Kliment Smoliatich

Who is Kliment Smoliatich?

Klim Smoliatich; was an Ancient Rus Orthodox metropolitan.

A Kiev metropolitan and church figure from the Smolensk region, Belarus. A monk of the Zarub Monastery, Klym was elected metropolitan by a synod of the hierarchy of the Rus' church under pressure from Prince Iziaslav Mstislavich. However, his election was never confirmed by the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Klym was also opposed by Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy, Iziaslav's rival, and the bishop of Novgorod the Great, Niphont. After Iziaslav's death he was forced to abdicate as metropolitan and became bishop of Volodymyr-Volynskyi. Klym was an erudite sermonizer and philosopher. His best-known work is Poslaniie do presvitera Khomy, which has survived in two manuscript forms. It contains a symbolic explanation of the Holy Scriptures, and demonstrates his knowledge of Homer, Plato, and Aristotle. Other works are also attributed to him.