Venerable Theoctistus of Cucumo in Sicily

Venerable Theoctistus (Greek Theoktistos) was the founder and abbot (igumen) of the monastery of Cucomo on the island of Sicily, where he lived in the second half of the eighth century. He is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on January 4.

His monastic life fell during the period of the iconoclast controversy, the long dispute over the veneration of holy images that the Seventh Ecumenical Council condemned in 787 but which continued under iconoclast emperors until 842. According to the synaxarion, when monks were expelled from their monasteries in the East and forced to flee their homeland, Theoctistus sheltered these Greek monks at his monastery in Sicily.

He reposed in the year 800. The surviving record of his life is brief, preserved chiefly as a short synaxarion notice. He should not be confused with the similarly named Venerable Theoctistus of Palestine, who is commemorated on September 3.