Proces sądowy protosyngla i egzarchy patriarszego arcydiakona Nicefora Paraschesa Kantakuzena

Nikephoros was born around 1537 in Trikala in Thesalia. After the monastic tonsure in 1557, he went to study in the famous university of Padua. In 1572 he was nominated patriarch’s Exarch in Venice, though still remaining the administrator of patriarch Jeremiah. He arrived in Constantinople around 1580 at the time of return to the patriarchal throne of Jeremiah II Tranos. Jeremiah had an excellent knowledge of the level of the church life and of problems of the Slavs. Multilateral action against the efforts of Vatican to impose the new church calendar on the orthodox inhabitants of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was an excellent means to tighten the bonds with the distant province of the patriarchal throne. Jeremiah sent for the first time protosyncel Nikephoros, archimandrite Dionisios and their translator Theodore in order to obviate the problem and deliver patriarch’s letters addressed to the hierarchs as well as the orthodox faithful in the Commonwealth. In a decree of the Misonos synod in Constantinople of 1592 the patriarchs of the East expressed the necessity of sending to the Commonwealth the ecumenical patriarch’s exarch. Based on the common decision of the patriarch Jeremiah of Constantinople, Meletios of Alexandria and the representatives of Antiochia and Jerusalem the protosyncel Nikephoros was appointed for this post. He was assigned the first in the Church hierarchy, the eldest among the teachers and the protosyncel of the ecumenical throne with all the rights to intervene in the affaires of the diocese belonging to the 51patriarchate of Constantinople. He was also given the right to supervise, summon church trials and counsel in the matters of faith as well as in other church affaires. In 1595 Nikephoros set off for the Commonwealth, but was arrested and imprisoned while crossing the border. He managed to escape after 6 months. Then he strived to fortify and defend the faith, to propagate education. Moreover he was a lecturer at the Ostrog Academy, he dealt with the apostasy among the hierarchy. His activity made him many enemies, therefore Nikephoros was falsely accused of spying for the Turkish/Osman Empire, entering the Commonwealth against the king’s ban, usurping the role of the representative of the patriarch of Constantinople. During the law suit he was also accused of participating in the anti-union synod in Brest. Several prosecutors withdrew their accusations, even the judges were not sure that Nikephoros was guilty, therefore king Sigismund II Vasa could not give the court’s ruling and delayed it till more satisfying evidence would be gathered. In the meantime Nikephoros was kept in the stronghold in Malbork. Though Nikephoros was never proven guilty and despite numerous interventions of patriarch of Constantinople, of patriarch Meletios of Alexandria and of prince Constantine Ostrogsky as well as of many others, the patriarch’s Exarch for Commonwealth died in prison of hunger. He died like a martyr for having fought for orthodoxy against the powerful of the Commonwealth wanting to introduce the Church union.