Résumé :
In this study a new critical edition of the Encomium in honor of St. Matrona of
Chios by Bishop Neilos of Rhodes (1350-1437) is presented, according to the
two manuscripts in which the encomium has come down to us: the Mosquensis
gr. 492, ff. 663r-671r and ff. 487r-496r and the Athoniensis, Dionysiou 228, ff.
15r-36v. In this text, which is the principal source of St. Matrona’s life, Neilos by
using rhetorical expressions, passages from the Old and the New Testament, and
the Fathers’ texts, exalts her virtues, purity and virginity, emphasizing his very
intense love for her. He also recounts her life and her miracles and he reveals
important information about the history of Chios. In addition the service in
honor of St. Matrona is also presented by Neilos a few years before the encomium.
The similarity above the two texts is remarkable, despite the fact that Neilos in
these texts honors his compatriot saint in a different way.
