Also known as Zacharias of Jerusalem · Zachariah the Patriarch
Patriarch of Jerusalem who was carried off into Persian captivity together with the Precious Cross during the invasion of Chosroes, and later returned to his see. He reposed around 633.
Feast Day
February 21
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Our Father among the Saints Zacharias, Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Confessor
Life
Zacharias was Patriarch of Jerusalem during the early seventh century, having been elected to the see in 609. According to the synaxarion, before his elevation he had served as keeper of the sacred vessels (skevophylax) of the Church of Constantinople.
His patriarchate was defined by the Persian (Sasanian) invasion of the Holy Land. In 614, the forces of the Persian emperor Chosroes (Khosrow II) captured and pillaged Jerusalem, carried off the True Cross, and led many Christians into captivity, Zacharias among them. He spent the greater part of his patriarchate as a prisoner in Persia before being restored to his see, and he is venerated as a confessor for the affliction he endured for the faith. He reposed around 633.
Timeline 4 moments
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609Elected Patriarch of JerusalemZacharias was elected to the patriarchal throne of Jerusalem. The synaxarion records that he had earlier served as keeper of the sacred vessels (skevophylax) of the Church of Constantinople.
614Fall of Jerusalem and captivityPersian forces under Chosroes (Khosrow II) took and pillaged Jerusalem, carrying off the True Cross and many Christians into captivity, including Patriarch Zacharias.
627Heraclius's victory at NinevehEmperor Heraclius defeated the Persians at Nineveh, compelling the return of the True Cross and the surviving captives after fourteen years of bondage.
c. 633ReposeAfter his restoration to the see of Jerusalem, Zacharias reposed (the external sources give the year 632) and was succeeded by Modestus.
Contributions & Legacy
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The Fall of Jerusalem and the Captivity
In 614, during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, Sasanian Persian forces under the emperor Chosroes (Khosrow II) overran Byzantine Syria and took Jerusalem. The synaxarion accounts relate that the city was looted and that the invaders withdrew bearing the Life-Creating Cross of Christ together with a large number of Christian captives. By tradition, as many as ninety thousand of the captured Christians perished.
Patriarch Zacharias was taken among the prisoners and carried into Persia along with the True Cross. The Orthodox sources record that he and the Cross were held in bondage for fourteen years, so that he passed most of his episcopate in exile. During his absence, the affairs of the Jerusalem church were administered by Modestus, who acted as locum tenens (administrator) of the patriarchal throne.
The Return of the Cross and the Patriarch
In 627, after rebuilding his army, Heraclius advanced into Persia and won a decisive victory at Nineveh, defeating Chosroes. This compelled the Persians to return both the True Cross and the surviving captives, including Patriarch Zacharias. According to the accounts, Heraclius himself carried the Cross on his shoulders into the Holy City. One Orthodox source notes that the restoration was marked by a renewed triumphal feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, dated to March 21, 630.
Zacharias was thus restored to his see. He reposed around 633 (the external sources give the year 632), and was succeeded by Modestus, who had administered the patriarchate during the captivity.
Veneration
Saint Zacharias is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on February 21. He is remembered as a confessor and a champion of the Holy Land who endured imprisonment together with the True Cross. He is also venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, where his name is attached to a sacramental known as the 'Plague Cross of Saint Zacharias of Jerusalem,' approved at the Council of Trent (1545-1563).
