St Symeon the New Theologian
Abbot and spiritual director
Article summary proposed by the Contacts review with LLM assistance
This article by Archimandrite Basil Krivocheine focuses on Saint Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022), a major figure of Byzantine mysticism, and more specifically on his accession to the abbacy of the monastery of Saint Mamas in Constantinople in 980. The study combines a historical approach with theological analysis, drawing on the biography by Niketas Stethatos and on Symeon's own catecheses. The central idea is that the material restoration of the monastery, which was then in a state of disrepair, was inseparable from a programme of spiritual renewal. The article analyses in detail Symeon's first catechesis, devoted to love as the summit of the virtues, revealing his conception of pastoral leadership: the abbot's humility, the primacy of mystical experience, and the unity of ascesis and contemplation. The contribution lies in the concrete illumination of the Symeonite spiritual project in its early stages.
This article has not been translated yet — it is available in its French version here.
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