St. Methodius I of Constantinople

St. Methodius I of Constantinople (c. 788/800 – 14 June 847) was born in Syracuse, Sicily, and became a monk before going to Constantinople. During the second phase of the iconoclast controversy he stood firmly for the veneration of sacred images, was sent on a mission to Rome, and on his return suffered imprisonment and harsh treatment for years under the iconoclast emperors for defending the honor due to icons.

When the empress Theodora acted as regent and moved to end iconoclasm, Methodius was raised to the patriarchal throne in 843. He presided over the definitive restoration of the veneration of images, an event commemorated ever since in the East as the "Triumph of Orthodoxy," celebrated on the first Sunday of Lent. As patriarch he worked to heal the divisions left by the long conflict. He is honored as a saint in both the Eastern and Western Churches.