Saint George the Standard-Bearer ( Greek: ''Ἅγιος Γεώργιος ὁ Σημειοφόρος''),Great Synaxaristes:
Ὁ Ἅγιος Γεώργιος ὁ Σημειοφόρος Ἐπίσκοπος Μυτιλήνης
'' also known as Saint George the Confessor (c. 776 – 7 April 821), was the Archbishop of Mytilene from 804 until his deposition in 815. He is venerated as a saint in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...

and his feast day is 7 April.

Biography

George was born c. 776 into a wealthy family on the coast of

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, opposite the island of Lesbos. Following his parents' death, George donated his inheritance to the poor and, at age eighteen, became a monk at a local monastery, where he resided for two years. He later moved to the island of Lesbos and became an

ascetic Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

. George gained renown for his piety and after the death of the bishop of the island, was chosen by the people of Lesbos to succeed him, and was ordained Archbishop of Mytilene in 804.
Saint George, Bishop of Mytilene (+ 821)
'. Mystagogy Resource Centre In 813, during the reign of Emperor Michael I, George travelled to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

to settle cases, but remained for a further two years at the request of Nikephoros, the

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...

. At the onset of his reign, Leo V, Michael's successor, restored

iconoclasm Iconoclasm (from Ancient Greek, Greek: grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, wikt:κλάω, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών + wi ...

and began to persecute

iconodules Iconodulism (also iconoduly or iconodulia) designates the religious service to icons (kissing and honourable veneration, incense, and candlelight). The term comes from Neoclassical Greek εἰκονόδουλος (''eikonodoulos'') (from el, ε ...

(supporters of religious images). In 815,
St. George the Confessor the Bishop of Mytilene
'' OCA – Lives of the Saints. George, alongside the Patriarch and others, approached the Emperor and petitioned an end to the persecution. Forthright in his criticism of the Emperor, George was flogged with a hundred lashes and exiled to a barren island in the Sea of Marmara. Leo V appointed an iconoclast by the name of Leo as George's successor as Archbishop of Mytilene.Great Synaxaristes:
Άγιοι Γεώργιος Αρχιεπίσκοπος Μυτιλήνης, Συμεών ο Νέος Στυλίτης και Δαβίδ ο Μοναχός
/ref> Whilst in exile, George practised asceticism and survived on wild greens. Christians began to travel to the island to confess their sins, hear his teachings, and be healed. Several miracles are attributed to George during his exile, including the healing of a man possessed by a demon, a deaf person, a blind person, and others. George became known as a ''simeiophoros'' ("standard-bearer" or "wonder worker" in Greek). After six years in exile, George died on 7 April 821 and was buried on the island. A bright star is said to have shone over the city of Mytilene at the time of his death. In 846–847, after the end of iconoclasm, George's remains were brought to Lesbos and buried at a location known as the ''Tria Kyparissia'', near the Chapel of St John the Baptist. George's right hand was later moved to Mytilene in the eighteenth century.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:George the Standard-Bearer 9th-century Byzantine bishops 8th-century Christian saints 9th-century Christian saints 770s births 821 deaths Byzantine Anatolians Byzantine saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Saints from Anatolia Byzantine Iconoclasm Byzantine prisoners and detainees Miracle workers