Archbishop
The great confessor of Orthodoxy, the Metropolitan of Ephesus, was born around 1391–1392 in Constantinople into a noble family. At Baptism he received the name Manuel. From an early age he excelled in learning. His first teacher was his father; later he continued his studies under the renowned professors of Constantinople—John Chortasmenos and George Gemistos Plethon. Soon the gifted young man himself became a teacher and drew close to Patriarch Euthymius. In 1418, at the age of twenty-six, he was tonsured a monk with the name Mark. He lived on the island of Antigone, and later at the Mangana monastery, where he devoted himself to ascetic labors.
In 1437 he was appointed Metropolitan of Ephesus and took part in the Council of Ferrara–Florence. He accepted the rank “by the command and for the need of Christ’s Church.” Saint Mark defended the Orthodox dogmas, refusing to sign the acts of the Union. Returning to Constantinople, he lived there until 1457, struggling for Orthodoxy. His life was filled with suffering and ascetic labor, and he left behind a legacy of faith and devotion to God.
