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Hegumenos


Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (Greek: ἡγούμενος, trans. hēgoúmenos; Macedonian, Bulgarian and Russian: игумен, Arabic:قُمُّص, tr. qummuṣ; Ukrainian: ігумен ihumen; Georgian: იღუმენი, iğumeni; Romanian: egumen; Serbian: игуман or iguman) is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called a hegumenia or ihumenia (Greek: ἡγουμένη; Serbian: игуманија or igumanija; Russian: игумения). The term means "the one who is in charge", "the leader" in Greek.

Initially the title was applied to the head of any monastery. After 1874, when the Russian monasteries were secularized and classified into three classes, the title of hegumen was reserved only for the lowest, third class. The head of a monastery of the second or first class holds the rank of archimandrite. In the Greek Catholic Church, the head of all monasteries in a certain territory is called the protohegumen.


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