8th–9th century
Saint Theophylact the Confessor, Bishop of Nicomedia
A bishop of Nicomedia who defended the holy icons and was exiled by the iconoclast emperor Leo V, dying in exile (c. 840–845).
Biography
Theophylact came from the East and went to Constantinople for his education, where he gained a reputation for wisdom and formed a friendship with the future patriarch Tarasius. Around 800 he became bishop of Nicomedia.
As bishop he was noted for his charitable work: he built churches, a hospital, homes for the elderly and the poor, cared for orphans and widows, and personally tended to the sick.
When the iconoclast emperor Leo V turned against the icons, Theophylact confronted him boldly and was exiled to Strobilos, where he remained for thirty years until his death in 840.