Stephanos I (Constantinople)

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Seal of "Stephanos, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome" (possibly from Stephan II.)
Stephanos I at the reburial of Michael III. 886, miniature, Chronicle of Johannes Skylitzes, Madrid

Stephanos I (Greek Στέφανος Α΄ ; * November 867 ; † May 17 or 18, 893 ) was Patriarch of Constantinople from 886 to 893 .

Life

Stephanos was the son of Eudokia Ingerina , who was initially the concubine of Emperor Michael III. († 867), but was also the wife of his successor Basil I during his lifetime . Officially, Basil was believed to be Stephen's father, but rumors attribute the fatherhood to Michael.

The date of birth of the future patriarch is also not clearly determinable: it is widely believed that Stephanos was the youngest son of Basil. This emerges from the contemporary name BEKLAS , which includes the initials of Basil, his wife Eudokia and his four sons Constantine (from his first marriage), Leo , Alexander and Stephanos. For a long time it was assumed that the sons were named in the order of their birth. Even Constantine VII. And the author of the Vita Euthymii write that Stephanos was the youngest son of Basil. However, it is possible that you only took this information from the acronym BEKLAS and could have been wrong. The Logothetenchronik suggests a different order of siblings: According to it, Alexander was born in November 869 at the earliest, but Stephanos was baptized on a Christmas Day between September 867 and January 869 (i.e. either 867 or 868). So he must have been older than Alexander. A letter from Minister Daphnopates to Metropolitan Anastasius of Herakleia written in 933 also shows that Stephanos became patriarch at the age of 19, while Leon Magistros Choirosphaktes shows that he died at the age of 25. So 867 is the most likely date of birth.

Stephanos was castrated and ordained a monk at a young age. On December 25, 886 he was by his brother, the just come to power Emperor Leo VI. , appointed Patriarch of Constantinople in place of the deposed Photius I. By making a close relative to the patriarch, Leo tried again to exert more influence on church politics, which the emperors had not been able to do with the strong and headstrong patriarchs of the past decades. There are no known protests against the election, especially since there was no suitable candidate and the ailing Stephanos did not seem to represent a possible danger in the power politics of the time. In fact, no outstanding activities have come down to us from his tenure.

However, since he had been ordained a deacon by Patriarch Photios I a few years earlier , Stephanos initially did not recognize the followers of his rival Ignatios I. Pope Stephan V had also been hostile to Photios, but recognized Stephanos I as patriarch, possibly because he was dependent on the military support of the Byzantines in the fight against the Saracens .

Allegedly, Stephanos died after six to seven years in office of the extremely harsh asceticism he practiced. He is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox churches , and the day of remembrance is May 18 .

Web links

literature

  • Hans-Georg Beck : History of the Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire (= The Church in its History, Vol. 1, Delivery D1). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1980, pp. D114 and D119.
  • Romilly JH Jenkins: The Chronological Accuracy of the "Logothete" for the Years AD 867-913. In: Dumbarton Oaks Papers 19 (1965), pp. 91–112, here pp. 98 ff. (Detailed discussion of the date of birth and important chronological stations).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Romilly JH Jenkins: The Chronological Accuracy of the "Logothete" for the Years AD 867-913. In: Dumbarton Oaks Papers 19 (1965), pp. 91–112, here pp. 98 ff.
  2. ^ JM Hussey: The orthodox church in the byzantine Empire. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1990, p. 102.
  3. ^ Frederick William Bussell : The Roman Empire. Longmans, Green & co., London 1910, Vol. 2, p. 182.
predecessor Office successor
Photios I. Patriarch of Constantinople
886–893 		Antonios II. Kauleas
personal data
SURNAME Stephanos I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Στέφανος Α΄ (Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Patriarch of Constantinople (886–893)
DATE OF BIRTH November 867
DATE OF DEATH May 17, 893 or May 18, 893