A hieromonk,; Slavonic: ''Иеромонахъ''; ; ; ; ;

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

: ''Hieromurg'' also called a priestmonk, is a person who is both

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in the

Eastern Christian Eastern Christianity comprises Christianity, Christian traditions and Christian denomination, church families that originally developed during Classical antiquity, classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region or locations fu ...

tradition. A hieromonk can be either a monk who has been

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood or a priest who has received monastic

tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...

. When a married priest's wife dies, it is not uncommon for him to become a monk, since the Church forbids

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

to enter into a second marriage after ordination and can be no longer promoted to any higher grade. Ordination to the priesthood is the exception rather than the rule for monastics, as a monastery will usually only have as many hieromonks and

hierodeacon A hierodeacon (Greek: Ἱεροδιάκονος, ''Ierodiákonos''; Slavonic: ''Ierodiakón''), sometimes translated "deacon-monk", in Eastern Orthodox Christianity and all other Churches that follow Byzantine Rite is a monk who has been ordained a ...

s as it needs to perform the daily services. In the church hierarchy, a hieromonk is of higher dignity than a hierodeacon, just as a

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...

(i.e., married) priest is of higher dignity than a deacon. Within their own ranks, hieromonks are assigned

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of importance applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. For individuals, it is most often used for diplomats in attendance at very formal occasions. It can also be used in the context of ...

according to the date of their ordination. Ranking above a hieromonk are a

hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, or an archpriest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of ...

and an

archimandrite The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...

Forms of address

The proper title for a hieromonk is, "the Reverend Hieromonk (''

religious name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholic Church, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should n ...

'')". The form of address is, "Hieromonk (''name'')", "Father Hieromonk (''name'')", "Father (''name'')", or, informally, "Father". As with all Eastern Catholic and Orthodox monks, a hieromonk is not addressed by his

family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

, but only by his religious name. In writing, if it becomes necessary to use his family name—for instance, to distinguish him from another hieromonk with the same religious name—the family name should be placed in

parentheses A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. They come in four main pairs of shapes, as given in the box to the right, which also gives their n ...

. Example: "Hieromonk John (Smith)". In cultures where a

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, b ...

is customary, monks are never addressed by their patronymic, but only by their religious name.

In other countries and Western Christianity

In some countries, married clergy are referred to as "white clergy", while monastic clergy are called "black clergy" because monks should always wear black clothing but married clergy in many parts of the world typically wear white (or gray, blue or some other color)

cassock The cassock, or soutane, is a Christian clerical clothing, clerical coat used by the clergy and Consecrated life, male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in ...

s and rasons. In Western Christianity, a priest who is also a monk is termed a "religious priest" or "

regular clergy Regular clergy, or just regulars, are clerics in the Catholic Church who follow a rule () of life, and are therefore also members of religious institutes. Secular clergy are clerics who are not bound by a rule of life. Terminology and history ...

", i.e., living under a

monastic rule Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

(Latin: ''regula'').

Notable people

Hieromonk Makarije Hieromonk Makarije (; 1494 – died after 1528) was a Serbian monk who is considered the founder of Serbian and Romanian printing, having printed the first book in the Serbian language and the first book in the territory of Walachia (part of mod ...

( 1494–1528), Serbian Orthodox, printer * Hieromonk Pahomije ( 1496–1544), Serbian Orthodox, printer *

Hieromonk Mardarije Hieromonk Mardarije ( sr-cyr, Јеромонах Мардарије; 1552–66) was a Serbian Orthodox Church, Serbian Orthodox hieromonk and one of the most important early Serbs, Serb printers. Mardarije was the first Belgrade printer and last ...

( 1552–66), Serbian Orthodox, printer * Mojsije Dečanac ( 1536–45), Serbian Orthodox, printer *Hieromonk Neofytos (1876–1967), Greek Orthodox, priest * Ilie Cătărău (1888– 1955), Romanian Orthodox, adventurer and spy * St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966), Russian Orthodox,

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

* Seraphim Rose (1934–1982), American Russian Orthodox, translator and author *Hieromonk Nilus (Grigoriev) (b. 1948), Russian Orthodox, pastor and clergymen in Pskov diocese *Hieromonk Constantine (Kallistos) (1953–1992), Russian Orthodox, founder of Holy Cross Monastery *Hieromonk Alexander (Lisnichuk) (1963–2023), Russian-Ukrainian-American Orthodox, priest *Hieromonk Silouan (Brown) (b. 1983), American-Russian Orthodox, priest

Notes

References

{{reflist Eastern Orthodox clergy Ecclesiastical titles Eastern Christian monasticism Eastern Christian ecclesiastical offices

Forms of address

In other countries and Western Christianity

Notable people

See also

Notes

References