Chrysostomos I of Cyprus

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Chrysostomos I was a former Archbishop of Cyprus.

Chrysostomos was born on September 27, 1927, in the village of Statos, Paphos province, Cyprus, to a poor family. After finishing primary school in his native village, he continued his studies in Kykkos Monastery. By the scholarship of Kykkos Monastery, whom he served as a monk, he finished the Pancyprian Gymnasium in 1950 and he studied theology and literature in the University of Athens.

Chrysostomos was ordained a deacon on February 18, 1951. The following year, he left Cyprus for Athens for higher studies. He graduated from the Theological School of the University of Athens in 1961 and returned to Cyprus. On October 29, 1961, he was ordained a priest.

Chrysostomos taught theology from 1961 until 1966 at the Pancyprian Gymnasium. He left Cyprus again in 1966 for graduate studies in Greece. On July 28, 1973 he was elected Bishop of Cyprus.

Chrysostomos was a staunch supporter of Archbishop Makarios III. He did not take part in the ecclesiastical coup against him and, after the political coup d' etat of July 15, 1974, worked for Makarios' return to Cyprus. After the latter's death on August 3, 1977, Chrysostomos became interim Archbishop until November 12 of that same year when he was elected as Makarios' successor.

In April 2000 he suffered a severe head injury when he fell from the staircase of the Archiepiscopal Palace and never recovered.

In 2004 it became known that he suffered from Alzheimer's disease and fell into a coma the following year. However he remained Head of the Church of Cyprus due to lack of legislation in church's laws for cases of incapacity.

A Pan-Orthodox Synod was convoked in Constantinople in May 2006 and it was decided that Chrysostomos was to be removed from office due to serious health problems, while retaining his honorific titles.

His successor, Chrysostomos II was elected on September 24, 2006.

Chrysostomos I of Cyprus died on December 22, 2007.

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