Saint John of Damascus was born around the year 680 in Damascus into a Christian family. His father, Sergius Mansur, was the treasurer at the court of the caliph. After his father's death, John took the position of minister and city governor. At that time, the heresy of iconoclasm spread in Byzantium, and John wrote three treatises "Against Those Who Condemn Holy Icons." Emperor Leo III the Isaurian, upon learning of his works, forged a letter in which John allegedly offered assistance in the conquest of Syria. As a result, John was stripped of his position, had his right hand cut off, and was hanged in the city square. The saint prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos and was healed, after which he refused to return to his former position.
He distributed his wealth and, together with his adoptive brother Cosmas, went to Jerusalem, where he entered the monastery of Saint Sabas the Sanctified. At first, he was forbidden to write, but he showed humility and obedience. Later, after writing funeral troparia, the elder lifted the ban from him. John was ordained a priest and became a preacher. He returned to the Lavra, where he continued to write spiritual books and church hymns. In 754, at the Constantinople Council, he condemned the iconoclasts, for which he was subjected to imprisonment and torture, but remained alive. Saint John of Damascus reposed around the year 780 at the age of 104.
