Hierarch Saint John IV the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint John IV the Faster (Nesteutes) (d. 2 September 595) was Patriarch of Constantinople from 582 to 595. Born to poor parents, he received no formal schooling and worked as a goldsmith before, inspired by monastic example, adopting an extremely ascetic way of life — hence his epithet "the Faster." He was ordained deacon of Hagia Sophia and later elected patriarch.

He became famous for extreme abstinence, eating only once every several days and sleeping sitting up, waking himself with a lit candle tied to his hand. Despite his high office, he lived in poverty, giving away his personal possessions to the poor; at his death nothing remained but a wooden spoon, a worn garment, and a straw mat.

He was the first Patriarch of Constantinople to formally adopt the title "Ecumenical Patriarch," which provoked a famous protest from Pope Gregory the Great of Rome. He compiled a penitential Nomocanon used by confessors for centuries. He reposed peacefully on September 2, 595.