Leo
2. Of ACHRIS (
Ἀχρίς, or ACHRIDIA (now Okhrida in Albania), was so called because he held the dignity of archbishop of the Greek church among the Bulgarians; and the seat of the archbishopric was commonly fixed at Achris.
He joined about A. D. 1053 with Michael Cerularius, patriarch of Constantinople, in writing a very bitter letter against the pope, which they sent to Joannes, archbishop of Trani in Apulia, to be distributed among the members of the Latin church, prelates, monks, and laity.
A translation of this letter is given by Baronius. (
Annal. Eccles. ad Ann. 1053, xxii. &c.)
The pope, Leo IX., replied in a long letter, which is given in the
Concilia, vol. ix. col. 949, &c., ed. Labbe; vol. vi. col. 927, ed. Hardouin ; vol. xix. col. 635, ed. Mansi; and the following year both Cerularius and Leo of Achris were excommunicated by cardinal Humbert, the papal legate. (Baronius,
ad Ann. 1054, xxv.) Leo wrote many other letters, which are extant in MS. in various European libraries, and are cited by Allatius in his
De Consensu Eccles. Orient. et Occident. ; by Beveridge in his
Codex Canonum ; by Alexis Aristenus in his
Synopsis Epistolarum Canonicrum; and by Nic. Comnenus Papadopoli in his
Praenotiones Mystagogicae. (Fabric.
Bibl. Gr. vol. vii. p. 715; Cave,
Hist. Litt. vol. ii. p. 138, ed. Oxon, 1740; Oudin,
De Scriptorib. et Scriptis Eccles. vol. ii. col. 603.)
