Cloud of Witnesses
Reviewed entry
Venerable (Monastic)4th century

Isaac the Confessor of Dalmatos

4th century (reposed c. 383)

Also known as Isaac of the Dalmaton Monastery

An ascetic who confronted the Arian emperor Valens and foretold his downfall during the persecution of the Orthodox. He later founded the Dalmaton Monastery in Constantinople and is honored as a confessor of the faith.

March 22New Calendar
Feast Day
April 4Old Calendar
Also commemorated
  • May 30NewJune 12Old
  • August 3NewAugust 16Old
Suggest a correctionContribute
Icon galleryBrowse icons and imagery elsewhere
Commemorated as

Our Venerable Father Isaac the Confessor, Founder of the Monastery of Dalmatos

Life

Isaac was an ascetic who, during the reign of the Arian emperor Valens, left his solitude to confront the emperor over his persecution of the Orthodox. He warned Valens of his coming downfall, and when the emperor perished after the Battle of Adrianople in 378 the prophecy was held to be fulfilled.

Released and honored under the emperor Theodosius I, Isaac became the first head of a monastery founded for him within Constantinople. After his disciple Dalmatus succeeded him, the house came to be known as the Monastery of Dalmatos, and Isaac received the epithet "of Dalmatos." He is honored as a confessor of the faith, with his principal feast on May 30 and further commemorations on March 22 and August 3.

Troparion & Kontakion2 hymnsReadHide
TroparionTone 4

O God of our Fathers,
always act with kindness towards us;
take not Your mercy from us,
but guide our lives in peace
through the prayers of Venerable Isaac, Dalmatus, and Faustus.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

KontakionTone 2

Through asceticism you shone like lights in the world
and by your faith you overthrew heresies.
We praise you with hymns, Isaac, Dalmatus, and Faustus,
as servants of Christ who are praying for us all.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline4 momentsReadHide
  1. 378Confrontation with ValensAs the emperor Valens, an adherent of Arianism, marched against the Goths, Isaac left his hermitage and repeatedly urged him to restore the churches to the Orthodox. When Valens refused and had him imprisoned, Isaac foretold that the emperor would be captured and burned alive.
  2. August 9, 378The Battle of AdrianopleAt the Battle of Adrianople the Goths defeated the imperial army. Valens fled and, according to the account, perished by fire in a barn where he had taken shelter, fulfilling Isaac's prophecy.
  3. 378-381Release and the founding of the monasteryUnder the emperor Theodosius I, who restored the Orthodox faith, Isaac was released from prison. A man named Saturninus built a monastery for him within Constantinople, where Isaac served as its first head.
  4. c. 383ReposeBefore his death Isaac appointed his disciple Dalmatus as his successor, and the monastery afterward took his name. The synaxarion places his repose around the year 383, though some accounts give a later date.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributionsReadHide

Confrontation with Valens

The emperor Valens (364-378) supported the Arian cause and acted against the defenders of the Nicene faith. According to the tradition, Isaac, who had been living as a hermit in the wilderness near Constantinople, came into the city to confront the emperor as he set out on campaign against the Goths.

Isaac repeatedly pressed Valens to open the churches to the Orthodox and restore their freedom. When the emperor would not relent he warned of divine punishment, and the account relates that after Valens had him cast into a deep pit he was delivered and reappeared to prophesy that the emperor would be captured and burned alive.

On August 9, 378, the Goths routed the imperial army at the Battle of Adrianople. Valens fled into the countryside and died as Isaac had foretold, perishing by fire in a barn where he had sought refuge.

The Monastery of Dalmatos

With the accession of Theodosius I and the restoration of the Orthodox faith, Isaac was freed from prison and held in honor. A wealthy man named Saturninus built a monastery for him within Constantinople, and Isaac became its first head.

Isaac was numbered among the Orthodox who upheld the faith at the time of the Second Ecumenical Council in 381. Before his repose he appointed his disciple Dalmatus to succeed him, and the house thereafter became known as the Monastery of Dalmatos, the epithet by which Isaac himself is remembered.

Veneration

Isaac is honored as a confessor for his stand against the Arian persecution under Valens. He is commemorated on May 30 as his principal feast, and also on March 22 and on August 3, the latter together with Saints Dalmatus and Faustus among the fathers of the Dalmatos monastery.

Member ofReadHide
The Fathers of the Dalmatos Monastery
Commemorated together · Aug 3
Companions2 figuresShowHide
Isaac's disciple, whom he appointed to succeed him as head of the monastery; the house took its later name, Dalmatos, from him.
Venerable Dalmatusthe Ascetic
A father of the Dalmatos monastery, commemorated together with Isaac and Dalmatus on August 3.
Venerable Faustusthe Ascetic
Related Saints1 saintShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

A later abbot of the Dalmatos monastery at Constantinople, of which he was the founding father.
Venerable Hilarion the NewAbbot of the Dalmatian Monastery

Browse similar saints by calling and place.

More Confessors177More Greece370More Byzantine Saints1282More Monastics1353
Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints