User:Olgakots/sandbox/Benedict Kralidis

Benedict Kralidis (Thessaloniki, 1765 - 1862) was Archbishop of Dalmatia and Philhellene of the Greek Revolution.

Early life
Benedict Kralidis or Krilievich or Patsavouras was born on 15 January 1765 in Thessaloniki. He had Greek ancestry on his father's side and Bulgarian on his mother's side.

Bishop of Dalmatia in France
Benedict Kralides was appointed monk at the Holy Monastery of Saint Anastasia in Thessaloniki. In 1805, he was elected head of Dalmatia and later Illyria, and is the first Orthodox archbishop of Dalmatia. In 1806 he was ordained titular Bishop of Kratovo and assistant Bishop of the Metropolis of Bosna. He came into conflict with the Ottoman authorities so he was forced to flee to Austria-Hungary where he resided at the Holy Monastery of Bešenovo (north of Sremska Mitrovica). He was forced to leave from there also and to move to Dalmatia and settle there. In 1808 by Napoleon's decision the Orthodox Diocese of Dalmatia was established. Two years later, on 26 March 1810, Benedict was installed as Bishop of Dalmatia. In 1813 the Diocese of Dalmatia came under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan of Carlowig.

Bishop of Dalmatia in Austria-Hungary
In 1815, after Dalmatia was subordinated to Austria-Hungary, Benedict supported the Austrians. After 1818 he showed favorable attitude towards the Greek Catholics (Uniates). In 1821 a failed assassination attempt was made against him. In May 1823 he left for Venice. There, he enjoyed the appreciation of both the Greeks and the Italians. He regularly attended the rituals at the Church of St. George and at the official feasts he officiated. In 1828, on 25 December, he resigned. He joined the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and was appointed Head of the Greek Orthodox Community of Venice. He remained in Venice, where in 1862 he passed away on 1 February.

Death
According to the Act of his Death which exists in the files of the Greek Widow of Venice and his will, he died in 1862 and left some of his vestments in the Church of St. George,and portraiture a work by Locatelli.

Legacy
In 1845, Benedict Kralides notified the Prime Minister Ioannis Kolettis that he was sending through Paul Ardoin some books as a donation for the public library of Athens. Moreover, he informed him that his rich library, which included a number of rare editions of ancient Greek writers, was to be bequeathed to Greece after his death and introduced Mr. Noy as a man good and philhellene, pleading with him to offer his favor. On 10 March and 23 May 1846, he sent to Andronikos Pykon documents regarding the issue of donation of his library to the Macedonian quarter of Nea Pella. From these 2 letters information about his donation to the settlement of the Macedonians located in Atalanti (Fthiotida). In the first letter, he informed the committee of his decision to donate 3,000 volumes from his library, and of his intention to enrich it by purchasing other books. In the second letter, Benedict mentioned elements of his correspondence to send books to the National Library of Greece. Despite the fact of the desire to donate the books to the settlement of the Macedonians from the research it follows that as well as the library of Baron Constantine Belliu they were given to the National Library of Greece.