At the time of Emperor Valens, there was a great persecution of Orthodoxy by the Arians, who were helped by the emperor himself. Hearing of this persecution, Isaacius, a hermit somewhere in the East, left the desert and came to Constantinople to encourage the orthodox and to distort the heretics. Just at that time, Emperor Valens went north with an army against the Goths, who were descending from the Danube towards Thrace. Issakije went before the king and said to him: "King, open the churches to the orthodox, and God will bless your way!" But the king turned a deaf ear to the old man and continued on his way. The next day Isakius again ran before the emperor and again repeated his admonition, and the emperor almost disobeyed the old man, lest some of his advisers belonging to the heresy of Arius prevent him from doing so. On the third day, Isakius ran before the emperor, grabbed the emperor's horse by the bridle and begged the emperor to give freedom to the Church of God, and threatened God's punishment if he opposed his request. Enraged, the king ordered that the old man be thrown into a kind of ruin made of mud and thorns. But three angels appeared and pulled the old man out of ruin. On the fourth day, Isakius appeared before the emperor and prophesied a terrible death if he did not give freedom to the Orthodox: "I tell you, emperor, you will lead an army against the barbarians, but you will not resist the barbarians, you will run away from them, but you will be captured and burned alive." That's how everything happens. The barbarians cut down the Greek army like grass, and the emperor fled with his adviser, an Arian, and hid in a basket. The barbarians arrived at that place, and finding out where the emperor was, surrounded the basket and set it on fire, and the emperor Valens and his advisor were burned. Then the emperor Theodosius the Great became king, who heard about Isaki and his fulfilled prophecy. The king called him to him and bowed to him. After peace reigned in the Church, and the Arians were exiled, Isakius wanted to return to his desert, but he was begged to stay in Constantinople. A certain nobleman Saturninus built a family for him, where the old man practiced asceticism until his death, performing many miracles. The family was filled with monks and became a large monastery. Before Isakija's death, he appointed Dalmat, his disciple, as abbot, after whom the family later became known as Dalmatian. And around the year 383, the God-pleasing old man Isakia moved to eternity, to enjoy seeing the face of God.

Venerable Isaac of Dalmatia. Saint Macrina.