Administration

ADMINISTRATION OF THE DIOCESAN ACADEMY OF THEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL STUDIES OF THE HOLY METEORA (2019-2022)

Administrative Council (A.C.)

The Academy is governed by a five-member Administrative Council, which decides on all matters concerning its organization and operation. The Council draws up the Academy’s annual operational plan and is generally responsible for establishing its other structures and means. It decides on work, supply and service contracts, all staff appointments and all expenditures covered by the Academy’s budget. It decides on the recruitment and duties of the director of the Academy and is responsible for resolving any issues that arise and vetting all decisions made by the Academy’s Scientific Council.

The president of the A. C. is His Eminence the Metropolitan of Stagoi and Meteora, and his deputy is Protopresbyter Soterios Charisis, theologian and Vicar-General of the Holy Metropolis of Stagoi and Meteora.

The four members of the A. C. are as follows:

1. Archimandrite Nephon Kapsalis, theologian, abbot of the Monastery of the Holy and Great Meteoron and protosynkellos of the Holy Metropolis of Stagoi and Meteora.
2. Archimandrite Dometios Dellis, abbot of the Holy Monastery of the Holy Trinity, graduate in theology and of the School of Physics of Athens University.
3. Deacon Achilleas Polyzos, holder of degrees in law, philology and theology and a master’s degree in liturgics.
4. Herakles Kanatas, lawyer and legal advisor to the Holy Metropolis of Stagoi and Meteora.

Scientific Council (S. C.)

The Scientific Council consists of five (5) ordinary members and is presided over by the Metropolitan or another cleric of the Holy Metropolis of Stagoi and Meteora, providing he holds a doctoral degree or teaches in a higher educational institution. Apart from the President, any of the other four (4) members of the S. C. and their deputies may be a cleric, a monastic or a layperson, regardless of gender. It should be noted that the S. C. has an advisory role, providing scientific advice to help achieve the aims of the Academy.

The ordinary members of the S.C. for the current three-year term are as follows:

1. Elder Symeon Dionysiatis, Protepistatis of Mount Athos. The Reverend Father Symeon is a researcher of Byzantine art with an important record of museological work and publications on Mount Athos and the Meteora. He is also a member of the governing board of the Mount Athos Center and has served as president or member on numerous committees of the Holy Community.
2. Krystallia Mantzana, director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Trikala. As the most senior public servant of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports in the Regional Unit of Trikala, she is in charge of the protection and management of local antiquities. Before 2014, Ms. Mantzana served as director of the 19^th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities.
3. Nikolaos Vryzidis, a graduate in art history and archaeology of the University of London. Dr. Vryzidis has held research appointments at different institutions, including the British School at Athens and Koç University in Istanbul. He currently is a postdoctoral researcher at the School of History and Archaeology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and teaches art history and material culture at the Universities of Athens and West Attica.

The alternate members of the S.C. are as follows:

1. Archimandrite Nephon Kapsalis, abbot of the Monastery of the Holy and Great Meteoron and protosynkellos of our Holy Metropolis.
2. Elias Giarenis, Associate Professor in Byzantine History at the School of History of the Ionian University, and Vice Rector for Finance, Student Care and Quality Assurance at the same institution. Prof. Giarenis is also member of the Hellenic Historical Society and the Centre for Ionian Studies.
3. Miltiadis Polyviou, architect (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), holder of a master’s degree in Byzantine archaeology from the Faculty of Philosophy at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a doctorate from the School of Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens. Dr. Polyviou has worked for the Archaeological Service and has served a member of the governing boards of the Centre for the Preservation of Athonite Heritage and of the Christian Archaeological Society.
4. Paraskevi Papadimitriou, member of the laboratory and teaching staff (EDIP) of the Dept. of Pastoral and Social Theology of the Faculty of Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a postdoctoral researcher at the School of History and Archaeology of the same university.
5. Aristeidis Zachos, an engineer specializing in the renovation and restoration of buildings, with experience in the surveying of Byzantine monuments.

Directorship of the Academy of Theological and Historical Studies of the Holy Meteora  

The director of the Academy is responsible for implementing the decisions of the Administrative Council. In addition, he coordinates the operation and activities of the Academy and directs and supervises the work of those responsible for its individual departments.

The director for the three-year term 2019-2022 is Dr. Constantine M. Vapheiades, assistant professor of art history (Area of study: Art and techniques of Orthodox painting from the Late Middle Ages to the Modern Era) at the Higher Ecclesiastical Academy of Athens and curator of the historical archive of the Monastery of the Holy and Great Meteoron.