Damaskinos the Stoudite

Damaskinos, the Stoudite (Gr. Δαμασκηνός, ὁ Στουδίτης) was a patriarchal exarch of Aitolia. He was born in Thessaloniki and was a student of the famous Theophanes Eleavoulkos in Constantinople. Later in 1564, he became the Bishop of Liti and Rendini. He continued his career as Metropolitan of Nafpaktos and Arta and some years later as Patriarchal exarch of Aitolia. He died in † 1577.

Life

He is generally thought to have been born ca. 1530-1535 and baptised with the name Demetrios. He refers to himself in his own works as a "Thessalonikeus"" and is therefore assumed to have been born in Thessaloniki. The adjective "Stoudite" is given as an honourary title of the period indicating that he was a scholar. He studied in the Patriarchal Academy (Gr. Πατριαρχικὴ Ἀκαδημὶα) of Constantinople during the reign of the Patriarch Jeremia I and Dionysios II and is also known to have traveled widely including Mount Athos, Meteora, Naupaktos and Arta, Russia and Venice. He was a major influential figure of the sixteenth century and also a well-known teacher.

Up to 1546, little biographical information of his life has survived. Between 1550 to 1559 it seems that his time was divided between Constantinople and the monasteries of Meteora in Thessaly of Greece.

He is well known for his book, Thesaurismata (Gr. Θησαυρίσματα).

During 1565-1572 he traveled to Kiev as a representative of Patriarch Metrophaness III and in 1574 became the Metropolitan of Naupaktos and Arta and subsequently died in 1577.

See also

• Patriarch Jeremias II, student of Damaskinos the Stoudite

Works

1) Χρονικὸν (Khronikon)

2) Κατάλογος Χρονογραφικὸς τῶν Πατριαρχῶν Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ὑπὸ Δαμασκηνοῦ (Στουδίτου) (History of the Patriarchs of Constantinople by Damαskenos (the Stoudite))

3) Thesaurus, which consists of thirty-six homilies he had pronounced (~1557-1558)