Saint Cosmas, Bishop of Chalcedon, and Saint Auxentios

In the first half of the ninth century, the bishop of Chalcedon Cosmas and his permanent assistant, the monk Auxentius, entered into an open confrontation with the court’s religious policy. The cause of the conflict was the categorical refusal of the clergy to comply with the order of the ruler Leo the Armenian on the elimination of picturesque images in churches.

The future bishop was born in the capital of Byzantium and in his early years preferred the monastic path to worldly life. Having made monastic vows, he eventually headed the Chalcedon cathedra. Together with the Monk Auxentios, the bishop actively opposed the growing doctrine that denied the worship of sacred images. Attempts by the supporters of the new doctrine to lure the bishop to their side were unsuccessful.

Disobedience to the imperial edict turned for Cosmas into expulsion from the office of bishop and imprisonment. After his release, he did not abandon his previous convictions and, with the support of Auxentius, resumed defending the right of believers to honor icons. Constant pressure exhausted the physical strength of the bishop, but the persecutors failed to break his spirit.

The exact date of the death of Cosmas is not established, researchers attribute it to the period between 815 and 820 years. Both ascetics, the archpastor and his companion, remained faithful to Orthodox Christianity until their last breath.