Theodoros of Ash'ari, the righteous saint

Theodosius, Zacharias, and Athanasius

Theodosius, Zacharias, and AthanasiusWe do not know exactly when he lived. We only know that he was born and raised in Constantinople to a wealthy and pious family. He became a monk in one of the monasteries in the capital, which later became known as the Monastery of Trichinas, from the Greek meaning “the Ash’ari”, after the saint himself who used to cover himself with a garment of coarse hair. Others said that he had thick hair, which is why he was known as Ash’ari. He underwent strict asceticism. He strove for virtue and persevered in constant prayer. This qualified him to achieve victory over Satan. He was blessed with the grace of the Holy Spirit in abundance, so that after his death, a heavenly-smelling perfume flowed from his tomb, which, when anointed, healed the sick with medicines of the soul and body.

Some sources say that he became a monk in an isolated monastery in Thrace and slept on a rock to reduce his sleep. He often went bareheaded and covered himself with a hair shirt. It is also said that God bestowed upon him the gift of working miracles during his life and after his death and that he died around the year 400 AD.

The church celebrates his feast on April 20.

Troparion for the Bar in Tone 8
For the barren wilderness, with the streams of your tears you watered, and with the sighs from the depths you bore fruit, with your labors a hundredfold, so you became a star for the inhabited world, shining with wonders, O our righteous father Theodore, so intercede with Christ God to save our souls.

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