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Anastasius I of Antioch
Greek Patriarch of Antioch
SaintResearchedByzantine EmpirePre-congregation
Feast: 20 April (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
600
Died
598
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch from 559, was known for learning and austerity. He opposed Emperor Justinian's teaching on the Body of Christ and was deposed and exiled by Justin II.
Through the intercession of St Gregory the Great he was restored to his see in 593. He died in 598.
The miracles
The Catholic Encyclopedia does not describe how he came to be honoured as a saint.
Why that counted as sanctity
A learned bishop who suffered exile for the faith.
Connected on this site
- Cyriacus II of Constantinople Saint“In a letter to Anastasius I of Antioch, who had written to him to remonstrate against disturbing the peace of the church, Gregory defends his conduct on the ground of the injury which Cyriac had done to all other patriarchs by the assumption of the title and reminds Anastasius I that not only heretics but…” — Wikipedia
- Gregory I Saint“He was a friend of Pope Gregory I, and aroused the enmity of the Emperor Justinian by opposing certain imperial doctrines about the Body of Christ (Justinian favoured the Aphthartodocetae).” — Wikipedia
- Grigorios of Antioch Saint“In 569-70 he became Patriarch of Antioch after Justin II deposed the Patriarch Anastasius I of Antioch.” — Wikipedia
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Anastasius of Antioch
- Wikidata Q255426 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Anastasius I of Antioch (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.