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Why did Leo III remove Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople?
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Leo III
Leo III, gold solidus from Constantinople, 717ā741.
Leo III removed Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople from office in 730 because the patriarch refused to endorse the emperor's policy of Iconoclasm.12
In 730, Leo III officially proclaimed Iconoclasm as the empire's policy, mandating the removal and destruction of sacred images in churches. When Patriarch Germanus Iāa staunch defender of the veneration of iconsāwould not approve these measures, the emperor removed him and replaced him with a patriarch of his own choosing, Anastasius. Rather than subscribe to the emperor's decree, Germanus resigned his office and retired to his estates.12