The Monk Basil the Confessor, Bishop of Para
Commemorated on April 12
The Monk Basil the
Confessor, Bishop of Para, lived during the VIII Century. He was chosen to
the bishop's chair by the inhabitants of Para, who venerated the saint as a
true pastor of the flock of Christ.
When the Iconoclast
heresy broke out, Saint Basil resolutely came out on the side of icon
veneration and refused to sign the directives for their abolition (the
"Iniquitous Scroll" of the Council of 754 which had convened
under the emperor Constantine V Copronymos (741-775). The saint shunned any
contact with the heretics and did not permit them into his diocese. For his
zeal he suffered much persecution, hunger and deprivation.
To the very end of
his life Saint Basil was faithful to the Orthodox confession.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. John the Merciful
and Monk Basil the Confessor