Saint Theophilus the Confessor of Bulgaria was originally from the region around Tiberiada. At the age of thirteen, he quietly left his family to join a monastery located on Mount Selenteia. There, he was guided in the spiritual life by the Elder Saint Stephen. After three years of ascetic training, Theophilus was tonsured a monk.

When his parents discovered his whereabouts, they approached the abbot of the monastery with a request: that their son, along with several other monks, be allowed to establish a new monastery closer to home. The abbot instructed all the brethren to devote themselves to fasting and prayer, seeking divine guidance. On the third day, a voice was heard in the church, granting a clear blessing for Theophilus to found the new monastery, foretelling his future renown through many spiritual labors.

During the turbulent era of the iconoclastic controversy, which reached its height under the impious Emperor Leo the Isaurian (717–741), Saint Theophilus became a vocal opponent of the iconoclast movement. In response to imperial orders, he was brutally beaten and paraded through the streets, bound like a criminal. Eventually, he was handed over to an official named Hypatius, who tried repeatedly to persuade him to renounce the veneration of holy icons. Theophilus, however, remained unshaken—and through his witness, he brought about the conversion of Hypatius.

To defend the use of icons, Theophilus appealed to various scriptural examples: the bronze serpent raised by Moses (Numbers 21:9), the cherubim atop the Ark of the Covenant, and, most notably, the miraculous Image Not Made by Hands, which Christ Himself gave to Abgar, Prince of Edessa (commemorated August 16). Convinced by this testimony, Hypatius obtained the emperor’s permission to release Theophilus.

The saint returned to his monastic community, but lived only a short time longer. In the year 716, Saint Theophilus peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.

Troparion — Tone 8

Champion of Orthodoxy, teacher of purity and of true worship, / the enlightener of the universe and the adornment of hierarchs: / all-wise father Theophilus, your teachings have gleamed with light upon all things. / Intercede before Christ God to save our souls.