Likhud Brothers Greek Orthodox monks Date of Birth: . Country: Greece

1. Early Life and Education
2. Arrival in Moscow and Early Teaching
3. Conflict and Expulsion from the Academy
4. Later Life and Controversies

Early Life and Education

The Greek Orthodox monks who became the first teachers at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, the first officially recognized higher education institution in Russia, were of Greek nationality and descended from a Byzantine royal bloodline. They were born in Kefalonia and received their education in Greece, Venice, and the University of Padua. Prior to coming to Moscow, they served as teachers and preachers in Greece.

Arrival in Moscow and Early Teaching

In 1683, as part of a diplomatic initiative by the Russian government, the Lihudi brothers (Ioanniky and Sophronius) were invited to Moscow by Tsar Feodor and Patriarch Joachim to teach at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. They arrived in March 1685, beginning their teaching immediately. Despite encountering resistance from Western Russian scholars, they taught grammar, poetics, rhetoric, logic, and physics for eight years.

Conflict and Expulsion from the Academy

In 1688, Ioanniky Lihudi traveled to Venice as a Russian ambassador, remaining there for about four years. In 1694, due to conflicts and accusations made by the Jerusalem Patriarch Dositheus II, both brothers were removed from teaching at the academy and assigned to work at the Moscow printing house.

Later Life and Controversies

In 1697, they were tasked with teaching Italian to 55 individuals (only 10 ended up studying). They continued to face accusations of heresy and political intrigue, leading to their exile to the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma in 1701.

In 1706, they were permitted to establish a Slavic-Greek-Latin school in Novgorod, modeled after the one in Moscow. They were later recalled to Moscow to assist in the revision of the Bible, Sophronius in 1709 and Ioanniky in 1716.

After Ioanniky's death around 1720, Sophronius became the abbot of the Solotchinsky Monastery in the Ryazan diocese. However, he faced opposition and persecution from the monks, who resented his appointment. He eventually fled to Moscow, but his complaints went largely unaddressed.