Venerable Ignatius lived during the reign of the emperors Nicephorus Phocas and John Tzimiskes in Cappadocia. From infancy, he was dedicated to God, as once was Samuel. After receiving the monastic tonsure, he soon became a presbyter and then an abbot. He accomplished much for his monastery: he expanded it, adorned it, and enriched it, building two churches in honor of the holy prophet Elijah and another in honor of the holy Apostles. He also constructed a strong enclosure around the monastery. During a trip to Constantinople, he brought as a gift the holy cross and the holy Gospel. On his return journey, he fell ill and passed away in Amorium, where he was buried in one of the churches. After winter, when the fathers of the monastery decided to transfer his body, they found it incorrupt and exuding fragrance. They reverently moved it and placed it in the church porch, glorifying God, who is wondrous in His saints.
