Saint Martin
Pope of Rome

April 14th
Troparion (Tone 3)
Thou didst strengthen the Church with true doctrine, O wise Hierarch Martin: thou didst declare the two natures of Christ and put heresy to shame. Pray to Him to grant us His great mercy.

Constans II was Emperor and Paul was Patriarch of Constantinople when Martin became Pope on July 5, 649. There was great turmoil in the Church over the Monothelite heresy. Constans wrote a dogmatic decree (Typos) to settle the matter, but it conceded much to the heretics. Pope Martin convened a council of 105 bishops which condemned the Typos. He also sent a letter to the Patriarch & Emperor to reject heresy. Constans responded by sending General Olympius to take the Pope in bonds to Constantinople. Olympius did not dare to touch the Pope himself, so he sent one of his men into the church with a sword to kill Martin. As the soldier entered the church, he was instantly blinded. Olympius was stymied. Then he had to combat the Saracens in Sicily and died there. Patriarch Paul convinced the Emperor to send General Theodore to do the job, under the pretense that Martin was in league with the godless Saracens and did not reverence the Mother of God. When he read the charges to the Pope. Martin refuted them as preposterous. Nevertheless, Theodore bound him and took him to Constantinople. He was imprisoned there and ill-treated. When Patriarch Paul was on his deathbed, he confessed to the Emperor with tears that he had sinned greatly against Martin and asked for him to be set free. About that time Martin was exiled to Cherson. Two years later, in 655, Martin the Confessor reposed in the Lord.
This history illustrates why the Orthodox Church has never entrusted the purity of the Faith solely to any one Bishop, Pope or Patriarch. At different times, heretics have been on the thrones of all of the ancient Sees, including Rome.

This icon is by the hand of Nicholas Papas.

Order # inp-136

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