St Proterius of Alexandria | |
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Venerated in | Eastern Orthodoxy,Catholic Church |
Feast | February 28 |
Pope Proterius of Alexandria (died 457) wasPatriarch of Alexandria from 451 to 457. He had been appointed bythe Council of Chalcedon to replace the deposedDioscorus. He regarded ashieromartyr by theEastern Orthodox Church and theCatholic Church.
Proterius was elected by theCouncil of Chalcedon in 451 to replaceDioscorus of Alexandria, who had been deposed as Patriarch by the same council.[1][2] Upon his arrival in Alexandria, he was met by a riot.[3]
His accession marks the beginning of theSchism of 451 between theCoptic Orthodox and theGreek Orthodox patriarchs of Alexandria, which has never been completely resolved. Because the church of Alexandria was largelyanti-Chalcedonian, the deposition of Dioscorus, an anti-Chalcedonian, from the Patriarchate, and the elevation of Proterius, aChalcedonian, to it, was violently opposed. Finally in 457 the anti-Chalcedonian party in Alexandria electedTimothy Aelurus as Patriarch of Alexandria, in opposition to Proterius, who was either subsequently martyred by a Coptic mob (Evagrius Scholasticus, 2, 8[1]) or murdered by the Byzantine garrison in Alexandria (Zachariah of Mitylene, 4,1-3[4]).
The murder was commented in several letters by groups of bishops from variousRoman provinces (e.g. Galatia Prima) or larger regions toByzantine emperorLeo I the Thracian (457–474).
He is regarded as aSaint by theEastern Orthodox Church and theCatholic Church.[5] He is not recognized as a Pope by theCoptic Orthodox, who instead recognize Dioscorus and Timothy as having been the legitimate Popes during this time. (Coptic Orthodox Church Network, Popes Chronology[2]).
Titles of the Great Christian Church | ||
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Preceded by | Greek Patriarch of Alexandria 451–457 | Succeeded by |