Biography
Tryphon of Constantinople
About Tryphon of Constantinople
Tryphon had spent his youth as a monk before imperial plans brought him to the patriarchal throne of Constantinople. Emperor Romanus wanted his son Theophylactus eventually to hold that office, but the boy was still too young. The received church account says Tryphon accepted responsibility for the intervening years. His temporary appointment became a serious dispute when he refused to entrust the church to a young man he considered inexperienced.
The account describes a deception rather than a voluntary retirement: Bishop Theophilus obtained Tryphon’s signature on a blank sheet, and a resignation was subsequently written above it. Removed from office in 931, Tryphon returned to monastic life. He died in 933, and his remains were buried with those of the patriarchs at Constantinople. The story preserves his resistance to treating church leadership as an imperial family’s possession.
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