Saint Cyrus of Alexandria

Cyrus of Alexandria (Arabic: المقوقس al-Muqawqis, Greek: Κῦρος Ἀλεξανδρείας; d. 21 March 642) was a prominent figure in the 7th century. He served as a Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and held the position of the second-last Byzantine prefect of Egypt. As Prefect, he heavily persecuted the Copts, and during the Arab conquest of Egypt, continually pushed for surrender and sabotaged the Byzantine military's defence of the country. Notably, he also played a significant role in the development of monothelitism. Cyrus died in Alexandria on March 21, 642. Cyrus was born in the late 6th century. He was from the Caucasus region, hence the nickname Al-Muqawqis, from the Coptic ⲡⲓⲕⲁⲩⲕⲟⲥ meaning "the Caucasian". He had a sister, who married Domentianus the governor of Faiyum. Arab sources (mainly Al-Waqidi) name various other relatives of Cyrus, such as a daughter named Armenousa, another daughter Luliyah, two sons Aristulis and Paul, a brother Andrew, a nephew Masius, and a maternal uncle al-Hamuk or al-Hamirak who had twelve sons, including Sata and Hizbar. However, Karl Stowasser describes these relatives as "pure legend". In 620, he assumed the position of Bishop of Phasis in Colchis. In 626, during the Persian campaign led by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, he was consulted regarding a plan proposed by Sergius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, aimed at reconciling the Miaphysites of Egypt with the Church and gaining their support for the empire. This plan, known as the monenergist plan, involved accepting the Chalcedonian principle of two natures of Christ while effectively nullifying it by asserting that he possessed only one energy, referred to as hèn thélema kaì mía enérgeia (ἓν θέλημα καὶ μία ἐνέργεια). Cyrus embraced this formula after Sergius assured him that Pope Honorius I in Rome had endorsed it and that it did not contradict the teachings of the Church Fathers or the decisions made at the Council of Chalcedon.