MICHAEL SYNCELLUS. - Born in Jerusalem ca. 761, died there on 4 January 846. Venerated as a saint by the Greeks on 18 December. A Hesychast monk of the lavra of St. Sabas in Jerusalem, he was the teacher of the celebrated brothers the Graptoi, Theodore and Theophanes. Together with them and with the monk Job he took part in the controversies over the Filioque with the Olivetan Benedictines of the Holy City, and he would have come to Rome to resolve the question, had he not been detained in Constantinople by the agitations of the iconoclast struggle. He re-established the monastery of Chora in the capital and was named syncellus by his friend St. Methodius. He maintained an epistolary correspondence with St. Theodore the Studite: he wrote a Libellus de fide orthodoxa (ed. by B. de Montfaucon, in Biblioth. coisliniana, Paris 1715, p. 90 ff.) and Δέγας συντάξεως, and furthermore panegyrics, discourses, poems; it is difficult, however, to establish their authenticity.

Bibliography

BIBL.: two Vita ed. by Th. I. Schmidt in the Boll. dell'Itin. archeol. russo di Costantinopoli (in Russian), 11 (1906), pp. 227-279. Studies: S. Valliè, St Michel le Syncelle et les deux frères Grapti, in Revue de l'orient chrétien, 6 (1901), pp. 311-32.

years the hard labor of the fields; then, aided by the charity of several people, he began ecclesiastical studies up to the priesthood (1823).

Assistant parish priest at Cambo (1824), professor in the Seminary of Bétharram from 1825 and rector from 1831 to 1833, he aimed above all at enlightening the people and at combating Jansenistic prejudice regarding the frequent reception of the Sacraments; having transferred the seminarians to Bayonne, he remained as guardian of the Sanctuary that was joined to it and thought of founding there the new Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who would devote themselves to missions in parishes, to spiritual exercises, and to the education of youth. The first to benefit from the fruitful work of the new missionaries was the diocese of Bayonne, to which the Sanctuary belonged, rendered in a short time one of the most Christian regions of France. The Institute grew and expanded in France and also abroad, especially in South America, increasing the labors of the Saint, but also his trust in God and his spirit of penance, with which he wished to make reparation for souls and to obtain from God the most wonderful conversions.

He was beatified by Pius XI on 10 May 1927; canonized by Pius XII on 6 July 1947.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: B. Bourdenne, La vie et l'oeuvre du vln. Michel G., Tarbes 1921; anon., II b. M. G., Acquapendente s.d.; AAS, 39 (1947), pp. 329-32, 401-408.

Celestino Testore

@incollection{ec8_michele_sincello, author = {Testore, Celestino}, title = {Michele, sincello}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VIII}, pages = {958--959}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/michele-sincello} }

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Michael Syncellus

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