St. John Damascene

St. John Damascene was born in Damascus, Syria to a well-to-do Christian family and lived in the 7th and 8th centuries.  He became the government official at Damascus after his father’s death.

The ruling emperor enacted a law forbidding Christians to have statues or pictures of our Lord and the saints.   St. John and many others diligently defended the practice of the time and the pope encouraged St. John to keep instructing the faithful that the sacred objects help them to remain focused on our Lord, the Blessed Mother, and the saints.  The emperor continued to forbid placing religious statues in public places.  St. John wrote three public letters to explain the practice to the emperor which infuriated the emperor.

St. John felt so strongly that the governor should resign that he gave away all his wealth and joined the monastery at St. Salbas.   He continued his mission of writing in defense of the Catholic faith and traditions.   Pope Leo XIII enrolled him as a Doctor of the Church in 1890.

Saint Jean Damascène) eut de hautes fonctions dans le califat de la Syrie et se fit connaître comme écrivain poète.

À cinquante ans, il se retira du monde et se fit moine à Saint-Sabas, entre Jérusalem et la mer Morte. Ordonné prêtre, il laissa de nombreux écrits théologiques. Il développa le culte des saintes icônes et chanta les louanges de l’Assomption.

Il est fait docteur de l’Église par Léon XIII en 1890.