Hierarch14th century

Saint Kallistos II Patriarch of Constantinople

14th century (died after 1397)

Also known as Callistus II

A disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai who lived as an Athonite ascetic and later became Patriarch of Constantinople, also writing the life of his elder.

November 22New Calendar

Feast Day

December 5Old Calendar

Suggest a correction Contribute

Icon galleryBrowse icons and imagery elsewhere

Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Kallistos II, Patriarch of Constantinople

Life

Saint Kallistos II, also surnamed Xanthopoulos, was a 14th-century Athonite ascetic, Hesychast spiritual writer, and briefly Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in 1397. A disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai, he spent twenty-eight years in ascetic practice at the Magul (Magoula) Skete on Mount Athos, opposite the Monastery of Philotheou, and composed an account of the life of his spiritual elder.

Together with his close companion Saint Ignatios Xanthopoulos, a native of Constantinople, he authored an influential ascetical treatise known as the 'Directions to Hesychasts in One Hundred Chapters,' later incorporated into the Philokalia by Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite. Elevated to the patriarchal throne in 1397 during the reign of Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, he served only about three months before dying while on a mission to Serbia. His memory is celebrated on November 22.

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide

KontakionTone 2

(Podoben: “You sought the heights… ”) O Hierarch Kállistos, divine thunder, spiritual trumpet,
planter of faith, and pruner of heresies,
great favorite of the Trinity,
as you stand before God with the Angels, pray unceasingly for all of us.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 4

The truth of things revealed you to your flock as a rule of faith,
a model of meekness, and a teacher of temperance.
Therefore, through humility, you attained the heights;
and through poverty, riches.
O Hierarch Kállistos our Father, entreat Christ God that our souls may be saved.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline4 momentsReadHide

14th centuryAscetic life on Mount AthosKallistos practiced asceticism for twenty-eight years at the Magul (Magoula) Skete on Mount Athos, located opposite the Monastery of Philotheou, as a devoted follower of Saint Gregory of Sinai.
14th centuryLife of Gregory of Sinai and the Hesychast centuryHe authored an account of the life of his spiritual elder, Gregory of Sinai, and together with Saint Ignatios Xanthopoulos composed the 'Directions to Hesychasts in One Hundred Chapters.'
1397Patriarch of ConstantinopleDuring the reign of Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, Kallistos was appointed Patriarch of Constantinople, succeeding Antony IV; his tenure lasted only about three months.
after 1397Death in SerbiaTraveling to Serbia to reconcile the Serbian church, he stopped at Mount Athos, where Saint Maximos Kavsokalyvites prophesied that he would not see his flock again. He died upon reaching Serbia and was succeeded by Matthew I.

Contributions & Legacy

4 contributionsReadHide

Athonite asceticism and discipleship

For twenty-eight years Kallistos lived as an ascetic at the Magul (Magoula) Skete on Mount Athos, situated opposite the Monastery of Philotheou. He was a devoted follower of Saint Gregory of Sinai, whose teaching shaped his own spiritual formation.

He wrote an account of the life of Gregory of Sinai, preserving the memory of the elder who guided him. During this period he formed a close bond with Saint Ignatios Xanthopoulos, a native of Constantinople; the two monks were described as spiritually unified, both reaching advanced levels of contemplative prayer. Tradition relates that they experienced visions of divine uncreated light, comparable to the experience of the Apostles on Mount Tabor, with their faces appearing radiant.

Hesychast writings and the Philokalia

With Ignatios Xanthopoulos, Kallistos composed the 'Directions to Hesychasts in One Hundred Chapters,' an influential treatise of the Hesychast tradition. The work was later incorporated into the Philokalia compiled by Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite.

In the Philokalia the treatise appears as 'Method and precise canon for those who choose the hesychastic and monastic life: 100 chapters,' attributed to the pair Kallistos and Ignatios Xanthopoulos. The majority of Patriarchs of Constantinople in the 14th century were monks in the Hesychast tradition, and Kallistos stood among them as both practitioner and writer.

Patriarchate and death

In 1397, during the reign of Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos (1391–1425), Kallistos was appointed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. By the account of his tenure he served only about three months, succeeding Antony IV and being succeeded by Matthew I. According to one dating his patriarchate ran from 17 May 1397 to around August 1397, at a time when Constantinople was under siege by the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I.

He set out for Serbia to reconcile the Serbian church, stopping at Mount Athos on the way. There Saint Maximos Kavsokalyvites prophesied that he would 'not see his flock again.' Upon reaching Serbia, Kallistos died; sources place his death after 1397.

Identity and distinction from Callistus I

Kallistos II is distinct from Callistus I of Constantinople (commemorated June 20), who died in Serbia in August 1363. The two patriarchs share remarkably similar Athonite biographies — both lived some twenty-eight years near the Monastery of Philotheou, both were disciples of Gregory of Sinai, and both died in Serbia — which has caused persistent confusion in secondary sources.

Some accounts, including one Wikipedia article on Callistus I, credit that earlier patriarch with co-authoring the century of chapters with Ignatius Xanthopoulos; the Philokalia metadata and the OCA sources instead attribute the 'Directions to Hesychasts in One Hundred Chapters' to Kallistos II (Xanthopoulos) and Ignatios Xanthopoulos. Kallistos II bore the surname Xanthopoulos, indicating an association with the monastery of Xanthopoulos.

Member ofReadHide

Synaxis of All Saints of Mount Athos

Synaxis

Related SaintsShowHide

Browse other saints who share his calling and place.

More Writers202 More Hierarchs580 More Bishops702 More Monastics1353

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints