Isidore of Moscow

Isidore Of Moscow a distinguished Russian bishop, was born at Thessalonica towards the close of the 14th century. He became successively archimandrite of the convent of St. Demitri at Constantinople, coadjutor of the archbishop of Illyria, and, finally (in 1437, metropolitan bishop of Russia. In this capacity he at tended, at the head of a hundred Russian bishops and priests, the Council of Florence, at which the union of the Latin and Greek churches was effected. SEE FLORENCE, COUNCIL OF. Isidore and Bessarion played the most important part in that council. In June 1439, having fulfilled his task, he returned to Moscow to proclaim the news. But the grand duke Vasili, who was displeased with the results of the council, had him thrown into prison, and condemned to be burned alive; but on the day appointed for the execution he made his escape, and fled to Rome, where Eugene IV welcomed him as a martyr. As the union affected by the Council of Florence in 1439 was of very short duration, Isidore vas selected by the Roman pontiff, Nicholas V, as messenger to Constantinople, to attempt again a union of the churches, but in this mission he failed. Isidore died it Rome April 27, 1463. Having witnessed the establishment of Islamism at Constantinople, he gave an account of it in two letters, one of which was published in the lettres Turques of Reisner, vol. 4; the second, which is dated Candia, July 7, 1453, was never printed, and is probably contained in the Riccardini Library at Florence. Some Russian annalists, especially Nikon, give extracts of some of his sermons and commandments. — See Nanamnukre sckoba Opcoba; Drevnaia Rosjeiskaia Bibliotheca, vol. 11; Strahl, Der Russische Metropolit Isidor u. sein Versuch d. russisch-

griechische Kirche zit d. Romisch-Katolischen zuvereinen (Tibinlgen, 1823); Claconii et Oldoini Vitae et Res gestae Pontificum et Carlinalium (Romae, 1677), 2, 903; Statuta Concilii Florentini (Florence, 1518); Maimbourg, Histoire du Schism des Grecs; Theiner, Vicissitudes de l'Eglise en Pologne et en Russie, 1, 33; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Géneralé, 26, 73; Neale's History of the Council of Florence, p. 59; Covel, Account of the Greek Church, p. 117.