Niphon of Kafsokalyvia or Niphon Kausokalybites ( el, Όσιος Νήφων Καυσοκαλυβίτης, 1316–1411) was a

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 ...

Christian Orthodox saint and monk. He is celebrated by the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

June 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1158 – The city of Munich is founded by Henry the Lion on the banks of the river Isar. * 1216 – First Barons' War: Prince Louis of France takes the city of Winchester, abandoned by John, King of England, and soon ...

.Great Synaxaristes:
Ὁ Ὅσιος Νήφων ὁ Καυσοκαλυβίτης
'' 14 Ιουνίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.

Early life

, Niphon was born in the village of

Lukovë Lukovë is a village and a former municipality in the Vlorë County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Himarë. The population at the 2011 census was 2,916.__и_innerhalb_der_historisc ...

Himarë Himarë ( sq-definite, Himara; el, Χειμάρρα, ''Cheimarra'' or Χιμάρα, ''Chimara'') is a municipality and region in Vlorë County, southern Albania. The municipality has a total area of and consists of the administrative units of ...

municipality, that time part of the Despotate of Epirus (modern south

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

). From an early age he went to the monastery of Geromerion (near

Filiates Filiates ( el, Φιλιάτες; ) is a town and a municipality in Thesprotia, Greece. It is located in the northernmost part of the regional unit, bordering western Ioannina regional unit and southern Albania. Name The region of Filiates was kno ...

) where he became a

hesychast 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 i ...

. Soon after he moved to the nearby monastery of

Mesopotamon Mesopotam ( sq-definite, Mesopotami; el, Μεσοπόταμος - ''Mesopotamos'') is a village and a former commune in Vlorë County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Finiq. The ...

, where he became a monk.

Monastic life

Niphon went to the monastic state of Mount Athos sometime after 1335, where he dedicated himself to asceticism, under the guidance of the monastic Elders, Neilos Erichiotes, Theognostos and Maximos Kausokalybites. In 1345, Niphon was the

protos Protos means "first," derived from the ancient Greek . Protos may also refer to: * Protos (monastic office), a monastic office at the Eastern Orthodox monastic state of Mount Athos * Protos (constructor), a former racing car constructor * Protos ...

of Mount Athos. At that time Athos came under the protection of the Serbian Tsar

Stefan Dušan Stefan Uroš IV Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош IV Душан, ), known as Dušan the Mighty ( sr, / ; circa 1308 – 20 December 1355), was the King of Serbia from 8 September 1331 and Tsar (or Emperor) and autocrat of the Serbs, Gre ...

, who accused him for heresy and

Bogomilism Bogomilism ( Bulgarian and Macedonian: ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", bogumilstvo, богумилство) was a Christian neo-Gnostic or dualist sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar P ...

, but he was successfully defended by

Gregory Palamas Gregory Palamas ( el, Γρηγόριος Παλαμᾶς; c. 1296 – 1359) was a Byzantine Greek theologian and Eastern Orthodox cleric of the late Byzantine period. A monk of Mount Athos (modern Greece) and later archbishop of Thessaloniki, he ...

. In 1347-8 Niphon was tried and deposed from his position as protos after being accused by fellow monks of heresy. He was succeeded by the Serbian monk Antonios. His deposition is regarded as either part of the struggles between rival religious factions that predated the Serbian control of the Athonite community or attempts of Stefan Dušan to gain control of Athos by appointing a Serbian official as its head. This intervention resulted in serious contradictions between the Greek dignitaries and the Serbs of

Hilandar The Hilandar Monastery ( sr-cyr, Манастир Хиландар, Manastir Hilandar, , el, Μονή Χιλανδαρίου) is one of the twenty Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Mount Athos in Greece and the only Serbian monastery there. It wa ...

monastery of Athos. During 1355-63 he was again accused of heresy when his servant Bardarius revealed before dying that he had joined the

Euchite The Euchites or Messalians were a Christian sect from Mesopotamia that spread to Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) and Thrace. The name 'Messalian' comes from the Syriac , ''mṣallyānā'', meaning 'one who prays'. The Greek translation is , ''euchi ...

movement, but was defended by Patriarch Callistus. It is considered unclear from contemporary accounts whether Niphon was a Euchite or

Hesychast 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 i ...

at that time. Niphon lived the rest of his life as a hesychast, until his death in 1411.

Works

Niphon was also the author of the first biography of Maximos Kausokalybites, his spiritual tutor.

Memory

A church decicated to Saint Niphon has been erected in February 2013 at Gjirokaster, southern Albania.

Early life

Monastic life

Works

Memory

See also

References

Further reading