Gregory of Sinai, or in Serbian and Bulgarian Grigorije Sinaita ( 1260s – 27 November 1346), was a Greek Christian monk and writer from Smyrna. He was instrumental in the emergence of

hesychasm Hesychasm (; Greek: Ησυχασμός) is a contemplative monastic tradition in the Eastern Orthodox Church in which stillness (''hēsychia'') is sought through uninterrupted Jesus prayer. While rooted in early Christian monasticism, it took it ...

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...

in the early 14th century.Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Gregory of Sinai". ''Encyclopedia Britannica''
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Biography

Born in Smyrna, he was captured by Seljuk Turks as a young man, and eventually ransomed to Cyprus, whence he became a monk at

Saint Catherine's Monastery Saint Catherine's Monastery ( ar, دير القدّيسة كاترين; grc-gre, Μονὴ τῆς Ἁγίας Αἰκατερίνης), officially the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Katherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai, ...

in the Sinai Peninsula. Later, he moved to Crete, where he learned the practices of

from a monk named Arsenios. In 1310, he went to

, where he remained until 1335. At Mount Athos, he was a monk at the Skete of Magoula near Philotheou Monastery. Increasing Muslim raids on Athos pushed Gregory and some disciples into the

Bulgarian Empire In the medieval history of Europe, Bulgaria's status as the Bulgarian Empire ( bg, Българско царство, ''Balgarsko tsarstvo'' ) occurred in two distinct periods: between the seventh and the eleventh centuries and again between the ...

, where he would find protection under Bulgarian Emperor

Ivan Alexander Ivan Alexander ( bg, Иван Александър, transliterated ''Ivan Aleksandǎr'', ; original spelling: ІѠАНЪ АЛЄѮАНдРЪ), also sometimes Anglicized as John Alexander, ruled as Emperor (''Tsar'') of Bulgaria from 1331 to 1371, ...

. He went on to found a monastery near Paroria, located in the

Strandzha Strandzha ( bg, Странджа, also transliterated as ''Strandja'', ; tr, Istranca , or ) is a mountain massif in southeastern Bulgaria and the European part of Turkey. It is in the southeastern part of the Balkans between the plains of T ...

Mountains of southeast Bulgaria. Gregory of Sinai was the mentor of

Athanasius the Meteorite Athanasius the Meteorite ( el, Αθανάσιος ο Μετεωρίτης; b. 1302 – d. 1380) was a 14th-century Christian monk. He is canonized as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church. His feast day is celebrated on April 20. He is best know ...

, the founder of the

Monastery of Great Meteoron The Monastery of Great Meteoron ( el, Μεγάλο Μετέωρο) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery that is part of the Meteora monastery complex in Thessaly, central Greece. It is situated on top of a rock called ''Meteora'' or ''Platylithos'', ...

in Meteora, Greece. Gregory's disciples also included Nicodemus of Tismana, Callistus, Romylos of Vidin, Theodosius of Tarnovo, Gregory of Sinai the Younger, and Gerasimos of Euripos. He died on 27 November 1346 in the mountains of Paroria, near present-day Zabernovo, Bulgaria.

''Philokalia''

The '' Philokalia'' includes five works in Greek by Gregory: * On Commandments and Doctrines, Warnings and Promises; on Thoughts, Passions, and Virtues, and also on Stillness and Prayer: 137 Texts * Further Texts * On the Signs of Grace and Delusion, Written for the Confessor Longinos: Ten Texts * On Stillness: Fifteen Texts * On Prayer: Seven Texts

References

External links

Inner Light
{{Authority control Saints of medieval Greece Hesychasts Medieval Smyrna 1260s births 1346 deaths Kingdom of Candia Smyrniote Greeks 14th century in Bulgaria 14th-century Christian saints Saint Catherine's Monastery Athonite Fathers Philokalia People associated with Philotheou Monastery

Biography

''Philokalia''

See also

References

External links