Photios Kalpidis ( el, Φώτιος Καλπίδης, 1862–1906) or Photios of Korytsa was the

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

metropolitan bishop of

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau som ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

, from 1902 to 1906. He was assassinated in 1906 by irregular bands due to his pro-Greek activity. Photios was proclaimed an " ethnomartyr" by the

Church of Greece The Church of Greece ( el, Ἐκκλησία τῆς Ἑλλάδος, Ekklēsía tē̂s Helládos, ), part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the autocephalous churches which make up the communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. It ...

Life

Photios was born in 1862 in the village of Cakrak, in Pontus region,

. After finishing school he moved to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

and attended the

Halki seminary The Halki seminary, formally the Theological School of Halki ( el, Θεολογική Σχολή Χάλκης and tr, Ortodoks Ruhban Okulu), was founded on 1 October 1844 on the island of Halki ( Turkish: Heybeliada), the second-largest of the ...

. He graduated in 1889 with honors. The following year he was ordained

hierodeacon A hierodeacon ( Greek: Ἱεροδιάκονος, ''Ierodiákonos''; Slavonic: ''Ierodiakón''), sometimes translated "deacon-monk", in Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a monk who has been ordained a deacon (or deacon who has been tonsured monk) ...

, while he also became director of the Greek school of

Giresun Giresun (), formerly Cerasus (Ancient Greek: Κερασοῦς, Greek: Κερασούντα), is the provincial capital of Giresun Province in the Black Sea Region of northeastern Turkey, about west of the city of Trabzon. Etymology Giresun ...

. In 1897 Photios was appointed secretary of the Holy Synod of the

Ecumenical Patriarchate The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...

. In 1902 Photios was appointed metropolitan bishop of Korytsa and Premeti, centered in Korçe (), modern southeast

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...

(then part of the

). In general, Photios showed great interest in the promotion of the thriving Greek educational system among the local youth and often made various proposals. He also became the president of the city's schools committee. In 1903 he was actively involved in all major educational issues that concerned the schools in Korce, as well as in nearby Permet. During the 1903–1904 school year he proposed that sports activities should be part of the curriculum in the local schools. As a result, the first sports events by the pupils of Korce took place on May 30, 1904, in the local Bangas Gymnasium.Koltsida, 2008: p. 401 In the following school year these events attracted a major part of the local population and officials who attended them. On June 7, 1904, Photios took the initiative for the creation of the ''Appollo'' music association and the charitable society ''Love thy Neighbour'' as part of his educational, cultural and social initiatives in Korce.Koltsida, 2008: p. 403 Moreover, ''Appollo'' for a short term period was also undertaking concerts and theatrical performances.

Assassination

Photios was assassinated on September 9, 1906 by a band of Albanian

kachak Kachaks ( sq, kaçak, sr, качаци / ''kačaci'') is a term used for the Albanian bandits active in the late 19th and early 20th century in northern Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia, and later as a term for the militias of Alban ...

nationalists, led by

Bajo Topulli Bajo Topulli (1868 – 24 July 1930), born Bajram Fehmi Topulli, was an Albanian nationalist figure of the Albanian National Awakening. Bajo was the older brother of Çerçiz Topulli. Early life In Monastir while he was a director in the ...

. The assassination was committed because Photios was against the development of Albanian cultural activity, as well as an act of revenge for the killing of the Albanian priest

Kristo Negovani Papa Kristo Negovani, born Kristo Harallambi and also known as Kristo Negovani (1875 – 12 February 1905), was an Albanian national figure, priest, poet, teacher, writer and publisher. "The nationalist cause was given impetus in 1905 when the Alb ...

in 1905. Although the arrests included many Albanian nationalists of the time, they were subsequently released by the Ottoman authorities. In 1914, after the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and def ...

, the Greek army arrested Bajram Ligu, but he denied any involvement with the murder. Kalpidis was proclaimed a national martyr ("ethnomartyr") by the

. Παπαϊωάννου, Λάζαρος Αθ.
Ο εθνομάρτυρας Φώτιος Καλπίδης (1862-1906)
'' Μακεδονική Φιλεκπαιδευτική Αδελφότης (

Society for Macedonian Studies The Society for Macedonian Studies ( el, Εταιρεία Μακεδονικών Σπουδών, Etaireia Makedonikon Spoudon) was founded on April 29, 1939, in Thessaloniki, Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Repu ...

), Θεσσαλονίκη: 1983. 24 pp. A number of streets are named after him as ''Fotiou Koritsas (Φωτίου Κορυτσάς)'' in suburbs around the port city of

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saro ...

, within the Athens urban area.
ΕΥΡΕΤΗΡΙΟ ΤΗΣ ΧΩΡΙΚΗΣ ΑΡΜΟΔΙΟΤΗΤΑΣ ΤΩΝ Δ.Ο.Υ.: ΑΘΗΝΑΣ - ΠΕΙΡΑΙΑ - ΠΡΟΑΣΤΙΩΝ
.'' ΣΥΛΛΟΓΟΣ ΔΙΚΑΣΤΙΚΩΝ ΕΠΙΜΕΛΗΤΩΝ. σελ. 448. Retrieved: 18 January 2015. (pdf)
Φωτίου Κορυτσάς
'' CityPlaces.gr. Retrieved: 18 January 2015.

Notes

References

Sources

* (''PhD Thesis'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Photios Kalpidis, Korytsa, bishop of 1862 births 1906 deaths 20th-century Greek people 20th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops Eastern Orthodoxy in Albania Bishops of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople Eastern Orthodox bishops in Europe People from Alucra Pontic Greeks Greek Eastern Orthodox priests Theological School of Halki alumni Greeks from the Ottoman Empire 1906 murders in the Ottoman Empire Eastern Orthodox bishops in Albania