The office and role of the protosingelos

[Adrian Martin]

What is a protosingelos? I've never heard of that rank until now, when I came across this biography (http://www.sfaturiortodoxe.ro/orthodox/orthodox_advices_ioanichie_moroi_life.htm) of Protosingelos Ioanichie Moroi of the Romanian Church. Is this term used only in the Romanian Church?

[Andreas Moran]

From what I know of monasteries in Cyprus, the protosyngelos is a kind of second-in-charge after the hegoumenos (abbot), first among the brethren after the hegoumenos, sometimes called 'chancellor'.

[Anthony]

I have come across it in the EP, though I have no idea what it means.

From this biography of Patriarch Pavle (http://ro.orthodoxwiki.org/Pavle_(Stojcevic)_al_Serbiei), it appears to be used in the Serbian Church as well.

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

I believe this title is also used by the Bulgarians to mean something along the lines of a chancellor.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Dimitri]

Protosingelos is the main priest in the church when there are more than one priest in the sermon. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
God bless
dimitri

[Nina]

In addition to what Andreas said:

Protosingelos is also a priest who is the right hand of the Archbishop, Metropolitan; the main person to advise, to consult etc.

Adrian, protosingelos is used also in Greece because it originated from there.

[Nina]

Also the title is used in Italy as Protosincello.

And here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protosyncellus)you can read further about it.

[Marie-Duquette]

What is a protosingelos? I've never heard of that rank until now, when I came across this biography (http://www.sfaturiortodoxe.ro/orthodox/orthodox_advices_ioanichie_moroi_life.htm) of Protosingelos Ioanichie Moroi of the Romanian Church. Is this term used only in the Romanian Church?

Adrien, et al.

Presently I am reading the biography of the Elder Cleopa; and, on p.61 there is a footnote concerning the word: "protosinghel"

Quote: The term "Protosingle" in some traditions is translated as "Egumen", a monastic priest one step below Archimandrite, however, in the Romanian tradition "Egumen" is the title belonging to the person just below the abbot/abbess of a monastery."

I surmise that the term "protosingelos" is used for the person who is in charge of the practical over-all functionings of a religious group, monastery, skete, etc, especially with its relations to the outside world in its practical life. He/she functions it seems as an in-between person, perhaps the one who is a link, a hyphen, a chancellor, as mentioned in the above posts.

In the biography Fr. Cleopa after the great fire at the monastery, when he was appointed Abbot, he decided to go to the Neamts Monastery to borrow money, to continue the work of rebuilding. "then I decided to go to Protosinghel Joachim Spataru ... this man of God had a visitor who was the general director of the telephone company." p. 61 This seems to imply that the "protosinghel" was in fact a kind of facilitator/mediator between the inner practical workings of the monastery and the outside world.

marie_duquette