Saint Proclus of Constantinople

Proclus of Constantinople (Greek: Πρόκλος; c. 390 – 24 July 446) was the Archbishop of Constantinople from 434 until his death. Renowned for his homiletic abilities, Proclus played a central role in the Nestorian controversy. His contributions to the theology of the developing cult of the Virgin Mary place him among the early and foremost Marian theologians. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Catholic Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Oriental Orthodoxy. Proclus was born around the year 390 and became a reader in Constantinople at a young age. He studied rhetoric and classical authors under private tutors, and came under the influence of Alexandrian intellectuals who had emigrated to the city.: 10–16  He is traditionally held to have been the friend and disciple of Saint John Chrysostom (397–405), who is said to have ordained him. However, Constas shows that this link between the two men was retroactively created in the Medieval period.: 22–25  Instead, Proclus was a disciple of and personal secretary to archbishop Atticus of Constantinople (406–425) who was impressed by his talents as a writer, rhetorician, and orator. During his episcopate, Atticus ordained Proclus deacon and priest, and the young man quickly became an essential part of the archiepiscopal administration. He acted both as scribe and as ghost-writer for his bishop, who was less eloquent and intellectually well-rounded than his protege. During the course of pastoral and diplomatic visits to the Imperial residences, Proclus forged his lasting relationships with the Imperial family.: 35–37  He was a candidate to succeed Atticus upon the latter's death in 425, but the populace favoured the elderly Sisinnius I of Constantinople (426–427) for his lack of affiliation with local rivalries and his charity to the poor. Proclus befriended him, and Sisinnius consecrated him Bishop of the dependent See of Cyzicus in 426.