On October 8, 2025, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa resolved to canonize Patriarch Sylvester among the Saints. His memory is celebrated on February 19. Below is the proposal that was submitted for his canonization.
Life of Patriarch Sylvester of Alexandria: The Proposal for Canonization
By Archbishop Makarios of Kenya and Exarch of All East Africa
By Archbishop Makarios of Kenya and Exarch of All East Africa
Introduction: The Monastic Path to Holiness and the Formation of Future Leaders
When in the past I had the honor of presenting to the Synod the proposal for the canonization of the Patriarchs of Alexandria — Joachim, Meletios, Cyril Loukaris, and Gerasimos Palladas — I did not imagine that today I would stand again before you to propose yet another Saint and Patriarch: Sylvester of Alexandria.
What is remarkable is that, like the others, this Patriarch too was directly connected with the Sacred Monastery of Agarathos, as I describe below — that sacred place which nurtured and produced so many who later shone as bishops and patriarchs of the Church.
The life of the monk, especially in the Orthodox Church, is not merely a personal search for holiness, but a deeply communal and ecclesiastical journey toward it.
Monasteries, as sacred spaces of prayer, asceticism, and communal life, have historically been fertile ground for cultivating not only future bishops and patriarchs but also saints. They are places where the soul is nourished, deeper spiritual realities are revealed, and people are prepared to fulfill their God-given mission within the life of the Church.
Origin and Early Formation
Patriarch Sylvester of Alexandria was born in Crete (in Heraklion / Chandax), in the village of Stephanon, and was originally named Sergios, most likely in the early 16th century (about 1510–1525), and not in 1549 as some sources state. The year 1549 is more probably the year of his ordination, although sufficient testimonies confirming this have not been found.
He studied under the well-known teacher Thomas Eleavoulkos Notaras. His humility is reflected in his writings, which show that he was not excessively academic; nevertheless he deeply valued educated clergy and preserved many manuscripts — a Psalter even bears an inscription stating that he renewed it in the year 1572.
After his studies he became a monk at the dependency (metochion) of Sinai in Crete, at the Sacred Monastery of Agarathos, eventually becoming its abbot, where he later also received his compatriot and future successor, Meletios Pegas.
For Patriarch Sylvester, the spiritual atmosphere and discipline in the monastery proved decisive and transformative, offering the most suitable environment for his later contributions both to monastic life and to the wider Church. Within this saint-bearing community his devotion to prayer, ascetic practice, and humility was formed — virtues that would later guide him in his high duties as patriarch.
The Sacred Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos of Agarathos is a brilliant example of this truth. There Patriarch Sylvester of Alexandria began his monastic training, preparing for his future pastoral leadership. The time he spent in the monastery was not only a period of spiritual progress but a foundational experience shaping his views on monasticism and church administration.
This monastery long served as a source of spiritual and ecclesiastical leadership, with many bishops, patriarchs, and saints coming from its ranks. It is worth noting that the present Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria Theodoros II of Alexandria also comes from this same monastery.
It must also be emphasized that life in a monastery is always transformative. Daily prayer, the ascetic practice of obedience and humility, and works of philanthropy are not merely acts of discipline but the means by which the soul is purified and led into deeper communion with God. This transformative dimension explains why Sylvester was entrusted by the Ecumenical Patriarch with a mission to Mount Athos in order to examine the condition of the monasteries there.
He did not limit himself to identifying the problems they faced, but redirected them toward authentic communal monastic life, making several of them cenobitic, as I shall describe below. His personal formation as a monk became the seed of his later offering to the broader Church.
His Elevation to Leadership
It is not known when and how he became associated with Patriarch Joachim of Alexandria, but testimonies indicate that he served beside him as archdeacon. Most sources place his enthronement as Patriarch on April 12, 1569, while others mention 1566.
It was a time of upheaval: the Ottoman campaign against Cyprus, the destruction that followed, and the Christian reprisals in Egypt after the naval defeat of the Turkish fleet by the united Christian forces at the Battle of Lepanto (Nafpaktos) in 1571. Sylvester endured this turbulent period with pastoral courage, shepherding a suffering flock under oppressive conditions.
