Theodorite - Metropolitan of Lithuania ( 1352 - 1354 ).
In the era of Metropolitan Theognost (1328-1353), Byzantine sources speak of the Lithuanian Metropolitanate as "unsubstituted" and not "abolished" [1] [2] .
In 1352, Theodorite arrived in Constantinople as a candidate from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to the department of the Metropolitan of Russia ( Greek μητροπολίτης 'Ρωσίας ) [3] . The candidacy of Theodorite was rejected by the Cantacuzine government of Constantinople, but supported by the Balkan coalition hostile to Cantacuzine, supporters of John Paleolog . Theodorite was consecrated to the Russian metropolitan by the Bulgarian Patriarch Tarnovsky .
Upon returning to Russia, Theodorite managed the church in the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for at least two years. Due to the lack of documents, the exact title of Theodorite with which he was placed in Tarnovo is unknown - Metropolitan of Lithuania or All Russia. I. Meyendorf admits that it could be the title of “Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia” [4] . After negotiations with the Golden Horde through the bishop of Sarai, Filofei (Kokkin) , who replaced Patriarch Kallista in September 1353, on June 30, 1354 ordained the candidate Alexy to the Metropolitans of Kiev and All Russia [5] . Archbishop of Novgorod Moses received from Patriarch Philotheus a demand to obey Alexy and the threat of excommunication if Moses obeyed Theodorite [3] . The further fate of Theodorite is unknown. In 1355, Roman became the Metropolitan of Lithuania.
Notes
- ↑ Geizer H. Beiträge zur russischen Kirchengeschichte aus griechischen Quellen // Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte. - XIII. - 1892. - P. 261.
- ↑ Sokolov P. Russian bishop from Byzantium and the right of his appointment until the beginning of the XV century. - Kiev, 1913 .-- S. 271.
- ↑ 1 2 Miklošich F., Müller I. Acta et diplomata graeca medii aevi sacra et profana. - Vol. I. - Vindobonnae, 1860. - Akt CLVII. - P. 350—351.
- ↑ Meyendorf I. Chapter 7 // Byzantium and Moscow Russia: Essay on the history of church and cultural ties in the XIV century . - Paris: YMCA-PRESS, 1990.
- ↑ Miklošich F., Müller I. Acta et diplomata graeca medii aevi sacra et profana. - Vol. I. - Vindobonnae, 1860. - Akt CLI. - P. 336-340.