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Hierarch18th century

Makarios of Corinth

1731-1805

Also known as Macarius Notaras of Corinth · Makarios Notaras · Michael Notaras

Makarios Notaras, archbishop of Corinth, was a leader of the Kollyvades movement and, together with St Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain, gathered and edited the Philokalia, the great anthology of Orthodox spiritual writings. He reposed in 1805.

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Our Father Among the Saints Makarios Notaras, Archbishop of Corinth

Life

Makarios Notaras was archbishop of Corinth and one of the leading figures of the Kollyvades movement, a spiritual renewal within the Orthodox Church under Ottoman rule that called for strict fidelity to traditional liturgical practice and a recovery of the patristic and hesychast tradition. Together with Saint Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain he gathered and edited the Philokalia, the great anthology of Orthodox ascetic and mystical writings.

Born into the wealthy and influential Notaras family of Corinth, he was consecrated archbishop of his native city, but was displaced from his see amid the upheavals of the period and spent his later years in monastic retirement. He devoted those years to compiling spiritual texts, to confession and counsel, and to encouraging the new martyrs of the Ottoman period. He reposed on Chios in 1805.

Timeline5 momentsReadHide
  1. 1731Birth in CorinthBorn Michael Notaras in Corinth into the wealthy and influential family of George Notaras, a family that traced its lineage back into the Eastern Roman past.
  2. 1764Archbishop of CorinthElected and ordained archbishop of Corinth following the death of his predecessor, consecrated by Patriarch Samuel I in Constantinople. As bishop he sent candidates for the priesthood to monasteries for training and worked to correct abuses in church life.
  3. 1768Displacement from the seeAmid the upheavals of the Russo-Turkish War he was forced to leave Corinth, and was unable to resume the active governance of his see, turning increasingly to a life of writing and ascetic retirement.
  4. 1777-1782The PhilokaliaMakarios gathered the manuscripts of the patristic and hesychast writers and entrusted the material to Saint Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain, who edited the texts and prepared the prologue and the lives of the authors. The Philokalia was first published in Venice in 1782.
  5. 1805Repose on ChiosAfter years of ascetic life spent writing, confessing, and counseling, Makarios died on April 17, 1805, at the hermitage of Saint Peter on the island of Chios.

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributionsReadHide

The Kollyvades Movement

Makarios was among the foremost leaders of the Kollyvades movement, which arose on Mount Athos and spread through the Greek world in the eighteenth century. Alongside Saint Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and Saint Athanasios of Paros, he stood for strict adherence to the inherited order of the Church, including the proper day for memorial services for the dead, and for a renewal of frequent communion and the reading of the Fathers.

The movement was, beyond its disputes over liturgical detail, a wide recovery of the contemplative and patristic tradition at a time of cultural pressure under Ottoman rule, and the Philokalia became its enduring monument.

Editorial and Spiritual Work

Beyond the Philokalia, Makarios assembled and promoted other foundational collections of Orthodox spiritual literature, working to make the writings of the Fathers and the ascetic tradition available to clergy and faithful. He also encouraged the new martyrs of his age, supporting those who confessed Christ under persecution.

In his later years on Chios he lived as an ascetic, writing books, hearing confessions, and giving spiritual counsel, and there he reposed. His influence, carried above all through the Philokalia, contributed to a lasting renewal of hesychast spirituality within the Orthodox Church.

Works & Further ReadingReadHide

Notable Works

  • The Philokalia — The great anthology of Orthodox ascetic and hesychast writings, which Makarios gathered and entrusted to Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain for editing; first published in Venice in 1782.
Companions5 figuresShowHide
Fellow Kollyvades leader and co-editor of the Philokalia
Venerable Nikodemosthe Hagiorite
Fellow leader of the Kollyvades movement
Saint Athanasius Parios
New Martyr whom he guided on Chios to his confession.
New Martyr Theodorethe Byzantine
His disciple, whom he entrusted with completing The New Leimonarion.
Venerable Nikephorosof Chios
New Martyr whom he received and prepared at the Monastery of Nea Moni on Chios.
New Martyr Niketasof Nisyros
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Browse other saints who share his calling and place.

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints; en.wikipedia.org (Macarius of Corinth)