Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople, came from a noble family, was born and raised in Constantinople, where he received a good education. He quickly rose to prominence at the court of Emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and his mother, the Holy Empress Irene (797-802; commemorated on August 7), and reached the rank of senator. In those days, the Church was worried about iconoclastic troubles. Holy Patriarch Paul (780-784; Comm. August 30), who did not sympathize with iconoclasm in his soul, could not resolutely fight heresy due to weakness of character, and therefore retired to a monastery, where he accepted the schema. 
When the holy Tsarina Irina came to him with her son, the emperor, Saint Paul announced to them that only Saint Tarasius (at that time a layman) could be his worthy successor. Tarasius refused for a long time, not considering himself worthy of such a high dignity, but then obeyed the general desire, on the condition that an Ecumenical Council be convened to condemn the iconoclastic heresy. Having passed through all the hierarchical levels in a short time, Saint Tarasius was elevated to the patriarchal throne in 784. In 787, under the chairmanship of St. Patriarch Tarasius in Nicaea hosted the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which was attended by 367 bishops. The veneration of holy icons was approved at the Council. Those bishops who repented of iconoclasm were re-accepted by the Church.
Saint Tarasius wisely ruled the Church for 22 years. He led a harsh ascetic life. He spent all his possessions on Godly deeds, feeding and resting the elderly, the poor, orphans and widows, and on Holy Easter he arranged a meal for them, at which he himself served. The Holy Patriarch fearlessly denounced Tsar Constantine Porphyrogenitus when he slandered his wife, Empress Maria, the granddaughter of the righteous Filaret the Merciful (+ 792; Comm. December 1), in order to imprison Maria in a monastery and marry his relative. Saint Tarasius resolutely refused to dissolve the emperor's marriage, for which he was disgraced. Soon, however, Constantine was deposed by his mother, Tsarina Irina. Saint Tarasius died in 806. 
At his death, the demons, recalling his life from his youth, tried to attribute to the saint the sins he had not committed. "I am innocent of what you are saying," the saint replied. "You are falsely slandering me, you have no power over me." Mourned by the Church, the saint was buried in a monastery he had built on the Bosphorus. Many miracles were performed at his tomb.