Basilios 21 was bishop of Ankyra in Galatia; in 787 he attended the Second Council of Nikaia (the Seventh Ecumenical Council). Formerly an iconoclast, he was admitted to the first session of the Council, on 24 September 787, in order publicly to repent of his previous errors and to read out his confession, in which he accepted the veneration of icons, rejected the decisions of the previous iconoclast council as heretical and anathematised iconoclasts; he was then admitted to communion with the church and allowed to take his seat among the assembled bishops: Mansi XII 1007-1011, XII 1015 (at 1007 he introduced himself as ἐγὼ Βασίλειος ἐπίσκοπος Ἀγκύρας τῆς πόλεως). He probably attended the last seven sessions of the Council, from 26 September to 23 November 787: Mansi XII 1087-XIII 486. In the list of those present at the seventh session he is styled Βασιλείου ἐπισκόπου Ἀγκύρας: Mansi XIII 365. Elsewhere he is styled Βασίλειος ὁ ὁσιώτατος ἐπίσκοπος Ἀγκύρας or similar: Mansi XII 1007, XII 1087, XII 1147, XIII 8, XIII 9, XIII 13, XIII 20, XIII 133 (Βασίλειος ἀνάξιος ἐπίσκοπος Ἀγκύρας τῆς Γαλατίας), XIII 164, XIII 173, XIII 176, XIII 177, XIII 196, XIII 381.

At the second session Basilios 21 spoke in support of the traditional veneration of icons as described in statements from pope Hadrian I (Hadrianos 1): Mansi XII 1087. At the third session he accepted as orthodox the statement of faith contained in the letter from the eastern patriarchs and anathematised iconoclasts: Mansi XII 1147. At the fourth session he noted the popularity of icons among the pious in the days of John Chrysostom and John's approval of the practice: Mansi XIII 8. He made comments on several other occasions at this session: Mansi XIII 9 (comments on John Chrysostom and Gregory of Nyssa), XIII 13 (on Gregory of Nazianzos), XIII 13-16 (on image makers), XIII 20 (on Asterios of Amaseia). Later at this session he subscribed the statements read out from the Fathers in support of the veneration of icons: Mansi XIII 133.

At the fifth session Basilios 21 noted the opinion of Symeon Stylites the Younger that the Samaritans who had desecrated images of Christ and His Mother were undeserving of forgiveness: Mansi XIII 164. Referring to the so-called Itineraries of the Apostles, he deplored the fact that the apostle John was represented as there contradicting what he said in his Gospel: Mansi XIII 173. He also said that they so flagrantly contradicted the Gospels that their opposition to icons was not surprising: Mansi XIII 176. He rejected the thinking of Eusebius of Caesarea about the nature of God the Father and God the Son: Mansi XIII 177. He stated that from the evidence produced it was clear that the veneration of icons was an ancient tradition of the church: Mansi XIII 196. At the seventh session he subscribed the statement of the faith adopted by the Council: Mansi XIII 381.

(Publishable link for this person: )