Saint Niphont, Bishop of Cyprus, was born in Paphlagonia and received his education in Constantinople. In his childhood, he was meek and kind, but in his youth, he led a dissolute life. One day, upon meeting a friend, he realized the depth of his fall and began to cry out to the Mother of God for intercession.
After a long prayer, he saw how the Face of the Mother of God on the holy icon became illuminated and She smiled. From that moment, Niphont prayed unceasingly to the Queen of Heaven, and, having changed his life, began to spend his time in prayer and repentance. After an illness, from which he was healed through the help of the Mother of God, he took monastic vows and intensified his ascetic practices.
Niphont struggled for a long time against passions and, having received from the Lord the gift of discernment of evil spirits, overcame them. In his old age, having arrived in Alexandria, he was appointed bishop of the city of Constantia in Cyprus. Three days before his death, he learned of it and was visited by Saint Athanasius the Great. At his deathbed, he was granted to see Angels and the Most Pure Mother of God.
