Symeon of Polotsk

Symeon of Polotsk (1629–1680) was a Belarusian-born churchman, poet and educator. Educated at the Kiev Mohyla College, he presented panegyric verses to Tsar Alexis during the tsar's visit to Polotsk in 1656, and moved to Moscow in 1664, where he taught Latin.

From 1667 he served as court poet. He also tutored the tsar's children, including the young Peter. His Baroque plays, among them a comedy of the Prodigal Son, were gathered into published collections. He died in Moscow in 1680.