 AD). Due to his great education and to continue his studies, he came to Constantinople, where he quickly acquired a reputation as a sage and established friendly relations with senior government officials and officials, as well as with the later Patriarch Tarasius, who was then protoskrite (First of the public services of the empire ).

When in the year 784 AD Tarasios was elected Patriarch of Constantinople, in succession to Patriarch Paul, the Blessed Theophylactos together with Michael, who later became bishop of Synades, were sent by Tarasios to a monastery on the Black Sea. A little later, probably around the year 800 AD, he was elected Bishop of Nicomodeia. From this position, Saint Theophylactos excelled in works of ecclesiastical charity and social welfare. He built temples, the mega hospital of Saints Cosmas and Damianos Anargyros, old people’s homes, poorhouses and created a scholarship for needy widows and orphans. In fact, he himself ministered and cared for his sick brothers.

When Patriarch Tarasios died, Agios Nikiforos I (806 – 815 AD) was elected to the patriarchal throne. The reign was dominated by Leo V the Armenian (813 – 820 AD), who moved against the holy icons. Then Saint Nikephoros received Saint Theophylactos, Saint Emilian of Cyzicus, Saint Euthymius of Sardeon, Eudoxius of Amorius, Saint Michael of Synades and Saint Joseph of Thessaloniki, he went up to the palace and rebuked the emperor with hagiographic passages for his blasphemous teachings and iconoclasm. his mood. Because the emperor remained unconvinced, the Holy Theophylactos took the floor and said to him with a scolding: “I know that you despise the guilt and long-suffering of God. But disaster will come upon you suddenly, and destruction will be like a storm.”

The emperor was enraged and condemned them all to exile. The Patriarch Nikiforos in Chrysoupoli, the other High Priests in different places and the Holy Guardian of God in Strovilos, where for thirty years he remained with care and there he fell asleep in peace in the year 840 AD.

After the cessation of the persecution, under the pious queen Theodora (842 – 857 AD) and the Patriarch Methodios (842 – 846 AD), his sacred tent was recovered in Nicomedia, in 846 AD, and he was deposited in the church of Agioi Anargyros Cosmas and Damianos, which he had built.

Saint Theodore the Studite calls the Holy Theophilus a pillar of truth, a stronghold of Orthodoxy, a guardian of piety, a support of the Church.

A small temple of Saint Theophylactos was erected in the palace during the 10th century AD, perhaps during the reign of Emperor Romanos I of Lekapinos (920 – 944 AD), father of the Patriarch of Constantinople Theophylactos (931 – 956 AD).