Bishop George, who headed the chair in Antioch of Pisidia, made a direct denunciation of the state policy of iconoclasm.
The bishop, who accepted monasticism in his youth, was known for the severity of life, which was the reason for his election to the episcopal service. When the emperor Leo the Armenian initiated a new round of persecution against the worshippers of images, the saint personally arrived in the capital.
During the meetings of the Bishops’ Council, he insisted on the inadmissibility of destroying icons and urged Vasileus to reconsider his religious course. The ruler demanded from dissenting practical actions — to remove the sacred images from the temples. Having received a categorical refusal, Lev ordered the isolation of the oppositionist.
The bishop was sent into exile, where he died. The exact date of his death has not been determined, but sources say it was between 813 and 820. For his steadfastness in upholding dogmas, the Church ranked him among the saints in the rank of confessors. The memory of St. George is celebrated annually.
Memorial Days
May 2
The Holy Land Charitable Foundation
Lives of Saints
