12th century – 1190
A monk of Phrygia who became patriarch of Jerusalem, shining in asceticism, almsgiving, and the gift of wonders.
Our Father among the Saints Leontius, Patriarch of Jerusalem
Leontius was a twelfth-century monastic who rose from the abbacy of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian on Patmos to become Patriarch of Jerusalem, an office he held from 1170 until his repose in 1190. Born in Tiberioupolis in Phrygia to wealthy and devout parents, he embraced the monastic life after his father's early death, and his reputation for asceticism and humility led to his unanimous election as abbot and, in time, to the patriarchal throne.
His patriarchate fell during a period when the Orthodox of the Holy Land lived under Latin Crusader rule, and accounts of his time in office are sparse. He is remembered chiefly for his monastic virtue, his refusal of earlier offers of episcopal sees, and his willingness to confront imperial authority, which led to his exile. His memory is kept on Patmos and in Jerusalem on May 14.
Podoben: “You sought the heights...”) O Hierarch Leontios,
divine thunder, spiritual trumpet, planter of faith and pruner of heresies, great favorite of the Trinity, as you stand before God with the Angels,
pray unceasingly for all of us.
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
The truth of things revealed you to your flock as a rule of faith,
a model of meekness, and a teacher of temperance.
Therefore, through humility, you attained the heights;
and through poverty, riches.
O Hierarch Leontios our Father, entreat Christ God that our souls may be saved.
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
Saint Leontius is commemorated on May 14, both on Patmos, where he had served as abbot, and in Jerusalem, where he had been patriarch. A church service composed in his honor was published in Jerusalem in 1912.
Sources differ on the year of his repose: while the prevailing account gives 1190, Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite records the year as 1175.
Browse other saints who share his calling and place.