Eustathius of Caesarea
His Eminence Eustathius of Caesarea was the Metropolitan of Caesarea in Cappadocia, under the jurisdiction of the Church of Constantinople, from 1871 to 1875. He was among the great scholar-hierarchs of the nineteenth century. During his short tenure in the see of Caesarea, Metr. Eustathius strived to improve the educational level of the inhabitants of Cappadocia.
Life
Kleovoulos was born in 1824 at the village of Palladari of Prousa, in present day northwestern Turkey. His early education came under his maternal uncle, the abbot of the Monastery of Eligmoi and continued at the school at Kios (Cius), before he moved to Constantinople and attended the Great School of the Nation.
In Constantinople, Kleovoulos established a position within the Orthodox hierarchy who aided his education, particularly Patriarch Gregory VI and Metropolitan Germanus of Derkoi, later Patr. Germanus IV, who supported his education at the Great School. After graduating from the Great School, Kleovoulos enrolled at the University of Athens to study theology.
Returning to Constantinople, Kleovoulos was appointed a professor at the Theological School of Halki and in 1848, at the age 25 where he taught Greek and Latin philosophy for two years. In 1850, with the recommendation of Konstantinos Oikonomos, he was appointed a tutor at the house of Nicholas Aristarches, who was Grand Logothetes. He retained this position until 1853, when he was ordained a deacon with the name Eustathius and was sent by the patriarchate to Trebizond as the director of the schools. Two years later, in 1855, he returned to the house of Nicholas Aristarches in Constantinople, as the tutor until 1858.
In 1858, he travelled through Europe and continued his studies in the universities of Leipzig, Berlin and Paris perfecting his knowledge in Greek, Latin, French and German, as well as in philosophy, theology, philology, history, mathematics, chemistry and music. In Paris, he collaborated with the French theological journal Unité Chrétienne, that was published by the French Orthodox priest abbot Guetté and by the Russian Joseph Vassiliev, chaplain with the embassy of Russia in Paris. On returning to Constantinople in 1864, he was appointed director of the Great School of the Nation, a position he held for three years. Also, in 1864 he raised to the dignity of archimandrite. In 1867, he became a Great Protosyngellos of the Patr. Gregory VI, who became patriarch for a second time.
In 1871, when Metropolitan Paisios II of Caesarea died, a great disagreement arose between the colony of the Cappadocians in Constantinople and the Ecumenical Patriarchate concerning who would succeed him. The majority of the Cappadocians in Constantinople preferred Archim. Eustathius as Paisios' successor, whereas those Cappadocians living at the villages of Anatolia, preferred Bishop Gerasimus of Nazianzos. Patr. Gregory VI himself, however, wanted to appoint Metropolitan Basileios of Agchialos as the metropolitan of Caesarea. The first party managed to impress its view (often using public demonstrations outside the Ecumenical Patriarchate) and Fr. Eustathius was elected and consecrated metropolitan of Caesarea on September 30, 1871. After he enthronement to the see of Caesarea, Eustathius tried to improve the educational level of the inhabitants of Cappadocia. Metr. Eustathius led the foundation of a Cappadocian Educational Fraternity. He also visited and preached at the villages of his metropolis. His work, however, came to an end with his sudden death in Caesarea on January 26, 1875, bringing great sorrow to the province. He was succeeded by the Metropolitan Methodius of Mytilene.
| Eustathius of Caesarea | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Paisius II |
Metropolitan of Caesarea 1871-1875 |
Succeeded by: Methodius |
