Theodore the Studite
Already from the early Christian years Smyrna was an autocephalous archbishopric as part of the wider Metropolis of Ephesus. During the 9th century the local archbishopric was promoted to a metropolis. At the time of its promotion, the diocese of Smyrna held the 39th position in the "Notitiae Episcopatuum", while during the reign of Emperor Leo VI (886–912) it held the 44th position. The city was also the place of exile of the monk Theodore the Studite, who played a major role in the revivals both of Byzantine monasticism and of classical literary genres in Byzantium.