Gregor Kallidis

Gregor Kallidis or Gregorios Kallidis (Όσιος Γρηγόριος Καλλίδης, * 24. January 1844 in Κούμβαο, a coastal village near Rhaidestos , Eastern Thrace and Thrace , now the Turkish province of Tekirdag (Province) ; † 23. July 1925 in Thessaloniki ) was a Greek bishop and metropolitan in the Ottoman Empire and Greece and is saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church on May 22, 2003.

Life

Only the first names of his parents are known: Ioannis and Euphrosyne . He studied in Serres and Athens and after working in Rhaidestos he was appointed Bishop of Nazianz on March 24, 1875 . On May 12, 1879, he became Bishop of Trabzon , where he remained for five years. After his enthronement as Metropolitan of Thessaloniki , he first had to resign and justify himself in a process in Constantinople. On April 29, 1889, he was acquitted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople . He was elected Metropolitan of Ioannina on September 28, 1889, from 1892 to 1894 he held various church offices in Constantinople and then returned to Ioannina . There he worked together with foreign representations there (including the Austrian Consulate General) against violent excesses that could be related to the Turkish-Greek war of 1897 . Appointed bishop of Herakleia and Rhaidestos on May 22, 1902 , he held this ecclesiastical office until 1907. Until his death he was active and not infrequently as chairman of various synods , concerning current political problems, as can be seen from the list of his honors can guess.

Effect and evaluation

Gregor Kallidis also makes it clear how hard the Greek Orthodox Church tried during this time to act on an equal footing with the ruling systems in order not to endanger the interests of the Greek or Orthodox population as a minority.

Others

In addition to his work in various committees, he also supported the education of his compatriots by sponsoring various schools. He founded in Raidestos a city school, the so-called 'Καλλιδειον'. Some of the descendants of the local population are still in today's Korinos (see also population exchange between Greece and Turkey ).

Honors

Greek awards

Order of the Redeemer Commander (1897)

Russian awards

Russian Order of Saint Anne Grand Cross (1897)

Ottoman awards

Osmanî Nişanı Second Class (November 1885)

Austrian awards

Franz Joseph Order Grand Cross (probably after 1902)

Serbian awards

Order of St. Sava Grand Cross (November 1885)

Montenegrin awards

Grand Cross of Daniel (1897)

Web links

References and comments

↑ http://www.saint.gr/4131/saint.aspx
↑ http://othes.univie.ac.at/15085/ Diploma thesis dealing with Austrian consulate files in Ioannina, but only from 1908. England and France also had consulates there.
↑ Herakleia denotes a city, but probably a larger church province Herakleia is meant, cf. Rhaedestus with reference to the province

personal data
SURNAME	Kallidis, Gregor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Kallidis, Gregorios
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Greek metropolitan
DATE OF BIRTH	January 24, 1844
PLACE OF BIRTH	Rhaidestos
DATE OF DEATH	July 23, 1925
Place of death	Thessaloniki

[1] ttp://www.saint.gr/4131/saint.aspx

[2] ttp://othes.univie.ac.at/15085/ Diploma thesis dealing with Austrian consulate files in Ioannina, but only from 1908. England and France also had consulates there.

[3] Herakleia denotes a city, but probably a larger church province Herakleia is meant, cf. Rhaedestus with reference to the province