Venerable (Monastic) 8th century

Venerable Timothy of Symbola in Bithynia

d. c. 795

Also known as Timothy of Symbola · Timothy the Sigriane

An ascetic monk of the monastery of Symbola in Bithynia who pursued the solitary life and reposed around 795.

Feast Day

February 21

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Commemorated as

Our Venerable Father Timothy of Symbola, the Desert-Dweller

Life

Timothy of Symbola was an eighth-century ascetic monk who lived at the Monastery of Symbola (also rendered Symboloi) near Mount Olympus in Bithynia, in Asia Minor. Of Italian descent, he entered monastic life at an early age and became known as a desert-dweller for his habit of withdrawing into desolate and uninhabited places.

Under the guidance of the monk Theosteriktos, he gave himself to a rigorous discipline of fasting, vigil, and unceasing prayer, and was remembered for his strict purity of life. The tradition surrounding him holds that he received from God the gifts of healing the sick and casting out unclean spirits.

He lived during the Iconoclast controversy and is counted among the defenders of the veneration of icons, for which the sources relate that he suffered. He reposed in peace around the year 795, at an advanced age, and is commemorated on February 21.

Timeline 4 moments Read Hide

8th century Early monastic life Of Italian descent, Timothy becomes a monk at a young age and takes up the ascetic life at the Monastery of Symbola near Mount Olympus in Bithynia.
8th century Discipleship under Theosteriktos He pursues asceticism as a disciple of the monk Theosteriktos at Symbola, with Saint Plato — later abbot of the neighboring Sakkoudion Monastery — among his fellow pupils.
8th century Confession during Iconoclasm During the Iconoclast controversy he confesses the veneration of the holy icons and, according to the sources, endures suffering for that stance.
c. 795 Repose Timothy reposes in peace at an advanced age. He is commemorated on February 21.

Contributions & Legacy

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Ascetic Life

The accounts of Timothy emphasize the severity of his discipline. He mortified the passions through fasting and intense prayer and was remembered for a strict guarding of purity, to the point that he declined even to look upon the faces of women. His epithet of desert-dweller reflects the many years he is said to have spent as a hermit amid wilderness, mountains, and forests, sustaining a life of constant prayer.

The Mystagogy Resource Center account describes him as a pure vessel of the Holy Spirit and relates that he received the gift of working miraculous healings and of dispelling demons from those afflicted by them.

Charity

Although his life was marked by withdrawal and solitude, the tradition also records a charitable dimension. He is said to have given alms, protected orphans, defended widows, shown hospitality to strangers, and provided food and clothing to those in need. Among the works attributed to him is the healing of a barren woman through his prayer.

Relics & Shrines

According to the Mystagogy Resource Center account, Timothy's relics remained at the Monastery of Symbola, where they were associated with healings. The OCA Synaxarion entry does not record a location for his relics.

Miracles & Traditions

Traditional Accounts: The sources hold that Timothy received from God the gift of healing the sick and of casting out unclean spirits. The Mystagogy account further relates the healing of a barren woman through his prayer and ascribes continued healings to his relics at the Monastery of Symbola. These accounts come from the synaxarion and devotional tradition rather than independent documentary record.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Feb 21