Hieromartyr and Confessor Stephen the New of the Mount of St Auxentius

Stephen the New was born in Constantinople around 715 after his mother prayed for a son, became a monk on Mount St Auxentius near Chalcedon, and later led many disciples there. He opposed the iconoclast policy of the emperor Constantine V, which forbade the veneration of icons. After the iconoclast council of 754, Constantine sent for him and tried to win him over.

According to the Life, Stephen showed the court a coin with the emperor's image, trampled it, and asked what punishment those deserve who treat the image of Christ in the same way. He was jailed among monks mutilated for their faith. On 28 November 767 a mob dragged him out of the prison and beat him to death. His body was dragged through the streets of the city and thrown into the sea.