Introduction
In 1261, the Roman Emperor Michael Palaeologos won his battered empire back from the Crusaders, but Charles, Count of Anjou, was eager to reconquer the East and bring its ‘schismatic’ Christians under the Pope. Michael instructed the Greek Church to give in and save his crown, but twenty-six monks of Mount Athos were more concerned with their consciences.
IN 1274, the Patriarch of Constantinople, John Bekkos, signed the Union of Lyons. It submitted the Greek Church to the Pope for the first time, but a little dogmatic flexibility seemed preferable to the alternative, conquest.* Yet support remained scant, so with Emperor Michael Palaeologos’s approval Bekkos began sending out joint delegations of clergy to collect signatures and conduct ecumenical worship services in rebel strongholds such as Mount Athos. The clergy were empowered to offer bribes; Crusader soldiers and Turkish mercenaries managed the drownings, hangings and beheadings.
One monk, a particularly firm opponent of the new order who lived on his own near the Zografou monastery, was singing the Akathist Hymn and repeating ‘Rejoice, bride unwedded!’* when his icon of Mary unexpectedly replied: ‘Rejoice too, elder!’. Having soothed his understandable panic, Mary told him to hurry and warn the monastery that enemies of her Son were approaching. Those who were ready to die must remain there, but the rest should hide in the woods.
The chief issues were three. First, the Pope wanted the Eastern Churches to take him for their supreme head, whereas the Eastern Churches have never owned any overall head, neither Bishop nor Emperor. Second, Rome’s experts wanted the Easterners to celebrate the Eucharist with unleavened bread, which the Eastern Churches have never done because the word used in Scripture is ‘artos’ (bread), not ‘azymos’ (unleavened bread). Third, they wanted them to change the Creed to say that the Spirit proceeds ‘from the Father and the Son’, whereas Scripture and the Creed as originally agreed in 381 and reaffirmed in 431 say ‘from the Father’ only. See our story Filioque.
A long poem attributed to Romanos the Melodist (?490-?556) which dramatises the visit of the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Luke 1:26-38. A translation into traditional English (from Church Slavonic) can be found at OrthoChristian. It can be heard (again in Church Slavonic) sung by the choir of Optina Pustyn Monastery.
Précis
In 1274, the Christians of the West and the East agreed the politically expedient Union of Lyons, and Roman Emperor Michael Palaeologos and his Patriarch, John Bekkos, tried to force the monks of Mount Athos to comply. However, the Virgin Mary spoke to one monk from an icon, and told him to rouse the Zografou monastery to resistance. (58 / 60 words)
In 1274, the Christians of the West and the East agreed the politically expedient Union of Lyons, and Roman Emperor Michael Palaeologos and his Patriarch, John Bekkos, tried to force the monks of Mount Athos to comply. However, the Virgin Mary spoke to one monk from an icon, and told him to rouse the Zografou monastery to resistance.
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Why did Emperor Michael send troops to Mount Athos in 1275?
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