Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople (782–847)

Biography

As soon as he landed in Constantinople, the young Methodius became a monk and shortly after founded a monastery on the island of Chios. Upon the arrival of Michael II, Pope Paschal sent Methodius with the mission of recovering the patriarchal see of Byzantium, expropriated by the iconoclasts. The only thing Methodius achieved was to be flogged and exiled to the island of San Andrés, where he spent seven years sharing a cell with the common prisoners. Emperor Theophilus recalled him from exile and offered him hospitality in his palace on the condition of not letting him leave; In this way the sovereign could enjoy the science and talent of his guest without danger of his guest exerting his influence abroad. However, Methodius managed to convert the Empress Theodora, who, when Theophilus died, named Methodius patriarch of Constantinople and head of the Eastern Church, which served to end the absurd quarrel over the images that bloodied the Empire for a hundred years.