Hierarch4th century

Saint Sisinius the Confessor Bishop of Cyzicus

died 325

Also known as Sisinius of Cyzicus

Bishop of Cyzicus who survived torture during Diocletian's persecution and died in 325 after confessing the faith.

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Sisinius the Confessor, Bishop of Cyzicus

Life

Saint Sisinius the Confessor was a Christian of Cyzicus, a city of Mysia in Anatolia (in present-day Balıkesir Province, Turkey), who suffered for the faith during the persecution of the emperor Diocletian and later became bishop of his native city.

According to the synaxarion accounts, Sisinius confessed Christ under the governor Alexander around the year 300 and endured severe tortures, including being bound to horses and dragged, yet survived. After Constantine the Great granted toleration to Christians, he was freed and consecrated Bishop of Cyzicus. He took part in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325, where he opposed the teaching of Arius, and he reposed in that same year. His feast is kept on November 23.

Troparion1 hymnReadHide

TroparionTone 8

Champion of Orthodoxy, teacher of purity and of true worship,
the enlightener of the universe and the adornment of hierarchs:
all-wise father Sisinius, your teachings have gleamed with light upon all things.
Intercede before Christ God to save our souls.

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

Timeline3 momentsReadHide

c. 300Confession under DiocletianDuring the persecution of Diocletian, Sisinius confessed the faith before the governor Alexander and endured torture, including being bound to horses and dragged, yet survived and was imprisoned.
after 311Release and episcopateFollowing Constantine the Great's toleration of Christians, Sisinius was freed and consecrated Bishop of Cyzicus.
325First Council of NicaeaSisinius attended the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, opposing Arius and defending the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father. He reposed in the same year.

Contributions & Legacy

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Confession and Torture

The sources relate that Sisinius was arrested during Diocletian's persecution and brought before the governor Alexander. Upon confessing his Christian faith, he was subjected to brutal tortures: he was bound to wild horses and made to run with them, was beaten severely, and had bitter vinegar forced up his nose. One account states that he was to be dragged behind a horse through the streets until death, but that he survived the ordeal. The hagiographical tradition holds that he performed various miracles during these sufferings, after which he was imprisoned.

Bishop of Cyzicus

Cyzicus lay in Mysia on the shoreward side of what is now the Kapıdağ Peninsula and served as the ecclesiastical metropolitan see of the Roman province of Hellespontus, with a recorded succession of bishops reaching back to the first century. When Constantine the Great came to the throne and issued toleration for Christians, Sisinius was released from prison and became Bishop of Cyzicus.

The Council of Nicaea

Sisinius was among the confessor bishops who, having survived the Diocletianic persecution, attended the First Ecumenical Council convened at Nicaea in 325 to address the Arian controversy. The presbyter Arius taught that the Father alone was eternal and that the Son was created or begotten by the Father; the Council affirmed the Son to be 'begotten not made' and 'of one substance with the Father.' Sisinius is recorded as actively opposing Arius's doctrine and upholding the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father. He is counted among the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod, who are commemorated on the Seventh Sunday after Pascha.

Traditions and Iconography

A poetic verse preserved in the synaxarion tradition describes his passing: 'Having first submitted to much violence in life, Sisinios entered life without violence.' An 1831 Russian icon depicts the Archangel Michael together with Saints Sisinius and Marouthas (commemorated February 16) and shows Sisinius's torture by being dragged.

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints