Venerable Gregory of Decapolis (+816)

The Venerable Gregory of Decapolis was born in the Isaurian city of Irenopolis, which was part of the Ten Cities, or Decapolis. From his childhood he loved the services of the Church. When Gregory grew up, his parents decided to marry him, but the blessed one secretly left his parental home. All his life the Lord’s chosen one was a wanderer: now he was in Constantinople, now in Rome, Corinth, Thessalonica; for some time he laboured in a cave on Mount Olympus too. Everywhere the Venerable Gregory preached the word of God, exposed the heresy of the iconoclasts, and strengthened the Orthodox, who at that time were persecuted by the heretics. For his tireless labours and prayer the blessed one was granted the gifts of prophecy and wonderworking. He attained such purity of heart that by God’s will he was counted worthy to hear the angelic singing in praise of the Holy Trinity. To oppose the iconoclast heresy more effectively, the Venerable Gregory went to Constantinople. In the capital a grave illness shook the saint’s health, and, his strength exhausted, he committed his soul to the Lord in 816.