On this day, June 8 according to the Julian Calendar (June 21 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates the Venerable Naukratios, disciple of Saint Theodore the Studite, who reposed in 747 AD.
The Venerable Naukratios was a disciple of the holy Abbot Theodore the Studite (commemorated November 11). For his bold confession of Orthodoxy and his veneration of the holy icons, the blessed father suffered persecution and oppression at the hands of the iconoclasts.
Naukratios was a devoted monk of the Studios Monastery in Constantinople, one of the most important monastic centers of the Byzantine world. Under the guidance of Saint Theodore the Studite, the monastery became a beacon of Orthodox monasticism and a center of resistance to the iconoclast heresy.
When the iconoclast emperors renewed their persecution of icon-venerators, Naukratios stood firm in his confession of the faith. He endured exile and hardship without wavering, bearing his sufferings with patience and trust in God.
He reposed in the Lord in 747 AD, venerated as a holy confessor who remained faithful to the Orthodox tradition of venerating the sacred images of Christ and the saints.
May the intercessions of the Venerable Naukratios be with us all.