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{{Short description|Monastic title in Eastern Christianity}}
{{More footnotes needed |date=November 2017}}
[[File:Archimandrite.jpg|thumb|250px|An archimandrite wearing his full habit, holding his [[Crosier#Eastern crosiers|pastoral staff]], and minimally vested in an [[epitrachelion]] and [[epimanikia]]. His [[mitre]] stands on the table to his right.]]

The title '''archimandrite''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɑr|k|ɪ|ˈ|m|æ|n|d|r|aɪ|t|}}; {{langx|el|ἀρχιμανδρίτης| archimandritēs}}), used in [[Eastern Christianity]], originally referred to a [[Superior (hierarchy)|superior]] [[abbot]] (''[[hegumenos]]'', {{langx|el|ἡγούμενος}}, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a [[bishop]] appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and [[monasteries]], or as the abbot of some especially great and important monastery, but nowadays it is most often used purely as a [[title of honor]] (with no connection to any actual monastery) and is bestowed on a [[hieromonk]] as a mark of respect or gratitude for service to the Church.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church |date=23 January 2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-965962-3 |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199659623.001.0001/acref-9780199659623-e-373 |language=en |chapter=archimandrite}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Louth |first1=Andrew|title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church |date=17 February 2022 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-964246-5 |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199642465.001.0001/acref-9780199642465-e-475 |language=en |chapter=archimandrite}}</ref>

This title is only given to those [[Eastern Orthodox priest|priests]] who have been tonsured monks, while distinguished non-monastic (typically married) priests would be given the title of [[protopresbyter]]. In history, some [[Woman|women]] were able to obtain that title, notably when [[cross-dressing]] as male monks, such as [[Susanna the Deaconess]].

== History ==

The term ''{{linktext|archimandrite}}'' derives from the Greek: the first element from {{lang|grc|ἀρχι-}} ''archi-'' meaning "highest" or from ''archon'' "ruler"; and the second root from {{lang|grc|μάνδρα}} ''mandra'' meaning "enclosure" or "corral", "pen" and denoting a "monastery" (compare the usage of "flock" for "congregation").

The title has been in common use since the 5th century, but is mentioned for the first time in a letter to [[Epiphanius of Salamis|Epiphanius]], prefixed to his [[Panarion|''Panarium'']] ({{circa|375}}), but the ''[[Lausiac History]]'' of [[Palladius of Galatia|Palladius]] may evidence its common use in the 4th century as applied to Saint [[Pachomius]].<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Archimandrite|volume=2|page=368}}</ref><ref name="Wheeler" />

By the end of the 5th century, the term had begun to be used in the patriarchate of Jerusalem for someone who had the oversight of all the monks of a region or diocese. Similar to an abbot visitor, the archimandrite would visit the monasteries under his charge to see that the monks were keeping a serious religious life, to draw attention to abuses, straighten out difficulties and give confidence and encouragement to all those who needed it. As such, when the archimandrite Marcian died around 491/92, the monks in the wilderness around Jerusalem went to the patriarch to ask to obtain [[Sabbas the Sanctified|Sabbas]] as archimandrite of the [[anchorite]]s and cave-dwellers and Theodosius as archimandrite of all [[Cenobitic monasticism|cenobitic living monks]].<ref name="Wheeler">{{cite journal |editor1-last=Wheeler |editor1-first=Eric P. |title=Dorotheos of Gaza - Discourses and Sayings |journal=Cistercian Studies |date=1977 |volume=33 |publisher=Liturgical Press|pages=63–64}}</ref>

When the supervision of monasteries passed to another episcopal official—the Great [[Sakellarios]] ("[[sacristan]]")—the title of archimandrite became an honorary one for abbots of important monasteries (compared to an ordinary abbot, a [[hegumenos]]).

== Byzantine usage ==

The [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Byzantine Rite|Byzantine]] [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Catholic]] churches commonly select their [[bishop]]s from the ranks of the archimandrites.

As abbots, the duties of both a hegumen and an archimandrite are the same; however, during the [[Divine Service (Eastern Orthodoxy)|Divine Service]], a hegumen wears a simple [[Mantle (vesture)|mantle]], while the mantle of an archimandrite is decorated with sacral texts; an archimandrite also bears a pastoral staff (''[[pateritsa]]'').

===Kiev Metropolis===
Initially, in some cases it served as an extra title: for example, manuscripts of 1174 mention [[Hegumen Polikarp]] of [[Kiev Cave Monastery]] as "Hegumen Archimandrite".

=== Russian usage ===
[[File:Archimandrit Martin Marek Krupica.jpg|thumb|Archimandrite {{interlanguage link|Martin Marek Krupica|cs}} fully vested with mitre]]

In 1764, the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] organized its monasteries and ranked them in one of three classes, awarding only the abbots at the head of monasteries of the second or first class the title of archimandrite. Abbots of third class monasteries were to be styled "hegumen".

In the Russian tradition, an archimandrite wears a [[mitre]].

===Greek usage===
Churches under the spiritual jurisdiction of the four ancient Eastern Orthodox Patriarchates generally require that such a monastic priest possess a university degree in [[theology]] before he is elevated to the rank of archimandrite. Sometimes, the requirement is waived if the priest can show outstanding achievement in other academic fields, such as the humanities or science.

==Western usage==
{{Catholic Church hierarchy sidebar}}
An archimandrite who does not function as an abbot has the style "The Very Reverend Archimandrite" whilst one with abbatial duties uses the style "The Right Reverend Archimandrite".

The word occurs in the ''Regula Columbani'' (c. 7), and [[Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange|du Cange]] gives a few other cases of its use in Latin documents, but it never came into vogue in the West; yet, owing to intercourse with Greek and Slavonic Christianity, the title sometimes appears in southern Italy and Sicily, and in Croatia, Hungary and Poland.<ref name="EB1911"/> From 1979, there is at least one exemplar in Britain.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Morris |first=Catharine |date=2023-07-07 |title=At Your Service |newspaper=[[The Times]] |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/at-your-service-wxvwtq3d5hr |access-date=2023-07-07 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{efron|wstitle=Архимандрит}}
* ''Dictionnaire d'archéologie chrétienne et de liturgie'' (in French)

==Further reading==
* {{Citation|last=Plank|first=Peter|contribution=Archimandrite|year=1999|title=Encyclopedia of Christianity|editor-last=Fahlbusch|editor-first=Erwin|volume=1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofch0001unse_t6f2/page/118 118]|place=Grand Rapids|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans|isbn=0802824137|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofch0001unse_t6f2/page/118}}

== External links ==
*{{Wiktionary-inline}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Christian religious occupations]]
[[Category:Eastern Christian ecclesiastical offices]]
[[Category:Religious leadership roles]]
[[Category:Archimandrites| ]]

Archimandrite - Revision history

2A02:8012:227B:0:E560:8954:A951:933D: Already in Category:Eastern Christian ecclesiastical offices