Protasof, Ambrose, a Russian prelate, distin- guished by a talent of oratory unusual in the Russian Church, was born in 1769 at Moscow, lie became a monastic at twenty-five, ami was made archimandrite of a monastery near St. Petersburg ; subsequent]} rector of the seminary of that capital, and in 1804 was elevated to the episcopal see of Seula, from whence lie was trans- ferred in ]nii7 to Kazan and Smirsk. He died in 1880 in Tver. His sermons evince a tub rant spirit. Some have been published in /.' Messagerd* VEwope, others in Ij /'its il, Iii Patrie, but have never been collected in -eparate form. — I loci. r. Nouv. Biog. G ' m rale, s. v. See Otto, Hist, of Russian Literature, s. v.
Protection of the Church, a sort of right of asylum within or near sacred precincts, which prevailed in 10G4 in England from Ad\ enl to the octave of Epiph- any, from Septuagesima to the octave of Easter, In m Ascension to the octave of Penti cost, in Ember weeks, throughout Sunday, on the vigils and feasts of apostles and saints which were bidden on the previous Sunday. All-Saints', the dedication-day of a church, in going to synods, chapters, on pilgrimage, t.> a consecration, or to church. — Walcott, Sacred A rchaology, s. v.
Protectees CardikIles. Every Roman Cath- olic -late ol firs! rank enjoys the right oi b( il sented in the College of Cardinal.- at Rome by ore or several members who have been exalted to that high dignity as natives or naturalized citizens of that state. At the time of the universal domination of th when the Roman see was mix. .1 in all the political con- cerns of the European states, and before the permanent office of the nuncio had become the regular channel of communication between Rome and the Catholic rulers, the cardinals were the natural representatives of the ecclesiastical and political int. rests of their respective countries, and their position was. of course, one of con- siderable importance. Bui even in recenl times tin ir influence has nol entirely vanished; for as they are supposed to be besl acquainted with the institutions, manners, customs, and language of the nations th< j re] - resent, and therefore more capable oi giving the neces- sary information about the ecclesiastical situation of those nations, they are -till, in the different C tioiis of which they are members, intrusted willi the n - vision ot all accounts and n ports on the religious affairs of their pro\ inces, but especially of the r< ferences the worthiness of the elected or nominated archbishops and bishops. Hence their name protectores . With these must not be confounded the clericinationales, or prelates, who occupy in the College of Cardinal.- the situation of secretaries, and must be alternately French, Spaniards. Germans; nor the croum-cardinals, i. .•. the archbishops and bishops who are proposed for the car- dinalate by the ruler of their country, nominal. .1 L\ the
pope, and who received the red bar. t ii the baud of
their Catholic sovereign, but must go to Rome to receive the red hat out of the pope's own hands. The cardinal- protectors reside ill their metropolitanat. . but have a right, on the decease ol the pop''- to give their vote in the .led ion of his successor, and arc them-, h . - eligible to i In papacy. A- not every country has one of it> na- tive- in the ( !ollege, one cardinal frequt nth unites in his hands the protectorate of -. \ . ral countrii -. \V. tz< r u.
Welle. Kir, Ik ii- l.i. r. s. V.
Proterius (also call, d /'• I tares probably his name, but euphonized into the name by which he i- better known), an Eastern prelate of some note because be provoked a Bchism which continues t.> the present
day in the Beets known as the JaCobHet (q. V.) and Melchites (q. \ .). lie flourished about the middle of the 0th century, and Buffered mart yrdom for the Church, lie
PROT. CHURCH OF JERUSALEM G69 PROTESTANT EPISC. CHURCH
had been made a priest by Cyril, bishop of Alexandria, who was well acquainted with his virtues. On the death of Cyril, the see of Alexandria was filled by Dios- corus, who, knowing the reputation of Proterius, did all in his power to gain his confidence and interest, that he might, through him, accomplish his designs. But Pro- terius was not to be corrupted; the welfare of the Church was next his heart, and no worldly preferment could bribe him to forego his duty. Dioscorus, being condemned by the Council of Chalcedon for having embraced the errors of Eutyches, was deposed, and Pro- terius was chosen to fill the vacant see, and approved by the emperor. This occasioned a dangerous insurrec- tion, and the city was divided into two factions. Much mischief was done on both sides, and Proterius was brought into the most imminent danger. The civil authority was set at naught, violence was resorted to, nor was peace restored until a detachment of two thou- sand men was despatched by the emperor to quell the sedition. The discontented party, however, still beheld Proterius with an eye of resentment; the attendance of a guard became necessary; and, although of a mild temper, he was compelled to procure the banishment of several from the city. Upon the emperor Marcian's death, the exiles returned to Alexandria, and seemed resolved to be revenged for what they had suffered in the last reign. Timothy, the head of the conspirators against him, in the absence of Dionvsius, seized on the great Church, and was uncanonically consecrated to the see by two bishops of his faction, who had been deposed for heresy. On the return of Dionvsius, the incendiary Timothy was driven from the city, which so enraged the Eutvchians that they assaulted the house of Pro- terius, who fled to the neighboring church and took ref- uge in the baptistery, thinking that the holiness of the place and of the season (for it was Good-Friday) would protect him. But he was pursued to the church, treated with every indignity, murdered in cold blood, and his body was dragged about the city, torn in pieces, burned, and the ashes scattered in the sea. Proterius was so highly esteemed that his writings were collected at once and recommended as profitable for study to the clergy. His memory is celebrated on Feb. 28; possibly on that day, says Neale, because his name was then re- stored to the diptychs. See Neale, Hist, of the East. Ch. (Patriarchate of Alex.), ii, 5-13; Fox, Book of Mar- tyrs,?. 77. (J.H.W.)