Germanos Karavangelis

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His Eminence
Germanos Karavangelis
Γερμανός Καραβαγγέλης
Order of Saint Sava

Germanos Karavangelis (Greek: Γερμανός Καραβαγγέλης, also transliterated as Yermanos and Karavaggelis or Karavagelis, 1866–1935) was known for his service as Metropolitan Bishop of Kastoria and later Amaseia, Pontus. He was a member of the Hellenic Macedonian Committee and functioned as one of the major coordinators of the Greek Struggle for Macedonia.

Early life and career

Germanos Karavangelis was born Stylianos in 1866, in the village of Stipsi on

Theological School of Halki.[1] He graduated in 1888, when he was ordained a Deacon and received the name Germanos. He then went on to study philosophy at the University of Leipzig and University of Bonn
.

Germanos received a

Clergymen
.

From 1896 to 1900 he would serve as the Bishop of Pera (now Beyoğlu, Turkey).

Metropolitan of Kastoria and the Macedonian Struggle

He was a

Ottoman Turkish-ruled Macedonia
.

During the Macedonian struggle, Karavangelis directed the Greek response to supporters of the Bulgarian cause, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO) and the Exarchate.[3] At the time Karavangelis would travel in rural areas, and portrayed a fierce image of himself dressed with a dark raincoat, a bandolier on side of his shoulder and a gun on the other with a scarf tied around his clerical hat.[3] He would assist in raising the morale of those aligned with the Patriarchate and in organizing armed bands to fight the Komitadjis. Karavangelis viewed Bulgarian influence within the area as a threat to Greek interests. He advocated for close relations and interaction among Turks and Greeks in the region, only in the context of when it was needed.[3] Karavangelis viewed the rivalry between the Patriarchate and Exarchate as without religious dimensions and that the main concern preoccupying Balkan states was the post-Ottoman future of in the region after the empire was removed from Macedonia.[3] Greece at the time sent more funds, men and arms to individuals such as Karavangelis in Macedonia.[3][4] He was successful in returning many villages to the Patriarchate.

Germanos Karavangelis at the grave of Pavlos Melas.
Germanos Karavangelis surrounded by Ottoman soldiers and officers in Kastoria.

Karavangelis organized armed groups composed mainly of

Konstantinos Kottas, a former member of IMRO, who in 1903, under the orders of Karavangelis, killed and beheaded Bulgarian revolutionary Lazar Poptraykov
. The head was delivered to Karavangelis, which he placed on his desk and photographed it.

The head of Lazar Poptraykov on the desk of Germanos Karavangelis (1903).

In 1905, Karavangelis was present when Orthodox priest

Kristo Negovani conducted the Divine Liturgy in the Albanian Tosk dialect.[5][6] Karavangelis denounced the usage of Albanian in mass and under his orders had Negovani murdered.[5] In 1905, Karavangelis also ordered the slaughter of resisting Bulgarian inhabitants in the village of Zagorichani (today Vasileiada
).

Karavangelis succeeded to strengthen Greek aspirations in Macedonia and thus helped the later incorporation of the major part of Macedonia by Greece in the Balkan Wars, for which he is praised as a national hero of the Greek Struggle for Macedonia ("Makedonomachos"). He is the author of the book of memoirs "The Macedonian Struggle" (Greek: Ο Μακεδονικός Αγών).

Metropolitan of Amaseia and the Greco-Turkish War

In 1907, following Bulgarian complaints and Russian pressure, Karavangelis was removed from his position by orders of the

Chrysanthos of Trebizond and Bishop Efthymios were able to save hundreds by hiding them in the Metropolitan Church and other Greek homes. Their efforts were recognized by a United States-based Armenian newspaper.[1]
For his actions, he was arrested and sent to Constantinople in 1917, where he would remain in prison for some time.

Following his release and the intensification of the Greco-Turkish War, he was sentenced to death in absentia by Mustafa Kemal's military tribunal in 1921. In the same year, Karavangelis proposed a Greek-Armenian-Kurdish cooperation to subdue the Turkish Nationalist Movement, to the Greek Foreign Minister Georgios Baltatzis. This, however, would not come to flourishment. He was also large advocate for a Republic of Pontus which had made him an even larger target for the Turkish Nationalist forces.

In August 1922, he was in

Metropolitan of Ioannina
for his own safety.

Later Career and Death

In 1924, having been the Metropolitan of Ioannina for just over a year, Karavangelis received a letter notifying him of his appointment of Metropolitan of the Ecumenical Patriarchate based in Budapest. He initially protested, however, he was not listened to. Many believe Karavangelis was replaced based on his Venizelist views and he considered this appointment a mockery and a form of exile. in April of the same year, the Patriarchate proposed a transfer of the headquarters from Budapest to Vienna. After his relocation, he worked tirelessly to revitalize Greek communities in Austria and neighbouring Hungary and Italy.

In 1926, he was angered by the decision of dictatorial government of

Theodoros Pangalos
to cut his salary by over half and was forced to rely on donations for basic needs.

On February 11, 1935, Germanos Karavangelis died of a heart attack in a hotel south of Vienna at 68 years of age. He was buried in Vienna despite his request to be buried in Greece in his will.

