Righteous
Righteous Righteous Philaret the Merciful
ок. 702–792
Righteous Philaret the Merciful — a pious Paphlagonian landowner impoverished by his own generous almsgiving; grandfather of Empress Maria, wife of Constantine VI.
Righteous Philaret the Merciful was born around 702 in the village of Amnia in Paphlagonia (Asia Minor) to pious landowners George and Anna. He married Theosevia, a woman of wealth and noble birth, and had children, among whom two daughters, Hypatia and Evanthia, are named in the sources.
He became renowned for extraordinary almsgiving, giving away his possessions to the poor and wayfarers so generously that he himself was reduced to poverty, losing his livestock, land, and household goods — yet he continued to share what little remained, trusting in Divine Providence, which repeatedly restored his losses. Under Empress Irene, who organized a bride-show to choose a wife for her son Constantine VI, Philaret's humbly-born granddaughter Maria was selected, bringing the saint honor at court — honor he bore without pride, continuing his life of charity.
He died on 1 December 792 in old age, attended in his funeral rites by the emperor and the entire senate. His Life became a model of Christian charity, later esteemed and retold by Leo Tolstoy as an exemplary popular tale.