Our saint for today is one with some measure of controversy around him, St. Tarasios of Constantinople:
Saint Tarasios (or Saint Tarasius) (Greek: ÎÎ³Î¹Î¿Ï Î¤Î±ÏάÏιοÏ) (c. 730 â 25 February 806) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 25 December 784 until his death on 25 February 806.
A few key facts about him:
- He played an important role in fighting against iconoclasm. During the Second Nicean Council he served as acting chairman.
- He was a layman before he became Patriarch.
- Church unity was important to him, and he insisted on overtures of unity before accepting his post.
- He was greatly deferential to the Byzantine Monarchy. This lead him to condoning Emperor Constantine VI’s divorce and “remarriage,” at least for a short time.
More can be found out about him at his wiki, located here.