10 February 2021

Eastern Rite - Hegumen

Today is the Feast of Saint Anna (Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden), wife of Yaroslav I the Wise, of Novhorod Velykyy and Kyiv.

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Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (Greek: ἡγούμενος, trans. hēgoúmenos) is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called a hegumenia or ihumenia (Greek: ἡγουμένη). The term means "the one who is in charge", "the leader" in Greek.

Initially the title was applied to the head of any monastery. In the Greek Catholic Church, the head of all monasteries in a certain territory is called the protohegumen.

The duties of both hegumen and archimandrite are the same, archimandrite being considered the senior dignity of the two.

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