John the New Merciful
Metropolitan of Thebes
Born	early 12th century Constantinople (modern-dayIstanbul,Turkey)
Died	c. 1190 Thebes, Greece
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Church
Feast	April 29
Patronage	Thebes, Greece

John Kaloktenes (Greek:Ἰωάννης ὁ Καλοκτένης;fl. 1166–c. 1190) was a 12th-centuryByzantineMetropolitan of Thebes. Known for his charitable works, he was declared a saint by theEastern Orthodox Church, with the surnamethe New Merciful (ὁ Νέος Ἐλεήμων), and is commemorated onApril 29.

John Kaloktenes was born inConstantinople to a well-to-do family. His parents, Constantine and Maria, are referred to in the sources as of noble descent and virtuous soul.^[1] The date of his birth is unknown, but since he was Metropolitan of Thebes in 1166, he must have been at least 30 years old, the minimum legal age for such an appointment.^[1] His childhood is unknown, but he is described as an excellent student with a pronounced inclination to theology and religious matters.^[1]

He initially became a monk in some monastery in Constantinople. Distinguishing himself through piety or ability, he was appointed to theSee of Thebes by PatriarchLuke Chrysoberges.^[2] Kaloktenes is first attested as Metropolitan in the Church synod held at Constantinople in 1166, when he was likely also appointed to the position.^[2] This was a difficult assignment, as the city ofThebes and its see were at the time in considerable decline. A flourishing centre of theByzantine silk industry and seat of the governor of theTheme of Hellas, the city had suffered after theNorman sack of 1147, when the silk weavers had been carried off to southern Italy.^[3][4] All fivesuffragan bishoprics of the metropolis—Kanala, Zaratova, Kaistorion, Trichia, and Platana—had been left vacant, leading to a worrisome decline in the religious sentiments of the local population.^[5] Therefore, in 1169 Kaloktenes appointed bishops to these sees, provoking the displeasure of EmperorManuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180), as Kaloktenes had neglected informing the patriarchal synod. The synod at first declared Kaloktenes' appointments as uncanonical, but Kaloktenes' stauch and passionate defence of the necessity of his actions was eventually rewarded, as the synod relented and confirmed his appointments.[2] As a result, he was able to participate in the synod at Constantinople in 1170 that condemnedJohn Eirenikos.^[2]

As primate of Thebes, Kaloktenes led a simple and austere life, devoted to works of charity towards the poor and weak, and the strengthening of the Church. He established new churches and monasteries in and around the city, as well as a hospital, hospices for the elderly, poor, and travellers, and a school for the education of girls.^[6] He financed the diversion of the Isminos river to theBoeotian plain, thus ensuring the functioning of the twentywater mills that secured the local irrigation. As part of this work, he constructed anaqueduct with over twenty arches from 3 to 6 m high and 3.2 m wide, which survived until the early 20th century. From this, the river acquired the colloquial name Agiannis (Αγιάννης, "Saint John").^[6]

He remained in his position until his deathc. 1190.[2] For his charity, he was named "the New Merciful" (Νέος Ἐλεήμων), after the 7th-centuryPatriarch of Alexandria,John the Merciful, and canonized, becoming thepatron saint of Thebes. He is commemorated onApril 29.^[6][7]

• Kardaras, Georgios (April 21, 2011)."Ιωάννης Καλοκτένης".Encyclopedia of the Hellenic World, Boeotia (in Greek). Foundation of the Hellenic World. RetrievedMay 25, 2018.
• Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991).The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
• Koder, Johannes; Hild, Friedrich (1976).Tabula Imperii Byzantini, Band 1: Hellas und Thessalia (in German). Vienna:Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.ISBN 978-3-7001-0182-6.

• Delvenakiotis, V. (1970).Ο Μητροπολίτης Ιωάννης ο Καλοκτένης και αι Θήβαι (ΙΒ΄ μ.Χ. αιών) [The Metropolitan John Kaloktenes and Thebes (12th century AD)]. Athens.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Delvenakiotis, V. (1988). "Η Θήβα κατά τον ΙΒ΄ μ.Χ. αιώνα και ο μητροπολίτης Ιωάννης ο Καλοκτένης".Α΄ Διεθνές Συνέδριο Βοιωτικών Μελετών, Θήβα 10-14 Σεπτεμβρίου 1986 (in Greek). Athens. pp. 689–705.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Vasileiou, A. (1967).Αι Θήβαι του Μεσαίωνα. Ο Άγιος Ιωάννης ο Καλοκτένης και η εποχή του [Thebes in the Middle Ages. Saint John Kaloktenes and his time]. Thebes.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

• 12th-century births
• 12th-century deaths
• 12th-century Byzantine bishops
• 12th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops
• Bishops of Thebes, Greece
• Byzantine saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church
• Eastern Orthodox metropolitans
• Medieval Thebes
• Patron saints
• 12th-century Greek people
• Saints from Constantinople

• CS1 Greek-language sources (el)
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles containing Greek-language text
• Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text
• CS1 German-language sources (de)
• CS1 maint: location missing publisher
• Year of birth unknown
• Year of death unknown