Christoforos Knitis
Encyclopedia
Christoforos Knitis was a Greek Orthodox
bishop in the Metropolis
of Australia
and New Zealand
from 1924 to 1928.
, and was the son of Charidemos Knitis and his wife Fioritsa. He studied at the University of Athens, and studied theology at the Theological School of Halki.
He was made deacon in on 19 July 1898 and took the name Christoforos. He became a teacher at his old high school, Pythagoreion Gymnasion, on Samos. In 1905, he spent a year studying theology and English at the University of St Andrews
, Scotland
, and transferred to the University of Oxford
where he graduated in 1909.
He was ordained priest on 23 April 1910, raised to the rank of archimandrite
and then on 12 December titular bishop consecrated of Stauropolis. In 1918 he was elevated to metropolitan bishop
of Serrai.
established the Metropolis of Australia and New Zealand in 1924 and appointed Christophoros as hierarch. Metropolitan Christophoros arrived in Australia on 8 July 1924 to begin a stormy tenure. He was confronted by Archimandrite Irenaios Kasimatis, a priest who ignored the metropolitan and wrote inflammatory articles in the local Greek press. Factional rivalry and bitterness prevented Knitis from achieving much, and divisions in the church made his position untenable. In February 1928 he was recalled to Greece.
Father Theophylactos Papathanasopoulos
was sent to Sydney as administrator until a new bishop arrived. Knitis was officially succeeded by Metropolitan Timotheos Evangelinidis
in 1931.
Church of Greece
The Church of Greece , part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the autocephalous churches which make up the communion of Orthodox Christianity...
bishop in the Metropolis
Metropolis (religious jurisdiction)
A metropolis is a see or city whose bishop is the metropolitan of a province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces....
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
from 1924 to 1928.
Overview
Knitis was born on 17 December 1872 and baptised Charidemos. He was born and raised in Vathi, on the island of SamosSamoš
Samoš is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Kovačica municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,247 people .-See also:...
, and was the son of Charidemos Knitis and his wife Fioritsa. He studied at the University of Athens, and studied theology at the Theological School of Halki.
He was made deacon in on 19 July 1898 and took the name Christoforos. He became a teacher at his old high school, Pythagoreion Gymnasion, on Samos. In 1905, he spent a year studying theology and English at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and transferred to the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
where he graduated in 1909.
He was ordained priest on 23 April 1910, raised to the rank of archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...
and then on 12 December titular bishop consecrated of Stauropolis. In 1918 he was elevated to metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of Serrai.
Metropolitan of Australia and New Zealand
The Ecumenical Patriarchate in ConstantinopleConstantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
established the Metropolis of Australia and New Zealand in 1924 and appointed Christophoros as hierarch. Metropolitan Christophoros arrived in Australia on 8 July 1924 to begin a stormy tenure. He was confronted by Archimandrite Irenaios Kasimatis, a priest who ignored the metropolitan and wrote inflammatory articles in the local Greek press. Factional rivalry and bitterness prevented Knitis from achieving much, and divisions in the church made his position untenable. In February 1928 he was recalled to Greece.
Father Theophylactos Papathanasopoulos
Theophylactos Papathanasopoulos
Theophylactos Papathanasopoulos was a Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Bishop in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.-Overview:...
was sent to Sydney as administrator until a new bishop arrived. Knitis was officially succeeded by Metropolitan Timotheos Evangelinidis
Timotheos Evangelinidis
Timotheos Evangelinidis was a Greek Orthodox bishop who presided over the Metropolis of Rhodes from 1947 to 1949 and the Metropolis of Australia and New Zealand from 1931 to 1947. Evangelinidis was born in 1880, on the island of Mytilene , Greece....
in 1931.