The Likhud Brothers () were two Greek monks from

Cephalonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia (), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallonia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th-largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It is also a separate regio ...

who founded and managed the

Slavic Greek Latin Academy The Slavic Greek Latin Academy () was the first higher education establishment in Moscow. History Beginning The academy's establishment may be viewed as a result of the incorporation of the Left-Bank Ukraine into Muscovy after the Treaty of Perey ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

between 1685 and 1694. Their names were Ioannikios Leichoudes () or Ioannikii Likhud (, 1633–1717) and Sophronios Leichoudes () or Sofronii Likhud (, 1653–1730). The brothers received their education at the

Padua University The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...

in Italy.

Patriarch Dositheos II of Jerusalem Dositheus II Notaras of Jerusalem (; Arachova 31 May 1641 – Constantinople 8 February 1707) was the Patriarch of Jerusalem between 1669 and 1707 and a theologian of the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was known for standing against influences of th ...

persuaded them to visit Moscow where they were given a warm welcome by Prince

Vasily Galitzine Prince Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn (, tr. ; 1643–1714) was a Russian aristocrat and statesman of the 17th century. He belonged to the Golitsyn as well as Romodanovsky Muscovite noble families. His main political opponent was his cousin Princ ...

(the head of Sophia's government). On their arrival they were allowed to establish the Slavic Greek Latin Academy on the premises of

Zaikonospassky Monastery The Monastery of the Holy Mandylion or Zaikonospassky Monastery () is an Russian Orthodox Church, Orthodox monastery on the Nikolskaya Street in Kitai-gorod, Moscow, just one block away from the Moscow Kremlin, Kremlin. It was founded in 1600 by ...

Kitay-Gorod Kitay-gorod (, ), also referred to as the Great Possad () in the 16th and 17th centuries, is a cultural and historical area within the central part of Moscow in Russia, defined by the remnants of now almost entirely razed fortifications, narro ...

. It was effectively the first high school in Russia. The Likhuds authored a series of bilingual manuals and guidebooks on philosophy, physics, logic, grammar, and poetics. The Muscovites regarded these books as a novelty, although they essentially regurgitated the ancient Aristotelian tenets. In the dispute between the pro-Latin and pro-Greek scholars the Likhuds supported the latter. Their opponents included Symeon of Polotsk and

Sylvester Medvedev Sylvester (; secular name: Simeon Agafonovich Medvedev; 6 February 1641 – 21 February 1691) was a Russian writer, poet, and theologian. He was a student of Simeon of Polotsk. Life Sylvester was born in Kursk; he was first a ''podyachy'' in Kur ...

. In 1688 the elder brother was sent on a diplomatic mission to

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. After Galitzine's fall from grace the Likhud brothers were removed from the academy on charges of "latinism". Following a brief exile at the

Hypatian Monastery The Ipatiev Monastery (; also Ipatievsky Monastery), sometimes translated into English as Hypatian Monastery, is a male monastery situated on the bank of the Kostroma River just opposite the city of Kostroma. It was founded around 1330 by a ...

Kostroma Kostroma (, ) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. In the 2021 census, the population is 267, ...

, the brothers moved their educational activities to

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

. After Ioannikios' death in 1717 Sophronios was sent to administer the Solotcha Monastery near

Ryazan Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...

where he was taunted by the brethren and had to confine himself to his cell.Сменцовский М. Н. Братья Лихуды. Saint Petersburg, 1899. The Likhud Brothers are remembered as the pioneers of higher education in Russia. In 2007 their statue was unveiled in front of the

Epiphany Monastery The Epiphany Monastery (, ''Bogoyavlensky monastyr''; better translated as "Theophany Monastery") is the oldest male monastery in Moscow, situated in the Kitai gorod, just one block away from the Moscow Kremlin. According to a legend, it was fo ...

in Kitay-Gorod.

References

{{reflist 17th-century births 18th-century deaths People from Cephalonia Greek Christian monks Russian Orthodox monks Russian educators Greek emigrants to Russia Scholars in Eastern Orthodoxy University of Padua alumni Founders of academic institutions Brother duos 17th-century Christian monks 17th-century Russian people Escapees from monasteries