Cloud of Witnesses
Reviewed entry
Hierarch6th century

Saint John the Cappadocian Patriarch of Constantinople

d. 520

Also known as John II of Constantinople

Patriarch of Constantinople from 518 to 520, remembered by Saint Photius as a man of virtue.

August 25New Calendar
Feast Day
September 7Old Calendar
Suggest a correctionContribute
Icon galleryBrowse icons and imagery elsewhere
Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints John the Cappadocian, Patriarch of Constantinople

Life

John the Cappadocian was Patriarch of Constantinople from 518 to 520. A native of Cappadocia in Asia Minor, he had served as presbyter and chancellor of the Church of Constantinople under his predecessor Timothy I, who designated him as his successor. His brief tenure coincided with the accession of the Chalcedonian emperor Justin I, and it was during these years that the long rupture between Constantinople and Rome known as the Acacian schism was brought to an end.

Later tradition, transmitted through Saint Photius, remembered him as a man of notable virtue, describing him as 'a habitation of virtues.' He is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on August 25, together with other patriarchs of Constantinople.

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 John,
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. 17 April 518Installed as PatriarchJohn was installed as Patriarch of Constantinople, having previously served as presbyter and chancellor under his predecessor Timothy I, who had named him successor. His accession came shortly before the death of Emperor Anastasius I and the rise of the Chalcedonian emperor Justin I.
  2. July 518Affirmation of ChalcedonAmid popular demonstrations in the cathedral, John formally recognized the four ecumenical councils and the Council of Chalcedon. On 20 July he convened a council of some forty bishops that inscribed the four councils and the name of Pope Leo I into the diptychs and anathematized Severus of Antioch.
  3. 25 March 519End of the Acacian schismLegates of Pope Hormisdas arrived at Constantinople with instructions to condemn Acacius by name. John subscribed to the Formula of Hormisdas, copying it in his own hand in both Greek and Latin, an act that restored communion between Constantinople and Rome.
  4. 19 January 520ReposeJohn died in office and was succeeded by Epiphanius of Constantinople.

Contributions & Legacy

1 contributionsReadHide

Reconciliation with Rome

The defining work of John's patriarchate was the healing of the Acacian schism, a division between the sees of Constantinople and Rome that had persisted since the late fifth century over the reception of the Council of Chalcedon. With the accession of the Chalcedonian emperor Justin I, the conditions for reconciliation were in place.

In July 518 John presided over councils at Constantinople that publicly affirmed the four ecumenical councils, restored the name of Pope Leo I to the diptychs, and anathematized Severus of Antioch. The reconciliation was completed in March 519, when John accepted the Formula of Hormisdas brought by the papal legates and signed it in both Greek and Latin, restoring full communion between the two sees.

Companions1 figureShowHide
Successor: His syncellus, who accompanied him on the 519 mission to Macedonia and succeeded him as Patriarch of Constantinople.
Saint EpiphaniusPatriarch of Constantinople
Related SaintsShowHide

Browse other saints who share his calling and place.

More Asia Minor361More Hierarchs580More Bishops702More Byzantine Saints1282
Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints