Michael of Synnada or Michael the

Confessor Confessor is a title used within Christianity in several ways. Confessor of the Faith Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of death.metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the ...

of Synnada from 784/7 to 815. He represented Byzantium in diplomatic missions to

Harun al-Rashid Abu Ja'far Harun ibn Muhammad al-Mahdi ( ar , أبو جعفر هارون ابن محمد المهدي) or Harun ibn al-Mahdi (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Harun al-Rashid ( ar, هَارُون الرَشِيد, translit=Hārūn ...

and

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first E ...

. He was exiled by Emperor Leo V the Armenian because of his opposition to

iconoclasm Iconoclasm (from Greek: grc, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, εἰκών + κλάω, lit=image-breaking. ''Iconoclasm'' may also be consid ...

, and died on 23 May 826. He is honoured as a saint by the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

churches, his feast day is

May 23 Events Pre-1600 * 1430 – Joan of Arc is captured at the Siege of Compiègne by troops from the Burgundian faction. *1498 – Girolamo Savonarola is burned at the stake in Florence, Italy. * 1533 – The marriage of King Henry VI ...

Life

Nothing is known about Michael's early life. He was much influenced by Tarasios (

Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...

in 784–806), who

tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice i ...

d him. Tarasios sent Michael, along with

Theophylact of Nicomedia Theophylact or Theophylaktos (d. 845 AD) became bishop of Nicomedia in Asia Minor following the Iconoclastic Controversy of the eighth century. He was well known for having built churches, hospices, and homes for wanderers. He generously distribu ...

, to him to a monastery that Tarasios himself had founded on the shores of the

Bosporus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

. By 787, when he attended the

Second Council of Nicaea The Second Council of Nicaea is recognized as the last of the first seven ecumenical councils by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. In addition, it is also recognized as such by the Old Catholics, the Anglican Communion, an ...

, Michael was already

metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the ...

of Synnada, having been named to the position by Tarasios. Michael is recorded in all sessions of the council. He is commonly identified with the ''Michahel episcopus'' who was one of the leaders (along with ''Petrus abbas'', identified with Peter of Goulaion) of an embassy sent by Emperor

Nikephoros I Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I ( gr, Νικηφόρος; 750 – 26 July 811) was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811. Having served Empress Irene as '' genikos logothetēs'', he subsequently ousted her from power and took the throne himself. In r ...

in 802/3, to ratify the

peace treaty A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surre ...

between the two. Nikephoros used Michael and Peter, along with Gregory, the steward of Amastris, again as peace envoys in 806, when the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Mutta ...

caliph

launched a large-scale invasion of Asia Minor by the

caliph

. In 811/2 he led another embassy to Charlemagne, along with the '' protospatharioi'' Arsaphios and Theognostos, on behalf of

Michael I Rangabe Michael I Rhangabe ( gr, Μιχαὴλ Ῥαγγαβέ; ''c''. 770 – 11 January 844) was Byzantine emperor from 811 to 813. Michael was the son of the patrician Theophylact Rhangabe, the admiral of the Aegean fleet. He married Prokopia, th ...

, in order to renew the peace treaty and negotiate a possible marriage of Michael's son Theophylact and one of Charlemagne's daughters. Despite a warm reception at

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th ...

and the ratification of a peace treaty between the two realms, Charlemagne, perhaps wary after the repeated failures of successive efforts to that effect over the previous decades, hesitated to agree to such a match. On their way to Charlemagne's court, the embassy passed through

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where Michael handed over the ''synodika'' (enthronement letter) of Tarasios' successor, Patriarch

, to

Pope Leo III Pope Leo III (died 12 June 816) was bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 26 December 795 to his death. Protected by Charlemagne from the supporters of his predecessor, Adrian I, Leo subsequently strengthened Charlemagne's position ...

. He clashed with the Emperor Leo V the Armenian over Leo's re-adoption of

in 815. He was arrested and exiled to

Eudokias Eudocias ( grc, Εὐδοκιάς) or Eudocia ( grc, Εὐδοκία) was an ancient town in the Roman province of Pamphylia Secunda, in the neighbourhood of Termessus. According to William Smith's ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'' (185 ...

. He died there on 23 May 826.

Veneration

He is praised in the '' Synodikon of Orthodoxy'' of 843, and is venerated as a saint by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches on 23 May."St Michael the Confessor the Bishop of Synnada", Orthodox Church in America
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References

Sources

* * {{authority control 826 deaths 8th-century Byzantine bishops 9th-century Byzantine bishops Byzantine diplomats Byzantine saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Byzantine Iconoclasm Saints from Anatolia Year of birth unknown Byzantine people of the Arab–Byzantine wars Byzantine prisoners and detainees Bishops of Synnada Ambassadors of the Byzantine Empire to the Abbasid Caliphate Byzantine Empire–Carolingian Empire relations 9th-century diplomats