Saint Michael Maleinos ( el, Μιχαήλ Μαλεΐνος, –12 July 961) was a

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

monk who commanded great respect among Christians of

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

. He was the brother of general

Constantine Maleinos Constantine Maleinos ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Μαλεΐνος) was a prominent Byzantine general of the mid-10th century. Biography Constantine was born in the late 9th or 10th century, probably in his family's estates in Cappadocia. His fa ...

and uncle of

Nikephoros Phokas Nikephoros II Phokas (; – 11 December 969), Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas, was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His career, not uniformly successful in matters of statecraft or of war, nonetheless included brilliant military exploits whi ...

, who was greatly influenced by Michael and became Byzantine emperor several years after Michael's death. His feast day is

July 12 Events Pre-1600 * 70 – The armies of Titus attack the walls of Jerusalem after a six-month siege. Three days later they breach the walls, which enables the army to destroy the Second Temple. * 927 – King Constantine II of ...

Life

He was born Manuel Maleinos (Μανουήλ Μαλεΐνος) about 894, into a wealthy land-owning family of

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

. Both of his grandfathers had been high military officers and had risen to the rank of ''

patrikios The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...

''.. His father Eudokimos was likewise a ''patrikios'', while his mother Anastaso was a relative of the emperor

Romanos I Lekapenos Romanos I Lekapenos ( el, Ρωμανός Λεκαπηνός; 870 – 15 June 948), Latinisation of names, Latinized as Romanus I Lecapenus, was Byzantine emperor from 920 until his deposition in 944, serving as regent for the infant Constantine ...

. He had at least one brother,

, and one sister whose name is not known. She married the general

Bardas Phokas the Elder Bardas Phokas ( el, ) (c. 878 – c. 968) was a notable Byzantine general in the first half of the 10th century, and father of Byzantine emperor Nikephoros II Phokas and the ''kouropalates'' Leo Phokas the Younger. Bardas was the scion of the Pho ...

, thus linking the Maleinoi with the powerful military family of the

Phokades Phokas ( grc-gre, Φωκᾶς, ''Phōkâs'') or Phocas (from Latin), feminine form Phokaina or Phocaina (, ''Phṓkaina''), was the name of a Byzantine aristocratic clan from Cappadocia, which in the 9th and 10th centuries provided a series of high- ...

. He spent his youth at the court of Emperor

Leo the Wise Leo VI, called the Wise ( gr, Λέων ὁ Σοφός, Léōn ho Sophós, 19 September 866 – 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well r ...

, who was his relative. At the age of 18 he denounced worldly pleasures and withdrew to

Bithynia Bithynia (; Koine Greek: , ''Bithynía'') was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Pa ...

, where he founded a highly reputable

lavra A lavra or laura ( el, Λαύρα; Cyrillic: Ла́вра) is a type of monastery consisting of a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center. It is erected within the Orthodox and other Eastern Chr ...

under the guidance of elder John Heladites, and took the name Michael."The Monk Michael Maleinos", St. Luke Orthodox church
/ref> After a time Michael was ordained to the priesthood.
/ref> He was said to have been compassionate and kindly towards people. The elder John, gave Michael permission to live a solitary life in a cave. Five days of the week he spent at prayerful concentration, and only on Saturday and Sunday did he come to the monastery for participation in Divine services and communion. His example attracted others, and in a desolate place called Dry Lake, the Monk Michael founded a monastery and gave it a strict ustav (monastic rule). When the monastery was secure, the Monk Michael went to a still more remote place and built there a new monastery. Over time, by the efforts of the holy abba, Kumineia Mountain was covered with monastic communities. Maleinos had great influence on his nephew, the general and later emperor

Nikephoros II Phokas Nikephoros II Phokas (; – 11 December 969), Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas, was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His career, not uniformly successful in matters of statecraft or of war, nonetheless included brilliant military exploits whi ...

(), as well as on

Athanasius the Athonite Athanasius the Athonite (c. 920 – c. 1003; el, Ἀθανάσιος ὁ Ἀθωνίτης), was a Byzantine monk who is considered the founder of the monastic community on the peninsula of Mount Athos; which has since evolved into the great ...

.. Athanasius, who started his monastic life at Michael's monastery about the year 953, later modeled the

Great Lavra The Monastery of Great Lavra ( el, Μονή Μεγίστης Λαύρας) is the first monastery built on Mount Athos. It is located on the southeastern foot of the Mount at an elevation of . The founding of the monastery in AD 963 by Athanasiu ...

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 ...

upon Michael's establishment."Venerable Michael of Maleinus", Orthodox Church in America
/ref> Michael Maleinos died at

Mount Kyminas Mount Kyminas ( el, Όρος Κύμινας) is the historical Byzantine name of a mountain in Bithynia, in present-day Bursa Province, Turkey. Its exact location is uncertain, although it was likely located somewhere slightly north of the city of B ...

on 12 July 961.

Veneration

Michael Maleinos was a patron saint of

Mikhail Feodorovich Michael I (Russian: Михаил Фёдорович Романов, ''Mikhaíl Fyódorovich Románov'') () became the first Russian tsar of the House of Romanov after the Zemskiy Sobor of 1613 elected him to rule the Tsardom of Russia. He w ...

, the first

Romanov The House of Romanov (also transcribed Romanoff; rus, Романовы, Románovy, rɐˈmanəvɨ) was the reigning imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after the Tsarina, Anastasia Romanova, was married to th ...

tsar. Owing to this fact, he was greatly revered by the Romanov dynasty and many chapels were dedicated to him in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

in the first half of the 17th century.

References

Sources

* * *

External links

*
Hagiography of Saint Michael Maleinos, by his pupil Theophanes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maleinos, Michael 890s births 961 deaths Year of birth uncertain Byzantine saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Saints from Anatolia Greek Christian monks 10th-century Byzantine monks 10th-century Christian saints

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

Cappadocian Greeks