Mount Galesios
| Mount Galesios | |
|---|---|
| Galesion | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 764 m (2,507 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 38°02′44″N 27°23′38″E / 38.0455778°N 27.3939555°E[1] |
| Geography | |
| Location | İzmir Province |
| Country | Turkey |
Mount Galesios or Galesion (
Byzantine times, from the 11th century to the area's conquest by the Turks in the 14th century.[3]
History
The first monastic community on the mountain was established by the
hegoumenos (abbot).[3] A fourth monastery, the Theotokos of Bessai, was established by the imperial family and housed up to 300 monks, but it rapidly declined after the 11th century.[3] There was also a female convent, that of Eupraxia, where the monks' female relatives could stay.[3]
The death of Lazaros deprived the community of much of its prestige, but it re-emerged into prominence in the 13th century, with the establishment of the
Nymphaion became the favourite winter residence of the Nicaean emperors.[5] The patriarchs Joseph I of Constantinople (1266–1275 and from 1282 to 1283), Gregory II of Constantinople (1283–1289) and Athanasius I of Constantinople (1289–1293 and 1303–1309) were all monks of the "monastery of Galesios"; Gregory II even wrote a new version of the hagiography of St. Lazaros.[3] The monastery featured a considerable library and a scriptorium.[3]
The area's history as a monastic centre ended when it was captured by the Turks in the early 14th century.[3]
References
Sources
- ISBN 0-19-504652-8.