12th–13th century
Saint Michael Choniates
A scholarly Metropolitan of Athens in the late twelfth century, remembered for defending the city and for his surviving letters.
Biography
Michael Choniates, brother of the historian Niketas Choniates, was the last Metropolitan of Athens before the Frankish conquest (1182–1204). A learned admirer of the city's classical past, he defended Athens both from outside threats, such as Leo Sgouros's assault in 1203, and from the abuses of contemporary officials.
After the city fell in 1204 he went into self-imposed exile on Kea, still looking after his flock from there, and died around 1222 at a monastery near Thermopylae. His surviving letters are today a valuable source for the history of Attica in that period.