# Cyril — Hypatia character guide

> Cyril in Hypatia by Charles Kingsley.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** the Bow Cyril, Cyril right

**First appearance:** 0007-v-a-day-in-alexandria

## Snapshot

Alexandria's formidable Patriarch, whose quiet smile conceals a will that moves mobs of monks and shakes the city's fragile peace.

## Who they are

Cyril receives Philammon's account of Hypatia's message with a quiet smile and sends the young monk out into the city's filth and poverty before deciding what to do, a calculated delay that leaves Philammon wrestling with new and dangerous thoughts. Bred in the vast monastic establishments of Nitria, where thousands toiled in voluntary poverty, Cyril commands a world of practical industry and fanatic devotion that he can unleash against his enemies. His feud with Orestes and his willingness to let monks and mobs do his bidding make him the gathering storm over Alexandria.

## Relationships

### [Philammon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/characters/philammon)

_professional_

Cyril, as the powerful bishop, employs Philammon as a deacon and agent, using him for church missions and political maneuvers.

### [Philammon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/characters/philammon)

_professional_

Cyril, as the powerful bishop, employs Philammon as a deacon and agent, using him for church missions and political maneuvers.

### [Philammon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/characters/philammon)

_professional_

Cyril, as the powerful bishop, employs Philammon as a deacon and agent, using him for church missions and political maneuvers.

## In the story

### [Hypatia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/chapters/hypatia)

The Bishop of Alexandria, whose political and religious power influences the events and conflicts of the chapter.

### [II: The Dying World](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/chapters/ii-the-dying-world)

Mentioned as the bishop who writes to Orestes about a Jewish plot, asserting his authority.

### [A Day in Alexandria](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/chapters/v-a-day-in-alexandria)

Heard in his chamber, furious over the scourging of his clergy, and resolves to expel the Jews from Alexandria.

### [VI: The New Diogenes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/chapters/vi-the-new-diogenes)

Though not present, his influence is felt as the orchestrator of the attack on the Jews, which drives the chapter's events.

### [VII: Those by Whom Offences Come](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/chapters/vii-those-by-whom-offences-come)

The Patriarch, who cynically encourages Philammon's mission, seeing it as a potential propaganda victory or a convenient way to dispose of a troublesome idealist.

### [VIII: The East Wind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/chapters/viii-the-east-wind)

Philammon seeks an audience with him after receiving the summons.

### [IX: The Snapping of the Bow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/chapters/ix-the-snapping-of-the-bow)

Receives Philammon's report with a quiet smile, dismisses him to labor, and is later embroiled in a crisis involving the Church's honor.

### [XIX: Jews Against Christians](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/chapters/xix-jews-against-christians)

Consults with a monk about the political situation, deciding to keep the news of Heraclian's defeat a secret to let Orestes incriminate himself.

### [XX: She Stoops to Conquer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/chapters/xx-she-stoops-to-conquer)

The Bishop of Alexandria, he masterfully uses the theft and canonization of Ammonius's corpse as a political weapon to incite the populace against Orestes.

### [XXIII: Nemesis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/chapters/xxiii-nemesis)

Mentioned as having made a fool of himself for the first time, and as the target of Orestes' schemes.

### [XXVI: Miriam's Plot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/chapters/xxvi-miriam-s-plot)

Mentioned in Miriam's speech as a rival to Hypatia, highlighting the political and religious tensions of Alexandria.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/characters/cyril
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hypatia_se/characters