Hierarch8th century

Saint Callinicus Patriarch of Constantinople

died early 8th century

Also known as Kallinikos

Patriarch of Constantinople from 693 to 705 who suffered under Emperor Justinian II and died after harsh treatment.

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Callinicus, Patriarch of Constantinople

Life

Callinicus was Patriarch of Constantinople from 693 to 705, during the turbulent first reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian II. Before his elevation to the patriarchal throne he served as a presbyter at the church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae, and he was raised to the see of Constantinople in 693 on the death of his predecessor, Patriarch Paul. The Orthodox Church commemorates him as a hierarch and confessor on August 23.

His patriarchate is remembered above all for his resistance to imperial overreach. According to the synaxarion, Justinian II undertook the construction of a palace close to the church of the Most Holy Theotokos and resolved to demolish the church to make room for it. When the emperor ordered the patriarch to bless the demolition, Callinicus answered that he had prayers only for the building of churches, not for their destruction. The church was torn down in spite of his refusal.

The accounts relate that Callinicus was subsequently drawn into the political upheavals of the period: he is said to have taken part in the deposition of Justinian II in 695 and the elevation of Leontius to the throne. When Justinian returned to power in 705 and was reinstated as emperor, he punished those who had opposed him; Callinicus was arrested, blinded, and confined in a monastery, where he ended his life. He is venerated as a confessor for the sufferings he endured.

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 Callinicus,
entreat Christ our God
that our souls may be saved.

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

Timeline3 momentsReadHide

693Elevated to the patriarchateRaised to the throne of Constantinople on the death of Patriarch Paul.
695Deposition of Justinian IITook part, according to tradition, in the deposition of Justinian II and the elevation of Leontius.
705Arrest and blindingOn Justinian II's return to power, Callinicus was arrested, blinded, and confined to a monastery.

Contributions & Legacy

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The Church at Blachernae

The defining episode of Callinicus's tenure, as preserved in the synaxarion, is his refusal to sanction the destruction of the church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Blachernae, the very shrine where he had earlier served as a presbyter. His reply to the emperor — that the prayers of the Church are offered for the building of churches and not for their pulling down — became the saying for which he is chiefly remembered. The tradition records that the church was demolished nonetheless.

Confession and Suffering

Justinian II was deposed in 695 and exiled to Cherson, where he was mutilated and afterward bore the epithet "Rhinotmetos" ("the slit-nosed"); Leontius reigned in his place. After about a decade Justinian regained the throne in 705 and moved against those who had supported his overthrow. The sources relate that Callinicus was arrested, blinded, and shut up in a monastery. The exact circumstances and date of his death are not securely fixed in the surviving accounts, and the Church honors him as a confessor who suffered for his fidelity.

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Emperor confronted: The Byzantine emperor who demolished the Blachernae church over Callinicus's refusal to bless its destruction and, on regaining the throne in 705, had the patriarch blinded and confined.

Emperor Justinian II

not commemorated

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints