Kyrillos Loukaris (1572–1638)

Kyrillos Loukaris (1572–1638), who later became Patriarch Kyrillos I of Constantinople, was born on the island of Crete, which was part of the Venetian territory at that time. He became a theologian and travelled across Europe during his studies, including visits to Wittenberg, Venice, and Geneva. He was sent to Poland in order to oppose the Union of Brest-Litovsk and later became professor of the Orthodox academy in Vilnius. His aim was to reform the Orthodox Church along the lines of Calvinism which he had become familiar with in the German-speaking territories. However, his Calvinistic Confession (1633) led to a controversy resulting in the official condemnation of Calvinist ideas in 1672.

---

Kyrillos Loukaris (1572–1638), etching, 1855–1856, unknown artist; source: PANDEKTIS – A Digital Thesaurus of Primary Sources for Greek History and Culture / Institute for Neohellenic Research / NHRF, coll. no. 5436, online: http://pandektis.ekt.gr/pandektis/handle/10442/63764.