St Tryphun, Patriarch of Constantinople.

Commemorated April 19 in the Orthodox Christian Menaion

From the Prologue

The Emperor Romanus, who ruled Byzantium at the beginning of the 10th century, had a son, Theophylact, who was sixteen years old when Patriarch Stephen died. The Emperor wished his own son to become Patriarch, because he had been promised to a spiritual calling right from a small boy, but because of his youth he was timid about this. Tryphun, a simple, chaste and honourable old man, occupied the Patriarchal throne and held that position for three years. When the Emperor's son attained his twentieth year, the Emperor had it in mind to remove Tryphun and replace him with his own son as Patriarch. St Tryphun would not relinquish his throne voluntarily, considering it a great scandal for such a young man to be elected to so responsible and difficult a position as that of Patriarch. The signature of the innocent Tryphun was obtained on a blank piece of paper through the scheming of an evil bishop, and a false resignation was written above his signature in the imperial court. The Emperor announced his resignation, and a difficult time of unrest began in the Church, since the people and the clergy took the side of Tryphun, the man of God. Then the Emperor deposed the old Patriarch by force and placed him in a monastery, raising his own son, Theophylact, to the Patriarchate. St Tryphun lived in the monastery as an ascetic for two years and five months, and went to the Lord in 933.

From The Prologue From Ochrid by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich
©1985 Lazarica Press, Birmingham UK