John trained as a hermit and ascetic in the hills outside Antioch before ill health forced his return to the city, where he was ordained a priest and became famous for the clarity and moral force of his preaching. His skill at expounding Scripture and calling both ordinary believers and the wealthy elite to genuine Christian living earned him the nickname 'Chrysostom' — the golden-mouthed.
Appointed Patriarch of Constantinople against his own wishes, John continued to preach forcefully against corruption, luxury, and injustice among the city's clergy and nobility, including the empress herself, which earned him powerful enemies. He was twice exiled on politically engineered charges, and died during the final, harsher exile from the exhaustion of the forced march. Hundreds of his sermons and writings survive and remain among the most widely read patristic texts today.
Saint John Chrysostom
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
The Patriarch of Constantinople whose extraordinary preaching earned him the surname 'Chrysostom,' meaning 'golden-mouthed,' and whose calls for reform led to his own exile and death.
- Born
- 347
- Died
- 407
- Birthplace
- Antioch (in modern Syria)
- Died in
- Comana, Pontus (modern Turkey)
- Country
- Syria
- Century
- 4th century
Why People Pray to Saint John Chrysostom
Saint John Chrysostom is invoked by preachers, teachers, and public speakers, and by those who must speak difficult truths at personal cost.
