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Hierarch7th century

Thomas the Patriarch of Constantinople

died 610

Also known as Thomas, Patriarch of Constantinople

Thomas served as deacon and sacristan under Patriarch John the Faster before being elevated to Patriarch of Constantinople; he guided the Church in the early seventh century.

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Thomas, Patriarch of Constantinople

Life

Thomas was a hierarch of the Church of Constantinople who occupied the patriarchal throne in the opening years of the seventh century. He rose through the clergy of Hagia Sophia, serving first as a deacon and then as sakellarios, the office of sacristan or treasurer of the Great Church, under Patriarch John IV the Faster, and he retained that position under John's successor, the Patriarch Cyriacus.

Elected Ecumenical Patriarch in 607 after the death of Cyriacus, Thomas governed the Church for slightly more than three years until his death in 610. His brief tenure is remembered chiefly for his close association with the ascetic Theodore of Sykeon and for a portent, reported in the synaxarion, that was understood to foreshadow the turmoil that would shortly overtake the Byzantine Empire.

Troparion1 hymnReadHide
TroparionTone 4

In truth you were revealed to your flock as a rule of faith,
an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence;
your humility exalted you;
your poverty enriched you.
Hierarch Father Thomas,
entreat Christ our God
that our souls may be saved.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline4 momentsReadHide
  1. 6th centuryService at Hagia SophiaThomas served as a deacon and then as sakellarios (sacristan and treasurer) of the Great Church of Hagia Sophia under Patriarch John IV the Faster, continuing in that office under the Patriarch Cyriacus.
  2. 607Elevation to the patriarchateFollowing the death of Patriarch Cyriacus, Thomas was elevated to the patriarchal throne of Constantinople. Tradition records his election as Ecumenical Patriarch on January 23, 607.
  3. 607-610PatriarchateThomas governed the Church for about three years and two months. By tradition he enlarged the patriarchal residence, adding a hall that came to be called the Thomaitin, beneath which the patriarchal library was housed.
  4. 610ReposeDeeply troubled by warnings of coming calamity, Thomas asked for an early death and reposed in 610. He was succeeded by Patriarch Sergius I.

Contributions & Legacy

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Theodore of Sykeon and the Portent of the Crosses

The sources connect Thomas closely with Saint Theodore of Sykeon, an ascetic of Galatia whom the patriarch held in great esteem; by tradition Thomas regarded him as a spiritual brother and asked his prayers that they might remain united in the life to come.

During Thomas's patriarchate, the synaxarion relates, the heavy processional crosses carried in churches of Asia began to shake and strike against one another. Theodore of Sykeon interpreted the phenomenon as a portent of coming discord within the Church, apostasy, barbarian invasions, and disaster for the Empire. On hearing these predictions, Thomas is said to have asked Theodore to pray that he might die before the foretold calamities came to pass.

Aftermath

The troubles foretold in Thomas's lifetime are recorded as following soon after his death. His successor, Patriarch Sergius I, embraced the heresy of Monothelitism, and war with Persia devastated Byzantine Asia Minor, leading to the fall of Jerusalem and the capture of the True Cross by the Persians.

Thomas is commemorated by the Church on March 21.

Companions2 figuresShowHide
Ascetic of Galatia whom Thomas esteemed as a spiritual brother and whose prayers he sought; Theodore interpreted the portent of the shaking crosses during his patriarchate.
Saint Theodore the SykeoteBishop of Anastasiopolis
Patriarch under whom Thomas served as deacon and sakellarios of Hagia Sophia.
John the FasterPatriarch of Constantinople
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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints