In 1848, the Orthodox Church of Constantinople canonized a prominent religious figure of the 9th century - the Byzantine Patriarch Photius I, who was twice elevated to the holy throne and deposed the same number of times. Having become a victim of political intrigues, he died in exile, leaving behind a number of works of great historical value.
Child from an Armenian family
The exact date of birth of the Byzantine Patriarch Photius I has not been established, but researchers believe that this event dates back to the first quarter of the 9th century. It is known for certain that he was born into a rich and pious family of Armenian origin, who settled in Constantinople and had family ties with very high-ranking persons of that time. So, the boy's father was a nephew of the Patriarch of Constantinople Tarasius (730-806), and his mother was closely related to another primate of the Byzantine church - John IV Grammatik (end of the 8th century - 867)
Both of them professed Christianity,adhering to the principles established by the IV Ecumenical Council, held in the Greek city of Chalcedon in the summer of 451. They are based on the dogma of the unity of the person of Jesus Christ and the non-fusion of his two natures - divine and human. According to the place where the council is held, this direction of Christian doctrine is called Chalcedonian theology. It was him that the Russian Orthodox Church preached in all ages.
In the midst of a religious struggle
It is known that in the period of the VIII-IX centuries. the spiritual life of Byzantium was formed under the influence of a mass religious and political movement aimed at combating the veneration of icons (iconoclasm). This was the reason for the disgrace and subsequent exile of the father of the future Patriarch Photius, who adhered to a different, generally accepted position today. Cut off from his family and classified as a heretic, he died in exile around 832.
While the main opponent of icon veneration, Emperor Theophilus, was alive, the family was going through extremely difficult times, but with the accession to the throne of his crowned successor Michael III, a man who adhered to very liberal views, the situation changed for the better. Thanks to this, Photius, who had already received a fairly complete education, began teaching, and soon among his students there were children from the most noble families of Constantinople.
At the Emperor's court
In the biography of Patriarch Photius, this period of life is marked by the beginning of a rapid career growth. At the beginning of the 840s, he fell into the numberclose associates of the emperor and received a very prestigious post of head of his personal office, and a little later he took part in an embassy sent to the Arab caliph. Once at court, Photius did not forget about his brothers - Konstantin, Sergei and Tarasia, who, under his patronage, also received advantageous places.
The writing of his first treatise, called "Myriobiblion" and a brief retelling of 280 books he read, both spiritual and secular, belongs to this period. Subsequently, Patriarch Photius became the author of numerous works, but this is of particular value in view of the fact that it allows you to get an idea of the intellectual foundation that was the basis of all his many-sided activities. The manuscript was sent by him to his brother Sergei, which is why it is often referred to in modern literature as the “First Epistle of Patriarch Photius.”
The emperor's new henchman
The next decade brought significant changes to the political life of Byzantium. They began with the fact that in 856, Emperor Michael III, extremely tired of the conduct of state affairs and wanting to transfer them into reliable hands, ex alted the brother of the dowager Empress Theodora - Varda, granting him the title of Caesar and making him the second person after himself in the palace hierarchy.
Taking advantage of the opportunities that opened up, Varda for the next ten years was actually the sole ruler of Byzantium. Patriarch Photius, according tohistorians, owes much of its further ascent to this very fact. The choice made by the emperor turned out to be very successful, and the ruler appointed by him went down in history as an outstanding politician, military leader, and also a patron of science, art and education.
Leading the Church of Constantinople
One of the first acts of Caesar was the removal of the former Patriarch of Constantinople Ignatius and the erection of Photius in his place, who immediately became involved in a fierce struggle between intra-church parties and groups. The tension in the circles of the clergy was caused by the fact that a significant number of its members remained supporters of the deposed Patriarch Ignatius and, having stood in opposition to the new head of the church, enjoyed the patronage of Pope Nicholas I. To support his nominee, Caesar Varda initiated the convocation of the Local Council, at which he secured the condemnation of Ignatius and the adoption of a number of canonical decrees regarding him, which only added fuel to the fire.
Photian Schism
According to contemporaries, Pope Nicholas I was extremely ambitious, and any decision taken without his consent was perceived as a personal insult. As a result, when he learned about the removal of Patriarch Ignatius and the erection of another person in his place, he considered this a declaration of war. Relations between Rome and Constantinople had long been tense over disputes over the jurisdiction of Southern Italy and Bulgaria, but the election of Patriarch Photius in Byzantium was a drop that overflowed the cup.
In 863the angry pope convened an ecumenical council in Rome, at which he excommunicated Photius from the church, accusing him of heresy and trampling on all the foundations of the true faith. He did not remain in debt and, having gathered the entire Orthodox episcopate in Constantinople, anathematized the Roman pontiff. As a result, a rather funny situation developed: the two main Christian hierarchs plucked each other out of the bosom of the Church, and legally both found themselves outside the legal field. Their feud went down in history under the name of the Photius Schism.
First opal and link
Meanwhile, while the heads of the two main directions of Christianity sorted things out, very important events took place in Constantinople. First of all, through intrigues, the cunning and unprincipled courtier Basil the Macedonian, who later became the founder of a powerful ruling dynasty, managed to rise. Having sent assassins to Caesar Varda, he took his place near the throne, and then, having de alt with Michael III himself in the same way, he was crowned as the new emperor of Byzantium. Patriarch Photius was aware of all the danger looming over him, but could not change anything.
Becoming the sole ruler of the state, the usurper immediately returned the disgraced Ignatius to the throne, and deposed Photius and sent him into exile. Soon he was again anathematized, but this time not by the Latins, but by the Orthodox hierarchs who gathered in 869 at the Council of Constantinople. Together with him, all the bishops he appointed earlier were out of work.
Homecoming
This dark period in the life of Patriarch Photius and his supporters did not last long, and alreadythree years later, the shores of the Bosphorus were again blown by the wind of change. Ignatius, who overestimated himself, quarreled with the Pope, repaying with black ingratitude for the support provided to him earlier, which caused extreme displeasure in the newly-made emperor Basil I. He regretted that he had offended Photius, and, returning him from exile, appointed his sons as tutor.
Engaged in teaching activities, the rehabilitated hierarch devoted time to compiling important historical documents. During this period, the famous “Nomocanon of Patriarch Photius in XIV Titles” was published - a collection of fourteen chapters containing an extensive list of imperial decrees and church rules relating to various aspects of the religious life of Byzantium. This work immortalized the name of the author, becoming a reference book for many generations of historians.
New disgrace and the death of the patriarch
It is not known how events would unfold further, but Patriarch Ignatius guessed to die on time, and Photius took his place, heading the Church, from which he had just recently been excommunicated by the decision of the Local Council. Everything, it would seem, returned “to normal”, and even those same bishops who recently poured mud on him were already in a hurry to kiss his hand. However, the life story of this church hierarch did not crown the happy ending so desired by all. Just a year later, the mocking fate again played an evil trick on him, and this time the last joke.
In 888, Emperor Basil I died unexpectedly. With the rulers of the world, this sometimes happens ifsuccessors are unbearable to wait in the wings. The new ruler of Byzantium, Leo VI, barely returning from the funeral, issued a decree on the next deposition of Patriarch Photius and sending him to places "not so remote." He entrusted the leadership of the Church to his eighteen-year-old brother Stefan. Having not committed any noticeable deeds in this field, he entered the history of Christianity only as the youngest patriarch.
Ironically, the place of exile of the disgraced Patriarch Photius was Armenia, from which his ancestors once moved to Byzantium. Finding himself in unusual conditions for himself and torn apart by severe mental suffering, he fell ill and died in the spring of 896, without waiting for the triumph of justice, which happened only after nine and a half centuries.
Glorification among the saints
In 1848, when Patriarch Anfim IV was at the head of the Church of Constantinople, Photius, who died almost nine and a half centuries ago, was canonized and glorified as saints, that is, persons from among church hierarchs who, during the days of their earthly life, showed a model serving God, and after the death marked by miracles revealed through their incorruptible relics. Since then, the memory of the Patriarch of Constantinople, St. Photius, has been celebrated annually on February 6 (19).
Researchers believe that the true reason for canonization should be sought in the bitter struggle that unfolded in the East between the Orthodox Church and representatives of the Western directions of Christianity.
The "Life of Patriarch Photius" speaks of miracles,performed on his grave for many centuries and made it an object of mass pilgrimage.
Byzantine saint not accepted in Russia
For many centuries, preachers sent by Rome to the possessions of the Ottomans were active in converting Muslims and representatives of other religions to Catholicism, which went against the interests of the Orthodox Church. In this regard, a number of Orthodox hierarchs, who once carried out fruitful activities on the territory of Byzantium, were canonized as a sign that it is this direction of Christianity that opens the way to the Kingdom of God.
In the middle of the 19th century, they remembered the disgraced primate of the church, who died in a foreign land in 896. His candidacy was the best fit, especially since the "Nomocanon of Patriarch Photius", which was mentioned above, had by that time gained wide popularity in scientific and church circles.
The canonization, initiated by Patriarch Anfim VI of Constantinople, took place, but was rejected by the leadership of the Russian Synodal Church, for reasons that were more political than dogmatic.
The argument that convinced K. Pobedonostsev
A struggle began between representatives of the two Churches, in which many prominent public and religious figures of Russia took the side of Constantinople. Such, for example, as the famous historian I. Troitsky, the author of a major work devoted to the “District Message of Patriarch Photius”, which speaks of the beginningthe spread of Christianity among the "tribes of the Ross" - this is how its author calls the Eastern Slavs. A photo of an ancient miniature dedicated to this event is shown above.
Giving great importance to the activities of the Byzantine missionaries, Troitsky considers it as a kind of first Baptism of Russia, which, of course, should not be taken literally. However, thanks to such a weighty argument, Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod K. Pobedonostsev was forced to back down. Since then, the name of St. Photius began to be mentioned in church calendars. And now every year on February 19 in Russia they honor his memory and offer prayers addressed to him.
