ABSTRACT
Book Title – Greek Monasticism in Southern Italy: The Life of Neilos in Context (edited by Barbara Crostini and Ines Angeli Murzaku)
Chapter Number & Title – Chapter 8: Nicholas-Nektarious of Otranto: A Greek monk under Roman obedience (by Claudio Schiano)
Nicholas-Nektarios, a thirteenth-century Greek monk, abbot and theologian living in Casole, close to Otranto, had a relevant role in enhancing diplomatic relations between the Roman papacy and the Byzantine Empire and Church, thanks to his knowledge of languages as well as of theological and liturgical systems. He aimed to reaffirm the Greek cultural identity of South-Italian communities by a contentious attitude towards the Pope’s power: such a tension was never openly exposed, but is often detectable in his works, such as in his studies about the foundations of the Papal primacy. According to him, the harmony between patriarchs in accordance with tradition was the only way to achieve the unity of the Churches.