Legacy

Germanos Karavangelis ranks among the most well known participants of the Greek struggle for Macedonia.

He was awarded

Order of Saint Sava.[7]

His memoirs from the Macedonian Struggle were published in 1959. In 1992, his account, along with those of other Makedonomachoi, was included in Figures of the Macedonian Struggle, together with the "Affairs of Pontus" by Germanos Karavangelis by Antigoni Bellou-Threpsiadis.

Also in 1959, the "Institute for the Study of the Balkan Peninsula", along with the "Society for Macedonian Studies" (both of Thessaloniki) arranged the transfer of his bones, first to Thessaloniki, then finally to Kastoria.

There are monuments dedicated to him in Kastoria.

  • A bust of Germanos Karavagelis.
    A bust of Germanos Karavagelis.
  • A memorial depicting Germanos Karavangelis (left) and Pavlos Melas (right).
    A memorial depicting Germanos Karavangelis (left) and Pavlos Melas (right).
  • Statue of Germanos Karavangelis.
    Statue of Germanos Karavangelis.

See also

Eastern Orthodox Church titles
Preceded by
Unknown
 Bishop of Pera
1896 – 1900[8] 		Succeeded by
Unknown
Preceded by
Athanasios Kapouralis
Metropolitan of Kastoria

1900 – 1908 		Succeeded by
Ioakeim Vaxevanidis
Preceded by
Anthemios Alexoudis[9]
 Metropolitan of Amaseia
5 February 1908 – 27 October 1922[10] 		Succeeded by
Spyridon Vlachos
Preceded by
Spyridon Vlachos[10]
Metropolitan of Ioannina

1922 – 1924 		Succeeded by
Spyridon Vlachos[10]
Preceded by
–
 Exarch of Hungary and Central Europe
(Metropolis of Austria)[note 1]
and
Titular Metropolitan of Amaseia[note 2]
12 August 1924 – 10 February 1935[10] 		Succeeded by
Unknown

Notes

  1. ^ Since 1924 all of the Greek parishes in the territories of Austria, Hungary and Italy came under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. However it was only in 1963 that the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Austria was formally organized.
  2. ^ "Metropolitan Germanus was condemned to death in absentia by the Turkish authorities on June 7, 1921, and subsequently could not return to Turkey. He remained in Vienna as Exarch of Central Europe of the Ecumenical Patriarchate during the period 1924–1935."[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c Ανεστίδης, Σταύρος (1992). Αρχείο Κέντρου Μικρασιατικών Σπουδών. p. 357.
  2. ^ a b c (in Greek) Γερμανού Καραβαγγέλη. "Ο Μακεδονικός Αγών (Απομνημονεύματα), Εταιρία Μακεδονικών Σπουδών, Ίδρυμα Μελετών Χερσονήσου του Αίμου".Θεσσαλονίκη. 1959.
  3. ^ a b c d e Glenny, Misha. The Balkans: Nationalism, War, and the Great Powers, 1804-1999. London: Granta Books, 1999. p. 206. "in the [Macedonian] villages genuinely committed to the [Bulgarian] Exarchate of VMRO, the Greeks behaved like vengeful bullies, executing suspected renegades and holding the [Greek] Patriarchate version of the Mass at gunpoint (...). This Greek blacklash was orchestrated by the gun-toting bishop of Kastoria, Germanos Karavangelis. This extraordinary figure, (...) 'had a Männlicher slung over one shoulder, a bandolier over the other, a belt round his middle from which hung his holster carrying a large pistol and a knife'. Karavangelis appeared consciously to cultivate an image of threatening romanticism. The bishop considered Bulgarian influence in the region to be the greatest threat to Greek national interests. He therefore advocated close friendship and cooperation between the Greeks and Turks of Macedonia, but only as an expedient. Karavangelis was fully aware that there was no religious aspect to the struggle between the Exarcate and the Patriarchate --he admitted openly that the only issue in Macedonia was the future contours of the Balkan states once the Turks had been thrown out."
  4. ^ Citing Douglas Dankin, The Greek struggle in Macedonia 1897-1913, Thessaloniki, 1966, p. 126.
  5. ^
    ISBN 9780230119086
    . "Negovani's actions caused institutional responses that ultimately intensified the contradictions facing the church and its imperial patron. In the end, Papa Kristo Negovani was murdered for his acts of defiance of the explicit orders of Karavangjelis, the Metropolitan of Kastoria, who condemned the use of Toskërisht during mass."
  6. ISBN 9783030551995
    .
  7. ^ Acović, Dragomir (2012). Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima. Belgrade: Službeni Glasnik. p. 600.
  8. ^ (in Greek) Τάσος Αθ. Γριτσόπουλος. "Γερμανός. Ὁ Καραβαγγέλης." Θρησκευτική και Ηθική Εγκυκλοπαίδεια (ΘΗΕ). Τόμος 4 (Βυζάντιον-Διοκλής). Αθηναι – Αθαν. Μαρτινος, 1964. σελ. 400–402.
  9. ^ (in Greek) Αλεξούδης, Άνθιμος. Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias - Dictionary of Greek. 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  10. ^ a b c d e Kiminas 2009, pp. 97.

Sources

Greek Sources

Related Sources

External links
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