Sivriada was often used by the Byzantine clerics as a distant place for peaceful worship, and by the Byzantine emperors as a convenient prison to detain prominent people whom they deemed troublesome. The first famous person to be imprisoned in the island by the order of emperor Nikephoros I was Plato of Sakkoudion, the uncle of renowned cleric Theodoros Stoudites, for supporting his nephew in his conflict with the emperor.
Sivriada served as a secluded place for Byzantine clerics to meditate peacefully and as an accessible prison for emperors to detain troublesome figures. Emperor Nikephoros I incarcerated Plato of Sakkoudion, uncle of renowned cleric Theodoros Stoudites, on the island for aiding his nephew in their disagreement with the emperor.