Patriarch Stephen I of Constantinople
Encyclopedia
Stephen I (Constantinople
November 867 – there 18 May 893) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 886 to 893.
Stephen was the son of Eudokia Ingerina
and, officially, Emperor Basil I. However, at the time when he was conceived, Eudokia was the mistress of Emperor Michael III
. Consequently, it is possible or even probable that like his older brother Leo VI the Wise
, Stephen was actually Michael's son.
Castrated by Basil I, Stephen became a monk and was designated for a career in the church since his childhood. In 886 his brother, the new Emperor Leo VI, dismissed the Patriarch Photios
and appointed the 19-year old Stephen as patriarch in his stead.
As patriarch Stephen participated in the ceremonial reburial of Michael III by Leo VI in the imperial mausoleum attached to the Church of the Holy Apostles
in Constantinople
. There are no important events associated with Stephen's patriarchate and the patriarch, who acquired a reputation for piety, died in May 893. His feast day in the Orthodox Church is on May 18
.
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
November 867 – there 18 May 893) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 886 to 893.
Stephen was the son of Eudokia Ingerina
Eudokia Ingerina
Eudokia Ingerina was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Basil I, the mistress of his predecessor Michael III, and the mother to both the Emperors Leo VI and Alexander and Patriarch Stephen I of Constantinople.-Family:...
and, officially, Emperor Basil I. However, at the time when he was conceived, Eudokia was the mistress of Emperor Michael III
Michael III
Michael III , , Byzantine Emperor from 842 to 867. Michael III was the third and traditionally last member of the Amorian-Phrygian Dynasty...
. Consequently, it is possible or even probable that like his older brother Leo VI the Wise
Leo VI the Wise
Leo VI, surnamed the Wise or the Philosopher , was Byzantine emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty , he was very well-read, leading to his surname...
, Stephen was actually Michael's son.
Castrated by Basil I, Stephen became a monk and was designated for a career in the church since his childhood. In 886 his brother, the new Emperor Leo VI, dismissed the Patriarch Photios
Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople
Photios I , also spelled Photius or Fotios, was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 858 to 867 and from 877 to 886. He is recognized in the Eastern Orthodox churches as St...
and appointed the 19-year old Stephen as patriarch in his stead.
As patriarch Stephen participated in the ceremonial reburial of Michael III by Leo VI in the imperial mausoleum attached to the Church of the Holy Apostles
Church of the Holy Apostles
The Church of the Holy Apostles , also known as the Imperial Polyandreion, was a Christian church built in Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, in 550. It was second only to the Church of the Holy Wisdom among the great churches of the capital...
in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. There are no important events associated with Stephen's patriarchate and the patriarch, who acquired a reputation for piety, died in May 893. His feast day in the Orthodox Church is on May 18
May 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
May 17—Eastern Orthodox Church calendar—May 19All fixed commemorations below celebrated on May 31 by Old Calendarists-Saints:* Martyr Venantius of Camerino...
.
Sources
- The Oxford Dictionary of ByzantiumOxford Dictionary of ByzantiumThe Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium is a three volume historical dictionary published by the English Oxford University Press. It contains comprehensive information in English on topics relating to the Byzantine Empire. It was edited by the late Dr. Alexander Kazhdan, and was first published in 1991...
, Oxford University Press, 1991.