Saint Germanus I

Byzantine patriarch
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Quick Facts
Born:
c. 634, Constantinople [Istanbul, Turkey]
Died:
c. 732, Platonium, near Athens [Greece]
Subjects Of Study:
Mariology
icon
two natures of Christ

Saint Germanus I (born c. 634, Constantinople [Istanbul, Turkey]—died c. 732, Platonium, near Athens [Greece]; feast day May 12) was a Byzantine patriarch of Constantinople and theologian who led the orthodox opposition during the Iconoclastic Controversy (q.v.). His writings also fostered the doctrine and devotion to the Virgin Mary. When Germanus rebelled against the execution of his patrician father by the emperor Constantine IV in 668, he was made a eunuch and pressed into the ranks of the clergy at the cathedral of Hagia Sophia. Later recognized as a theological consultant, Germanus influenced the emperor in convoking the third Council ...(100 of 384 words)