Maxim the Greek: An Italian Humanist Who Became a Russian Monk

A lecture by Hieromonk John (Guaita), given on 18 March 2026 at the Alexander Solzhenitsyn Cultural Centre as part of his series 'Christianity and Culture', is devoted to Maxim the Greek (1475-1556). The speaker calls him 'the first intellectual in Rus' and frames the lecture around the dialogue of cultures that his life represents.

The talk opens with a reading and discussion of Psalm 145, after which the speaker poses the question 'Who is he?' and turns to historical background. He then describes Maxim's activities, his connection to Savonarola, and his life as a monk. The central part of the lecture follows Maxim's path to Moscow, his conflict with the metropolitan, his imprisonment in a monastery, and the death of the prince, before tracing the final years of his life.

Toward the end the speaker brings in Antonio Possevino and Maxim's treatise on the monastic life, then opens the floor for questions and answers. Among the questions raised is one concerning the filioque, on which the speaker answers at length, followed by a further round of questions.

The lecture is available on the speaker's Boosty page, and the video is divided into chapters marked by timestamps: the opening and Psalm 145, the biographical sections on Savonarola and monastic life, the Moscow period with the conflict and imprisonment, the closing years and Possevino, the treatise on monastic life, and two question-and-answer sessions with the filioque discussion in between.

The full title of the cycle places Maxim's biography in the context of a wider theme: the meeting of Christianity and culture, with Maxim as a figure who moved between Western humanism and Eastern monasticism.