Sabas of Stoudios was an abbot of the

Monastery of Stoudios The Monastery of Stoudios, more fully Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner "at Stoudios" (), often shortened to ''Stoudios'', Studion or ''Stoudion'' (), was a Greek Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox monastery in Constantinople (modern-day Istan ...

who played a leading role at 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 Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics and others. ...

(787 AD).

Biography

The Second Council of Nicaea met to restore the veneration of

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...

s, which had been suppressed and banned by imperial edict of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. Sabas, along with

Plato of Sakkoudion Plato the Studite, also Plato of Sakkoudion (; c. 735 in probably Constantinople – 4 April 814 in Constantinople), was a Byzantine minor official who became a monk in 759. After refusing the metropolitan see of Nicomedia or the headship of a mon ...

, was leader of a group of monks who opposed the iconoclasts—Sabas accused the Empire of interfering with the independence of the Church in the preparations for the council. Sabas was a leading candidate to preside over the council, which ended being presided over by Patriarch Tarasios. Sabas was strongly opposed to the readmission of iconoclast bishops as leaders of their sees. The Monastery of Stoudios was considered the most important monastery in Byzantine

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. As head abbot, or

Hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, or an archpriest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of ...

, Sabas was the immediate predecessor to

Theodore the Studite Theodore the Studite (; 759–826), also known as Theodorus Studita and Saint Theodore of Stoudios/Studium, was a Byzantine Greek monk and abbot of the Stoudios Monastery in Constantinople. He played a major role in the revivals both of Byzantin ...

. Other notable Stoudios abbots included

Symeon the Studite Symeon the Studite, also Symeon the Pious or Symeon Eulabes, and sometimes Symeon the Elder, was an influential lay monk of the Monastery of Stoudios in Constantinople during the 10th century. He was the spiritual father, or teacher, of Symeon the ...

and

Niketas Stethatos Niketas Stethatos (, ; c. 1005 – c. 1090) was a Byzantine mystic and theologian who is considered a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was a follower of Symeon the New Theologian and wrote the most complete biography of Symeon, ''Life of S ...

. It is unknown if Sabas was still alive when Theodore became abbot, and what he might have done after leaving Stoudios.

Notes

{{authority control Byzantine Iconoclasm 8th-century Byzantine people Abbots of the Stoudios Monastery 8th-century Christian abbots