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Saint Nicetas the Patrician ((ギリシア語:Νικήτας Πατρίκιος), ''Niketas Patrikios''; 761/762 – 6 October 836), usually identified with Nicetas Monomachos (Νικήτας Μονομάχος), was a Byzantine eunuch official and general from Paphlagonia active at the turn of the 9th century, who in later life became a monk and a fervent opponent of Byzantine Iconoclasm. He is honoured as a saint and a Confessor of the Faith by the Orthodox Church. His feast day is on 13 October〔 or 3 April.〔http://orthodoxwiki.org/April_3〕 == Early life and career == Nicetas was born in Paphlagonia in 761–762, and his parents were probably named Gregory and Anna. Later tradition held that he was a descendant of Empress Theodora, the wife of Theophilos (reigned 829–842). This is clearly impossible, but some sort of relation cannot be excluded. Another tradition records that he was also a relative of Empress Irene of Athens (r. 797–802).〔Banev (2003), (Chapter 1 )〕〔Papachryssanthou (1968), pp. 313–315〕〔Lilie (1996), pp. 37, 127〕〔Winkelmann, Lilie, et al. (1998), pp. 419–420〕 According to his hagiography, he was castrated by his parents at a young age, received a good education and was sent to Constantinople at age 17 (ca. 778), where he entered the service of the imperial court.〔〔Papachryssanthou (1968), pp. 313, 315〕〔Ringrose (2003), p. 73〕 According to the same source, Nicetas distinguished himself among the court eunuchs and came to the attention of Empress-mother Irene, who handled the Empire's affairs as regent after 780. Irene promoted him because of his ability and because of their ties of kinship. In 787, Nicetas is even said to have represented the Empress at the Second Council of Nicaea, although given Nicetas' youth this is likely to be an invention by his hagiographer.〔〔〔〔Banev (2003), (Chapter 2 )〕 Shortly after, he was promoted to the rank of ''patrikios'', and was sent to Sicily as the governor (''strategos'') of the local theme. On account of this information, he is usually identified with the ''patrikios'' and ''strategos'' of Sicily Nicetas, who in 797 sent an embassy to Charlemagne, as well as with the ''patrikios'' Nicetas Monomachos, who brought the hand of Saint Euphemia from Constantinople ca. 796 and built a church in Sicily to house the holy relic. Nicetas' tenure as governor of Sicily is therefore placed ca. 796–797, and ended before 799, when a certain Michael was governor of the theme of Sicily.〔〔〔Papachryssanthou (1968), pp. 313, 316–317〕〔Lilie (1996), pp. 37, 130〕 If "Monomachos" represents a family name rather than a sobriquet (it means "single combatant"), Nicetas would be the first attested member of the Monomachos family, which rose to prominence in the 11th century, with several of its members becoming high-ranking functionaries, and which also produced an emperor, Constantine IX Monomachos (r. 1042–1055).〔Kazhdan (1991), p. 1398〕 Almost nothing is known of Nicetas' activities in the decade after the deposition of Irene in 802.〔Lilie (1996), p. 37〕 According to his hagiography, he wanted to retire to a monastery, but was prohibited from doing so by Emperor Nikephoros I (r. 802–811) and his son Staurakios.〔〔 However, he has been tentatively identified with a number of people of the same name and rank mentioned in the chronicles: thus he may be the ''patrikios'' Nicetas who owned the house where the Gastria Monastery was built,〔Winkelmann, Lilie, et al. (1998), pp. 420, 424〕〔Treadgold (1988), p. 271〕 or the ''patrikios'' Nicetas who was one of the founders of the Church of St. Stephen in Trigleia, Bithynia.〔Winkelmann, Lilie, et al. (1998), p. 425〕 He is also frequently equated with the admiral Nicetas who in 807–808 led the Byzantine fleet in its reoccupation of Dalmatia and Venice,〔〔Winkelmann, Lilie, et al. (1998), p. 431〕〔Treadgold (1988), pp. 144, 147〕 who in turn is sometimes identified with the Nicetas who was General Logothete in 808–811.〔Treadgold (1988), p. 169〕〔Winkelmann, Lilie, et al. (1998), pp. 431–432〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nicetas the Patrician」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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