Venerable Theophanes, the Confessor and Hymnographer, Bishop of Nicæa

Theophanes, born c. 778, became a monk at the Lavra of St Sabas near Jerusalem with his brother Theodore. Sent to Constantinople to defend the veneration of icons, the brothers were beaten and exiled by the Iconoclast emperors.

In 836 Emperor Theophilus had twelve lines of verse tattooed on their faces with needles; from this they are called the Graptoi, “the Inscribed”. Theodore died in exile; after icon veneration was restored in 843, Theophanes became metropolitan of Nicaea. He wrote many canons still sung in the Orthodox Church, among them one in honour of the holy icons. He died c. 845–850.