A description of the Present State of Samos, Nicaria, Patmos and Mount Athos. By Joseph Georgirenes, Arch-Bishop of Samos. Now living in London. Translated by one that knew the author in Constantinople. …

Moses Pitt

W.G.

Denton, Henry

Georgirenes, Joseph

Joseph Georgirenes was born in Milos. He was consecrated Archbishop of Samos in 1666 and was in office until 1671, when he retired to the island of Patmos in order to escape increasing Turkish oppression.

Bound together with Thomas Smith "Remarks Upon the Manners, Religion and Government of the Turks … London, 1678". Advertisment for other works sold by Moses Pitt on p. 112, including an advertisment for Smith's work, priced at 3s. Provenance: Book stamp "Cathedral Library, Ely"; Library stamp, in ink: "Sold by [order of] the Dean and Chapter." Hand-written ownership signature "John Bludwicke, Sept. 24, 1686." Signatures; Head- and Tail-pieces; Catchwords. References: Blackmer 672; Atabey 489; Weber II: 727

While living in Patmos, in 1674, Joseph Georgirenes became acquainted with Antoine Galland, who had docked on the island after his tour of the Archipelago and the Levant. Georgirenes and Galland met again a few years later, in 1677, in Paris. Galland suggested that Georgirenes write a treatise on Samos, Patmos and Ikaria, the three islands he was most familiar with, as well as on Mount Athos, a place he also knew well from the six years he had spent there previously. Georgirenes wrote the work in Greek and Galland started translating it in French. (Galland's translation was only published posthumously, in Didier Viviers ed., "Voyages Inedits" (2001); this work is included in the EJF collection, see entry number 9477). Georgirenes then travelled to London, arriving there in 1676. He was instrumental in establishing the Greek Church in Soho (later St. Mary's, Crown Street), which was built under his auspices between 1676-1680. While in England he met Henry Denton, whom he had met previously, when Denton was Chaplain to the English Embassy at Constantinople (c. 1664-1673). Denton translated Georgirenes' work into English and also added the dedication to James, Duke of York, in Greek and English. A German translation was published in 1689.

Ικαρία--1666-1671, Σάμος--1666-1671, Πάτμος--1666-1671, Άθως--1666-1671