Procopius Dendrinos

Procopius Dendrinos was a Greek schemaarchimandrite, abbot of St Panteleimon Monastery on Athos, a learned theologian and great zealot of Orthodoxy. He reposed on 11 August 1848. He is venerated by the faithful, without a synodal canonization.

According to Father Menas (Budanov), he was a Greek from Odessa, recorded in the monastery's register as Papandopulo. With so much learning he could have risen beyond the rank of archimandrite, but he declined glory. He wrote books: Questions and Answers on the Orthodox Faith (Constantinople, 1835), a Guide to Holy Scripture (Aegina, 1831) and Christian Teaching, or Holy Catechism (Athens, 1841); unpublished works are also kept in the monastery archive.

In 1839 he was one of the initiators of the second and final invitation to the Russians; he led the delegation sent to the hieroschemamonk Paul, and his success meant that the Russians returned for good. At their reception he gave an ardent speech in Greek, with many Slavonic expressions, and wept with them: St Mitrophan was no longer a guest, he said, but had come to stay; the mother monastery rejoiced that her scattered children were returning after more than a hundred and twenty years of wandering. He passed to the Lord quietly during Matins, after saying the exclamation God, have mercy on us and bless us.