Neophytos of Cyprus, Saint Neophytos, Neophytos the Recluse (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Άγιος Νεόφυτος ο Έγκλειστος; 1134–1214) was a

Cypriot Cypriot (in older sources often "Cypriote") refers to someone or something of, from, or related to the country of Cyprus. * Cypriot people, or of Cypriot descent; this includes: **Armenian Cypriots **Greek Cypriots **Maronite Cypriots **Turkish C ...

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

, and sometime

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

, whose writings preserved a history of the early crusades. "He is considered to be one of the most significant figures of the Church of Cyprus"

Life

Neophytos was born in the mountain village of

Kato Drys Kato Drys ( el, Kάτω Δρυς) is a small village in Cyprus, southwest of Larnaca. It is near the villages of Pano Lefkara (4 km), Kato Lefkara (4 km), and Vavla (6 km). Its average altitude is 520 meters above sea level. The ...

near

Pano Lefkara Pano Lefkara ( el, Πάνω Λεύκαρα) is a village on the island of Cyprus famous for its lace, known as lefkaritika in (Greek: λευκαρίτικα) and silver handicrafts. The village takes its name from the white of its silica and lime ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

, to farming parents Athanasios and Eudoxia, one of eight children. His religious interests came to the fore when the arranged marriage planned by his parents ended with his fleeing to the Monastery of Saint John Chrysostomos in

Koutsovendis Koutsovendis or Koutsoventis ( gr, Κουτσοβέντης, tr, Güngör) is a village in the Kyrenia District of Cyprus. It is under the ''de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. Monastery of St. John Chrysostomos Just north of the village (a ...

.Galatariotou, Catia (2002) ''The Making of a Saint: The Life, Times and Sanctification of Neophytos the Recluse'' Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England
page 13
After much ado, the marriage contracts were broken and Neophytos went back to the monastery as a novice, becoming a tonsured monk in 1152.Galatariotou (2002) page 14 During this time he learned to read and write and was eventually appointed as assistant

sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretals ...

.Kakoulli, Ioanna and Fischer, Christian (2009
"An innovative noninvasive and nondestructive multidisciplinary approach for the technical study of the Byzantine wall paintings in the Enkleistra of St. Neophytos in Paphos, Cyprus"
Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC; archive

by

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

on 24 November 2010 Although Neophytos felt called to be a hermit, his

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

declined to let him go, citing his youth. In 1158, however, Neophytos was allowed to make a pilgrimage to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

. While he was there he sought out hermits who might sponsor him, but to no avail. He returned to Cyprus, but still wanted to pursue the hermitic life. He tried to escape to Mt. Latmos in Asia Minor, but was arrested at

Paphos Paphos ( el, Πάφος ; tr, Baf) is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos. The current city of Pap ...

upon his attempted embarkation. He was shortly released from prison, but the guards had stolen his travel funds, so, in June 1159, he went to the hilly area above

, where he found a cave that had been used by a previous hermit. He enlarged the space, eventually creating three caves known today as the Cell, the Bema and the Naos. Neophytos's life as a hermit attracted the religious in the area who brought him food and gifts. His air of sanctity brought many to visit him, and in 1170 Vasilios (Basil) Kinnamos, the Bishop of Paphos, ordained him as a priest and required him to take a disciple, which started the monastery which now bears his name. Neophytos wrote a chronicle titled Περὶ τῶν κατὰ χώραν Κύπρον σκαιῶν (On the calamities against the country of Cyprus) dated to 1196, which is one of the few Greek primary sources that record the events of the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

in Cyprus and the pursuit of the Byzantine ruler of Cyprus, Isaakios Komninos by the English king

Richard the Lionheart Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

. Neophytos takes a judgmental stance against the crusaders and his chronicle is anti-Latin.

Legacy

Saint Neophytos Monastery was named in his honor.

Publication history

* Σάθας, K
Μεσαιωνική Βιβλιοθήκη Τόμος Β΄. Χρονογράφοι Βασιλείου Κύρπου.
Εν Βενετία: Τύποις του Χρόνου (1873).

Life

Legacy

Publication history

See also

Notes

Further reading