Makarios the Second, Archbishop, also known as Makarios Myrianthefs

A fighter in national struggles, Archbishop of Cyprus from 1947 until 1950 and -before that –Bishop of Kyrineia (Keryneia) from 1917 until 1947. He is known as Makarios Myrianthefs because he descended from Marathasa. He was born in the village of Prodromos in 1870 and he died in Nicosia in 1950. His secular name was Michail Charalampous Papaioannou. He first received education in his village and then he attended the “School of Lemythou”. He then continued his studies in the Hellenic School of Nicosia. In 1895 he was ordained as a deacon under the name of Makarios and he was sent abroad for higher studies. He studied in the “”Megali tou Genous Scholi (“Great School of the Nation”) in Constantinople as well as in the School of Theology in Chalki. In 1900 he registered in the School of Theology of the National University of Athens. In 1905 he went to Geneva for postgraduate studies and after 1908 he returns to Cyprus. He was appointed as the preacher in the Metropolitan See of Kition. Later, in 1911 he went to Alexandria in order to work. There, the Patriarch pre-ordained him as priest and Archimandrite (Church Dean). In 1912 he joined the Greek Army as a volunteer and with the outbreak of the Balkan Wars he served as a Chaplain with distinction. He was honored with the Silver Cross of the Savior and a medal. He returned to Cyprus in 1915 and he was appointed as the Archimandrite of the Archdiocese and the Secretary of the Holy Synod. Makarios was elected to the throne of Keryneia on the 20/03/1917.

Bishop of Keryneia: He served for thirty whole years –from 1817 until 1947 -as the Bishop of Keryneia. However, during the period from 1931 until 1946 (15 years) he was in exile.

Makarios was an uncompromising fighter, coming out against every kind of compromise with the British Colonialists and in favor of a solution for the Cyprus problem through an immediate and unconditional union of the island with Greece. Makarios was the instigator and the one forging the uncompromising pro-enosis circles that had the Metropolitan See of Keryneia as their bulwark, his successor in the Bishopric throne of Keryneia, Bishop Kyrpianos, also following on his footprints. As a national leader Makarios was rigid and uncompromising but at the same time honest, pure, and a sincere fighter. Apart from participating in the Balkan Wars as a volunteer, he also raised money in his district extensively from 1926 until 1928 and –as a result –he gathered the amount of 2800 C.P., which for the time was not considered negligible. The greatest part of the amount was used for the reinforcement of the Greek Air Force. One airplane that was bought was honorably named “Kyrineia”.

Makarios was characterized by his fiery patriotic speeches and orations. He also worked for the promotion of education in his Diocese, where he founded schools and reinforced the existing ones. He himself was frugal and able to be content with little but also strict in the performance of his duties, showing interest even for the countryside, agriculture, and also the uplifting of both the people and the clergy. He was the first to introduce the Vacation Pay (“thirteenth salary”) for the clergymen of his district. He also established churches and renovated others.

The intense and combative activities of Makarios for the nation and in favor of the Union with Greece resulted in his exile in October 1931, right after the insurrection known as the “Oktovriana” (The October Revolt). He was one of the ten Cypriot political leaders that were then exiled, being considered as the protagonists of the revolt against the British.

He was arrested on the 26th of October and he was sent to exile, finally settling in Greece. Living in the “Pagkrati” suburb of Athens he went through the ordeals of World War II there and experienced the German-Italian occupation.

After the end of W.W. II and under the newly created circumstances, the decree for Makarios’s exile was withdrawn. Makarios returned to Cyprus on the 22nd of December 1946, where he was received with great enthusiasm. In the meantime, his replacement, Leontios, was leading a deputation that had gone to London and so Makarios immediately assumed duties as the Chairman of the “Council of the Ethnarchy”. Amongst other things, he presided over a large demonstration that was organized in Nicosia on 16/02/1947 in support of the work assumed by the Deputation lead by Leontios.

Makarios, Archbishop of Cyprus: Unfortunately Leontios died only 36 days after his election to the dignity of Archbishop. The Church of Cyprus did not have time to fully reorganize itself and after Leontios’s death (26th of July 1947), Makarios of Kyrineia remained the only young candidate for the Archbishopric Throne, having also assumed duties as Deputy. Cyprus’s Left Wing, which opposed Makarios, had sided against his candidacy and promoted the –still living abroad - «exoklimatikos» (which means not a member of the Synod of Cyprus’s Church) metropolitan Bishop of Derka, Ioakeim, as its own candidate. The latter, although he insinuated that he would accept possibly being elected, was forced to leave Cyprus in a hurry after receiving an order by the Patriarchate of Constantinople –which he belonged and answered to and which favored the election of Kyrineia’s Makarios as new Archbishop, something also openly supported by Athens. The Ecumenical Patriarchate then sent another two Bishops to Cyprus -the metropolitan Bishops of Pergamos Adamantios and of Sardeis Maximos –so as to complete the number of three metropolitan Bishops necessary for the election of an Archbishop. And so, despite that the Left continued promoting Ioakeim of Derka as a candidate, the election of Kyreinia’s Makarios was now certain. Indeed, he was elected as the new Archbishop of Cyprus on the 24th of December 1947.

Makarios the Second served for a short period of time as Archbishop of Cyprus, from 24/12/1947 until his death on 28/6/1950; that is, for a period of two and a half years.