Orphanotrophos
Sign in to saveOrphanotrophos () was a Byzantine title for the curator of an orphanage (ὀρφανοτροφεῖον, orphanotropheion). The director of the most important orphanage, the imperial orphanage in Constantinople, established in the 4th century and lasting until the 13th century, eventually rose to become an office of particular significance and ranked among the senior ministers of the Byzantine state.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- occupation
- Subclass of
- official
- Country
- Byzantine Empire
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- inception
- 0300-00-00
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Encyclopedic overview
4 sectionsContents
- History
- List of known ''orphanotrophoi''
- References
- Sources
Orphanotrophos () was a Byzantine title for the curator of an orphanage (ὀρφανοτροφεῖον, orphanotropheion). The director of the most important orphanage, the imperial orphanage in Constantinople, established in the 4th century and lasting until the 13th century, eventually rose to become an office of particular significance and ranked among the senior ministers of the Byzantine state.
== History == In the spirit of Christian philanthropy, the Byzantine world showed particular care towards the weaker members of society, including widows, orphans, the sick or the elderly. Orphans were either adopted by foster parents, or sheltered in monasteries or in orphanages, the latter often run by monasteries.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Orphanotrophos” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.