On this day, June 8 according to the Julian Calendar (June 21 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Paul of Cayuma, Confessor, who reposed in 766 AD.
Saint Paul was born and raised in Constantinople. During the reign of the iconoclast Emperor Constantine Copronymus (740–775), Paul openly rebuked the emperor for his heresy and his persecution of those who venerated the holy icons. For this courageous confession of the Orthodox faith, he was subjected to terrible punishments: his nose was cut off, boiling pitch and sulfur were poured over him, and his eyes were gouged out.
Despite these cruel torments, Saint Paul remained steadfast in his confession of Orthodoxy. He refused to renounce the veneration of holy icons, which the Church had always practiced as a true expression of faith in the Incarnation of the Son of God.
After enduring these sufferings, Paul was sent into exile. He continued to bear witness to the truth of the Orthodox faith until the end of his life. He reposed in the Lord in 766 AD, venerated by the faithful as a holy confessor who suffered greatly for the true faith.
May the intercessions of Saint Paul of Cayuma be with us all.