A portrait of St. John Damascene
St. John Damascene
c. 675 – 4 December 749
Feast
December 4 · VIII c.
Patron of
Iconographers · Pharmacists · Theologians
Order
Monk / Doctor of the Church / Greek Father
Syrian monk and theologian (c. 675-749), born in Damascus to a Christian family in service to the Umayyad caliphate; entered the monastery of Mar Saba in the Judean desert. Foremost defender of the holy images during the Iconoclast controversy and author of the "Fount of Knowledge," the great synthesis of Greek patristic theology. Doctor of the Church (1890); the last of the Greek Fathers.
Life & Times
Born: c. 675 · Died: 4 December 749 · From: Damascus / Holy Land.
Patronage
St. John Damascene is invoked as the patron of iconographers, pharmacists, theologians. Those in these callings or circumstances often turn to this saint in prayer.
“I do not worship matter, I worship the God of matter, who became matter for my sake.”— Apologetic Treatises Against Those Decrying the Holy Images, Treatise I (c. 730)
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About Catholic Saints
Catholic saints, including St. John Damascene, are Christians whom the Catholic Church has formally recognized as having lived lifes of heroic holiness and who now dwell with God in heaven, offering an example of faith for those still on their earthly journey. Catholics don't worship saints, but ask them to pray to God with us and for us — much as one might ask a trusted friend to pray for them — trusting that those closest to God can join their voices to ours before Him. Discover more saints in the Catholic Shop Saints section.