In Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, Christians who professed their faith in times of Christian persecution and therefore had to suffer persecution, exile, torture, mutilation and/or imprisonment, but not directly undergo martyrdom, are called confessors (Latin: confessores).
In the early church, it was a title of honour, designating those individuals who had confessed Christ publicly in time of persecution and had been punished with imprisonment, torture, exile, or labour in the mines, remaining faithful until the end of their lives.
As Christianity emerged as the dominant religion in Europe by the fifth century, persecutions became rare, and the title was given to male saints who lived a holy life and died in peace.
"[4] In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the title Confessor refers to a saint who has witnessed to the faith and suffered for it, but not to the point of death, and thus is distinguished from a martyr.
For example, Nikephoros I of Constantinople, who was banished to the monastery of Saint Theodore for his support of iconodules, is revered as a confessor.