Baring-Gould’s sources: Greek Mensea. He died March 19th, but was buried April 4th, on which day his festival is observed in the Greek Church. Authority s— His funeral oration, containing a sketch of his life, preached by S. Theodore of the Studium, his sister’s son, spiritual son, and fellow confessor in the Iconoclastic persecution.] This holy man was bom in the year 735, at Constantinople, of Sergius and Euphemia, of noble family. He lost both his parents, and many of his kinsmen, in a terrible plague which ravaged the imperial city in 746, but he was brought up by one of his uncles, who was treasurer to the emperor; and as Plato was a ready writer and accountant, he made the lad assist him in his duties, and at last committed almost the whole of them into his hands. Plato was by this means brought in contact with the court and the emperor himself, and all respected him for his integrity and simplicity. He soon accumulated a large fortune, which, united to that bequeathed to him by his father, made his prospects as splendid as the heart of man could well desire. Many attempts were made by ambitious parents to obtain him as a son-in-law, but the heart of Plato was drawn above, by a love passing the love of women; and at length, overcoming all the struggles of ambition, covetousness and pleasure, to get dominion over his heart, he liberated all his slaves, and taking with him only one dear and faithful servant, he escaped from the gilded city and hid himself in a cave on Olympus, where he cast aside his worldly habit, and bade his servant shear off his flowing hair.

Then he went to the monastery of the Symbols, governed by S. Theoctistus, and offered himself at the gate, saying, “ Father, I give thee all, mind, body, will; use thy servant as it pleases thee.” He was then aged twenty-four, and it was in the year 758 that he entered the monastery. The abbot tried his obedience in every way. He bade him grind the com, water the ground, and remove the manure, and found him in everything ready and cheerful In the year 770 he was elected hegumen, or abbot, on the death of Theoctistus. During the persecution of the monks by Constantine Copronymus, he was by some oversight left unmolested; and after the death of the emperor, business having called him to Constantinople, he was not recognised by his nephews, who were not even aware that he was still alive, so completely had he been forgotten. But his visit to the imperial city having been the occasion of his performing many excellent works of mercy, as the reconciliation of foes, and the conversion of the impenitent, his name became noised abroad, and he was offered the bishopric of Nicomedia by the patriarch [the title of the bishops of the great ancient sees: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem] S. Tarasius. But he refused the bishopric, and shrinking from further notoriety, retreated into his solitude, hoping there to be again forgotten by the inconstant and busy world.

The empress Irene having restored peace to the Church *n the East, the family of S. Plato founded a monastery at Constantinople, which was called Saccudion, and in 782, twelve years after he had been appointed abbot of the Symbols, he was nominated to the Saccudion. He at once dismissed the slaves with their wives belonging to the monastery, deeming it unbecoming in monks to be the masters of poor bondsmen. But he could not carry out this reform without much opposition, and in the end it was adopted by all the other monasteries. He assisted at the second council of Nicaea, and signed the decrees after the bishops. Shortly after, he was attacked by a mortal malady; then he resigned the government of the monastery to his nephew, the famous S. Theodore, and after having been twelve years abbot of the Saccudion, he died S Gwerir.

in the sixtieth year of his age, 794, His life was very singularly broken into five circles of twelve. He was twelve when his parents died. He spent twelve years with his uncle before he left the world. He was twelve years in the monastery of the Symbols before his election to be abbot, and after having filled this position for twelve years, he became abbot of the Saccudion for another twelve.