Also known as Basil, companion of Procopius of Decapolis
A monk and companion of Saint Prokopios of Decapolis who suffered for the veneration of the holy icons under the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian, enduring torment for the faith and reposing in peace about the year 750.
Feast Day
February 28
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Our Venerable Father Basil the Confessor, Companion of Saint Prokopios of Decapolis
Life
Basil the Confessor was an eighth-century monk who suffered for the veneration of the holy icons during the first period of Byzantine iconoclasm. He is remembered chiefly as the companion and co-struggler of Saint Prokopios the Confessor of Decapolis, with whom he was imprisoned under the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian.
Released after the emperor's death, Basil returned to the monastic life and spent his remaining years instructing others in the Orthodox faith. He reposed peacefully about the year 750 and is commemorated on February 28.
Timeline 3 moments
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717–741Persecution under Leo the IsaurianDuring the reign of the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian, a persecution arose against those who venerated the holy icons. Basil and his companion Prokopios of Decapolis were subjected to much torture and locked up in prison, where they languished for a long while.
c. 741Release after the emperor's deathUpon the death of the emperor, Basil and Prokopios were set free. They returned to their monastic struggles and instructed many in the Orthodox faith and the virtuous life.
c. 750ReposeSaint Basil died peacefully in about the year 750.
Contributions & Legacy
2 contributions
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Confession under Iconoclasm
Basil lived during the eighth century, when the emperor Leo the Isaurian (reigned 717–741) condemned the veneration of the holy icons, treating them as idols. Those who continued to honor the icons were persecuted.
Basil shared this confession with Saint Prokopios of Decapolis, a monk of the region east of the Sea of Galilee. According to his life, the two were subjected to much torture and imprisoned together, enduring confinement for a long time rather than abandoning the veneration of the icons. Because he suffered for the faith without dying a martyr's death, the Church remembers Basil as a confessor.
Later Life and Repose
After the death of the emperor, Basil and Prokopios were released from prison and returned to the monastic life. In his remaining years Basil instructed many in the Orthodox faith and in the virtuous life.
He reposed in peace about the year 750. His companion Prokopios, commemorated the previous day, likewise reposed at an advanced age around the same year.
His companions & kin
Co-struggler in the monastic life and fellow confessor, imprisoned with Basil under Leo the Isaurian; commemorated February 27.
Venerable Prokopios the Confessor of Decapolis
Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints
