St. Tarasius of Constantinople

A layman and imperial secretary made Patriarch of Constantinople in 784, at the Empress Irene’s wish and on his own condition that a council would restore the icons. The first attempt, in 786, was broken up by soldiers loyal to the iconoclast party; the second, at Nicaea in 787, met under his presidency and became the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which defined that icons are to be venerated and their honour passes to the one they show. He was known for his care of the poor and the strictness of his own life. He died in 806. Feast: February 25.