Sylvester of Alexandria and the Defense of Orthodoxy
It is especially striking to recall that the one who first invited the later illustrious Patriarch Meletios Pegas to the Agarathos Monastery was Sylvester himself, while he was still serving as Abbot. Was this merely a coincidence, or rather divine providence? For when Sylvester was elevated to the Patriarchal Throne of Alexandria, his successor at Agarathos was the then-young Meletios, who in time would himself be raised to the same Throne.
Historical research reminds us that during those difficult centuries in the East, under the heavy yoke of Ottoman rule, the Orthodox Church faced extremely serious threats from Jesuit missionaries. Patriarch Sylvester waged an unwavering struggle so that this foreign propaganda would not find fertile ground. It was thanks to his vigilance and unshakable faith that Orthodoxy was preserved during those dark and dangerous times.
His Ecclesiastical Work Beyond Egypt
Sylvester actively defended the rights and order of other ancient Patriarchates and spiritual centers:
• Constantinople (1574) — participated in synods concerning Cyprus and the Archbishopric of Sinai
• Cyprus — defended ecclesiastical jurisdiction
• Patmos (1578, 1579) — reorganized communal monastic life
• Mytilene (1578 and 1584) — visited the monasteries twice for their restoration
• Trebizond — issued a patriarchal sigillion in favor of the Monastery of Soumela
• Calendar Question (1583) — signed the crucial encyclical rejecting the Gregorian Calendar
• Moscow (1585) — secured financial assistance for the Church
• Constantinople (later) — contributed to the restoration of communion after patriarchal disputes
Mount Athos and the Revival of Monasticism
Sylvester was commissioned by the Ecumenical Patriarch to examine and reform the deteriorating monastic condition on Mount Athos.
His mission:
• Correction of disorder and fragmentation caused by the widespread expansion of the idiorrhythmic system
• Restoration of true cenobitic monasticism, founded on unity, obedience, and common prayer
• Observance of the teaching of the Holy Fathers concerning communal ascetic life
During the early years of the 16th century the monastic communities of Mount Athos were experiencing a serious crisis due to the decline of genuine ascetic monastic principles.
The idiorrhythmic system — in which monks live independently in cells and follow prayer and work schedules individually — had become extremely widespread. Although not in itself an erroneous system, it had become a cause of division and weakening among the Athonite communities. Unity and mutual support, fundamental elements of cenobitic life, had significantly diminished.
Perceiving the danger, the Ecumenical Patriarch entrusted Sylvester to investigate the situation on Mount Athos. His visit revealed the extent of the decline. He concluded that although the monks were personally pious, they had lost the communal ideal that had been one of the strongest characteristics of ancient Christian monasticism.
To address this situation, Sylvester strongly supported a return to the cenobitic system — the way in which monks live, pray, eat, and work together under the guidance of the abbot. He believed this model would cultivate unity, humility, and deeper devotion to ascetic life.
His efforts led to a profound transformation of the Monastery of Vatopaidi and other monasteries in that Holy Place, rekindling the communal spirit and restoring the purpose and cohesion of the monastic brotherhoods.
Through his work, Patriarch Sylvester not only preserved the integrity of monasticism on Mount Athos but also set a bright example for many other monastic centers of the Orthodox world.
Patriarchal letters, sigillia, and typika testify to the reforms he carried out with authority and the blessing of the Ecumenical Throne.
Although the results of these measures were uneven — since resistance among the Athonites ensured the preservation of idiorrhythmic practices even into later times — nevertheless Sylvester’s cooperation with Constantinople shows that the Patriarchate of Alexandria continued to participate vitally in pan-Orthodox matters.
Sylvester does not appear as a passive or merely local figure, but as a patriarch who offered his authority and support to broader movements of renewal in the Church, especially in the field of monasticism.
His lasting friendship with Ignatios of Methymna gives us a more personal aspect of his character.
Saint Ignatius — who left behind rich theological and pastoral writings — often reflects the same spirit of renewal that inspired Sylvester. Through this friendship the spiritual and divinely-inspired bonds connecting Alexandria, Constantinople, and Mount Athos during that period become evident.
