(Saints day January 23)
John was born at Limassol in Cyprus into a wealthy and noble family. He married and had several children, but they all died young, and so did his wife. At the age of 50, he was chosen as Patriarch of Alexandria by Nicetas, his adopted brother, who had helped the emperor Heraclius come to power.
As patriarch, John became known for his generosity even giving away his own bedding to the poor. He worked hard to improve their lot, ordering the use of exact weights and measures, forbidding his officials to take bribes and by making himself available to anyone for consultations. When he became patriarch he is said to have handed out 80,000 pieces of gold to hospitals and monasteries, and he also founded new ones. Jerusalem was sacked at this time by the Persians, so John came to the rescue by providing large amounts of money, food, clothing and also transport to take it to those people most in need. Prisoners, particularly nuns, were rescued with his money, but his generosity was directed to any group or person in need, irrespective of creed or race.
Almsgiving was not his sole concern. He also gave great thought and care to the Liturgy. When some of the congregation developed the habit of leaving the church halfway through the service to chat outside, John joined them and said, "Where the sheep are, there must the shepherd be also. Come in and I will join you, stay here and I will stay too". This quickly achieved its objective. He also refused to let believers take Communion with heretics.
Nicetas, John's brother, persuaded him to visit Emperor Heraclius in Constantinople when the Persians were approaching that city. However, when they reached Rhodes, John realised that he was shortly going to die, so he turned back and died in 620 in Cyprus in his hometown. His body was taken to Constantinople where it remained for some time, but it is now Bratislava.