Born into a native Greek family[2][3][4] of Constantinople,[5][6] he made his career there, where he held various ecclesiastical and secular high offices; deacon of the Hagia Sophia, patriarchal notary, protoproedros of the protosynkelloi and nomophylax.
[1][7] At some point he became a monk, assuming the monastic name "Neilos", and left for Sicily.
[1] According to the prologue of Neilos' work on the patriarchs, he was in Palermo in 1142/43, at the court of king Roger II of Sicily.
[4][5] His signature appears at the bottom of an act, dated 1146, regarding the church of the Martorana in Palermo.
Two works by Doxapatres have survived: The Synopsis Canonum written by Alexios Aristenos was falsely attributed to him.