In this way Sylvester may be considered a bridge-figure: although he himself did not leave a large written corpus, his collaborations, alliances, and patriarchal interventions make him a key factor in the Orthodox renewal of the 16th century — a renewal aimed at strengthening the Church’s inner life and resisting the dual pressure of Ottoman rule and Western missionary intervention.
His importance lies chiefly in his role in the Athonite reforms; together with Patriarch Jeremiah II of Constantinople and Saint Ignatios of Methymna — whose relics Sylvester himself exhumed and found to be myrrh-streaming — he proclaimed the necessity of limiting the idiorrhythmic system in the Athonite monasteries and restoring the ancient cenobitic life.
These reforms belong to the broader wave of Orthodox renewal after the Council of Trent, which sought to strengthen discipline, education, and unity of the Church in view of Eastern hardships and heterodox activity.
Furthermore, he reorganized monasticism in Patmos and Mytilene, demonstrating that his vision extended also to other ancient centers of Orthodoxy.
A Leader Who Labored Through Illness and Trials
Sylvester stayed for a time in Tanis while Meletios Pegas struggled to restore ecclesiastical order in Alexandria. For a period, slanders caused distrust between them, but their correspondence restored peace and strengthened their cooperation. As early as 1581, Sylvester had already indicated Meletios as his successor.
He returned briefly to Egypt in 1586, strengthening and consoling the Russian benefactors of the Patriarchate. But his health deteriorated severely, forcing him once again to travel for medical reasons. Nevertheless, he never ceased urging Meletios to assume full patriarchal responsibility.
His Repose and His Legacy
On February 19, 1590, Patriarch Sylvester fell asleep in the Lord in Lindos of Rhodes, far from the patriarchal throne, yet warmly surrounded by the prayers of his spiritual child Meletios and of the entire Church of Alexandria.
Alexandria, Oxford, and Spiritual Communion
The relationship of Alexandria with the centers of learning and wisdom of the West — especially Oxford — continued after the time of Sylvester, reflecting the same universal and spiritual radiance that shaped the man himself. The Codex Alexandrinus, preserved from the dangers of the Ottomans by Patriarch Cyril Loukaris, remains a living symbol of this historical bond and spiritual kinship.
The Path of Holiness: Why the Church Proclaims Saints
For the Church, the saints are those who bear the gifts of the Holy Spirit and proclaim the joyful message of salvation and the Resurrection. At the heart of this proclamation lies the greatest, indivisible, and deeply rooted message: the virtue of love. Through love, the saints become living witnesses of God’s presence among His people.
Holiness is not defined by strangeness nor by inaccessible perfection, but by a life transformed by the energies of God, in which every thought, word, and deed is permeated by divine love.
The saints are not “superhuman,” nor exceptionally strong merely by willpower. They are those who entrusted themselves to divine grace, who through patience, humility, and unceasing prayer were united with God and manifested His holiness in the world.
Thus canonization is not a human recognition of virtue but a divine confirmation of transformation. The Church carefully and wisely discerns the life, testimony, and fruits of sanctity, often confirmed through evident miracles, healings, or enduring saving influence.
The Case of Patriarch Sylvester
Throughout his life Patriarch Sylvester embodied the path of holiness:
• as a monk perfected through prayer
• as a reformer preserving the purity of monasticism
• as a patriarch keeping watch over Orthodoxy
• as a shepherd enduring and suffering together with his people in times of tribulation
His life offers the necessary fruits of sanctity which the Church is called to recognize.
Conclusion: The Call to Holiness Through the Example of Patriarch Sylvester
In conclusion, the life of Patriarch Sylvester of Alexandria stands as a radiant example of the transformative power of monasticism and the path toward holiness.
His deep monastic formation, his agonizing efforts to renew the communal ascetic life on Mount Athos and throughout the Orthodox world, his unwavering defense of Orthodoxy, his humility, and his peaceful repose — all testify that he is truly worthy to be honored among the saints.
His canonization would not merely be an honorary remembrance of his person, but a source of inspiration for future generations, that they may walk the path of holiness with humility, prayer, and love for Christ — just as he did. His spiritual imprint remains alive in the monasteries, in the Patriarchate of Alexandria, and throughout the entire Orthodox Church even to our own days.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
