Venerable Joannicius the Great

Joannicius the Great or Ioannikios (Greek: Όσιος Ιωαννίκιος ο Μέγας; born 762, Bithynia - November 4, 846 in Antidium) was a Byzantine Christian saint, sage, theologian and prophet. Well known for his devoted asceticism and defense of icon veneration, Joannicius spent the majority of his life as a hermit on Mysian Olympus, near what is today Bursa, Turkey. Joannicius lived during the reign of Emperor Theophilos, a noted iconoclast, which contrasted with Joannicius's embrace of icon veneration. Icon veneration was later restored to the Byzantine Empire under the reign of Empress Theodora, a move that some devotees ascribe to Joannicius's influence and prophecies. Joannicius served in the Byzantine army in his early years before devoting his life to ascetic study and monastic contemplation. He is venerated with a feast day on November 4 in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Catholic Church (November 17 in the Old Calendar). In a similar fashion to many other Medieval Christian saints, there are nearly no primary sources about Joannicus that are not hagiographical in nature. Byzantine scholars have therefore referred primarily to two hagiographies as the fundamental sources for Joannicius's life. According to his hagiography, Joannicius was born in 762 (or 754) to Myritzikios and Anastaso, of the Boïlas family. He is known to have had at least one sister. His family was poor, and possibly of an iconoclast persuasion. Joannicius was spiritual from a young age, and often sought solitude in order to pray and contemplate. When Joannicius reached young adulthood (c. 772/3), he was drafted into the elite regiment of the Excubitors by Leo IV. He served there until 792, distinguishing himself by saving Emperor Constantine VI (or an officer, according to another variant) from being captured at the Battle of Marcellae. Following Marcellae, he left the army—apparently deserting—and joined the Antidion Monastery.