concept

Archimandrite (office)

archimandrite

also: архимандрит, отец архимандрит

The superior of an Orthodox monastery, ranking above an ordinary hieromonk; the absent authority the monks cite as having granted the novices permission to fish, an authority Biryukov dismisses as no different from any other self-interested man.

Reading notes

The Bishop §47 the archimandrite
A senior monastic rank, typically the superior of a monastery; here a silent, rather deaf visitor who calls on Bishop Pyotr on business.
At the Mill §12 отца архимандрита
An archimandrite is the superior of an Orthodox monastery, ranking above an ordinary hieromonk -- here the absent authority the monks cite as having granted permission for the novices to fish, which the miller dismisses as no different from any other man's self-interest (loc 13).
On Holy Night §72 a gray-haired archimandrite in a golden miter
An archimandrite is a senior monastic priest ranking just below a bishop, typically the abbot or head of a monastery (or a monastery of some size and standing), entitled to wear a miter (mitra) at services -- explaining why the monastery's superior figure is so described here, distinct from the "Father Superior" (otets namestnik), who serves as his deputy administrator.