St Theophanes the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea

Commemorated on October 11


Saint Theophanes, Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicea was the younger brother of the St Theodore the Branded (December 27). The brothers received an excellent education and were particularly involved in philosophy. Striving towards the knowledge of God, they settled in the Lavra of St Sava. Here St Theophanes was tonsured, and later became a hieromonk.


The holy brothers were famed as advocates of icon veneration. They boldly fulfilled the mission entrusted them by the Patriarch of Jerusalem and went to Constantinople to denounce the iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820). Afterwards, they also denounced the iconoclast emperors Michael Balbos (820-829) and Theophilus (829-842).


The saints had to endure imprisonment, hunger, even torture. The emperor Theophilus gave orders to inscribe a phrase insulting to the glorious confessors upon their faces with red-hot needles. Therefore, they are called "Branded". "Write whatever you wish, but at the Last Judgment you shall read your own writing," said the agonized brothers to the emperor. They sent Theodore to prison, where also he died (+ 833), but Theophanes was sent into exile. With the restoration of Icon veneration St Theophanes was returned from exile and consecrated Bishop of Nicea. The saint wrote about 150 canons, among which is a beautiful canon in defense of holy icons. He died peacefully around the year 850.


Troparion - Tone 5
Having attained an angelic stateYou sounded forth as a golden trumpet of revelationAnd nourished the chosen people by your words.In singing hymns to you the Church rejoicesFor you struggled on her behalf, O Theophanes!


Kontakion - Tone 2
Having thundered the divine incarnation of Christ,You convicted the fleshless foes,O wonderful Theophanes.We pray you to intercede for us all!


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