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Procopius of Constantinople (
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
: Προκόπιος), original surname ''Pelekasis'' (Πελεκάσης; 1730 – 13 March 1812) served as
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox ...
during the period 1785–1789.


Biography

Procopius was born in Sitsova of
Messenia Messenia or Messinia ( ; ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a prefecture (''nomos' ...
in 1730. When he was 12 years old, he followed his older brother, Neophytus, metropolitan bishop of Ganos and Chora (Eastern Thrace), who helped him finish basic education. Later, he ordained him
deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...
and
presbyter Presbyter () is an honorific title for Christian clergy. The word derives from the Greek ''presbyteros'', which means elder or senior, although many in Christian antiquity understood ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning as overseer ...
, and when Neophytus died in 1759, Procopius succeeded him, after request of the people of the
metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...
. Procopius remained in this metropolis for 11 years, until 1770, when he was transferred to the
Metropolis of Smyrna The Metropolis of Smyrna () is an ecclesiastical territory (diocese) of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, modern Turkey. The Christian community of Smyrna was one of the Seven Churches of Asia, mentioned by Apostle John in the Book o ...
, which he managed to pacify after the disruption caused by his predecessor, Kallinikos. Procopius ordained Georgios Angelopoulos deacon and even made him
protosyncellus A protosyncellus, protosynkellos or protosyngel () is the principal deputy of the bishop of an eparchy for the exercise of administrative authority in an Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic church. The equivalent position in the Western Chris ...
of the metropolis; Angelopoulos would go on to become a Patriarch and a Saint, under the name of
Gregory V of Constantinople Gregory V of Constantinople (; 1746 – 10 April 1821), born ''Georgios Angelopoulos'' (), was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1797 to 1798, from 1806 to 1808, and from 1818 to 1821. He was responsible for much restoration work to ...
. During his reign, many churches were built, though it wasn't possible to get the permission for the construction of the church of
Samaritan woman at the well The Samaritan woman at the well is a figure from the Gospel of John. John 4:4–42 relates her conversation with Jesus at Jacob's Well near the city of Sychar. Biblical account The woman appears in : This episode takes place before the ...
. During the period 1780–1782, Procopius was a member of the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and resided in Constantinople. On 29 June 1785, he was elected Patriarch of Constantinople. He was ascetic, modest and hard-working. He dealt with the economic and administrative issues of the Patriarchate, trying to limit the external influence in ecclesiastic issues. Thus, he clashed with the ruler of
Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
,
Alexander Mavrocordatos Firaris Alexander (II) Mavrocordatos (, ; 1 July 1754 – 8 February 1819), surnamed Firaris (, from ) was a Phanariote who served as Prince of Moldavia from 1785 to 1786. Life Alexander was the son of John II Mavrocordatos, and served as Grand Dr ...
, who had elected the metropolitan bishop of Moldavia, Romanos Leontas, on his own. In 1787, the second Russo-Turkish War broke out and the Sultan forced Procopius to renounce the revolutionary movements, as well as gather more taxes and people to reinforce the Ottoman Forces. With his acquiescent stance, he caused reactions and made enemies. With decree from the Sultan,
Selim III Selim III (; ; was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. Regarded as an enlightened ruler, he was eventually deposed and imprisoned by the Janissaries, who placed his cousin Mustafa on the throne as Mustafa IV (). A group of a ...
, he was forced to resign on 30 April 1789 and was exiled to the
Great Lavra The Monastery of Great Lavra () is the first monastery built on Mount Athos, on the Athos peninsula in geographical Macedonia, northeastern Greece. It is located on the southeastern foot of the Mount at an elevation of . The founding of the ...
in
Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...
. In 1797, he returned to his home village. Where he resided in a monastic cell next to the Church of Saint Nicholas of Sitsova. Procopius died in 1812 and was buried next to the church. Later, his bones were transported to the Monastery of Mardakios, after the cares of the metropolitan bishop of Messenia, Meletios Sakellaropoulos. When Chrysostomos Daskalakis was the metropolitan of Messenia, he unveiled a bust of his predecessor.


Notes and references


Bibliography


Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο
* Encyclopaedia Papyrus Larousse Britannica, 2007, vol. 43, p. 650.
Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World
{{Authority control 1734 births 1803 deaths 18th-century ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople People from Kalamata