Fravitta (, ''Fravitas''; 490),Fravitas
Ecumenical Patriarchate also known as Fravitas, Flavitas, or Flavianus II, was the

patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...

(489–490). According to

Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos, Latinized as Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopulus ( el, Νικηφόρος Κάλλιστος Ξανθόπουλος), of Constantinople (c. 1256 – c. 1335), was the last of the Greek ecclesiastical historians. H ...

, on the death of Patriarch Acacius of Constantinople, the emperor

Zeno Zeno ( grc, Ζήνων) may refer to: People * Zeno (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Philosophers * Zeno of Elea (), philosopher, follower of Parmenides, known for his paradoxes * Zeno of Citium (333 – 264 BC), ...

placed on the altar of the great church of Constantinople two sheets of paper. On one was written a prayer that God would send an angel to inscribe on the blank sheet the name of him whom He wished to be the patriarch. A fast of 40 days with prayer was ordered. The church was given into the custody of a confidential

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millenni ...

, the imperial chamberlain, and the imperial seal set on the casket containing the papers. Fravitta was a

presbyter Presbyter () is an honorific title for Christian clergy. The word derives from the Greek ''presbyteros,'' which means elder or senior, although many in the Christian antiquity would understand ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning a ...

in charge of the suburban church of

Saint Thecla Thecla ( grc, Θέκλα, ) was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle. The earliest record of her life comes from the ancient apocryphal ''Acts of Paul and Thecla''. Church tradition The ''Acts ...

. Fueled with ambition, he paid the eunuch large sums, and promised him more, to write his name on the blank sheet. At the end of the 40 days the casket was opened; the name of Fravitta was found, and he was enthroned amid universal acclamations. Within 4 months he died, and the powerful eunuch was pressing his executors for the promised gold. They revealed the odious tale to the emperor. The forger was turned out of all his employments and driven from the city. The emperor Zeno, ashamed of his failure, entrusted the election of the new patriarch to the clergy. However, the correspondence between Zeno, Fravitta, and

Pope Felix III Pope Felix III (died 1 March 492) was the bishop of Rome from 13 March 483 to his death. His repudiation of the '' Henotikon'' is considered the beginning of the Acacian schism. He is commemorated on March 1. Family Felix was born into a Roman ...

on the appointment show no trace of this story. Fravitta simultaneously wrote letters to Pope

Peter Mongus Pope Peter III of Alexandria also known as Peter Mongus (from the Greek μογγός ''mongos'', "stammerer") was the 27th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. Biography After the Council of Chalcedon, Peter Mongus was an a ...

of Alexandria asking for his communion, and a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mean ...

al to Pope Felix of Rome for his sanction and co-operation. The synodal was carried to Rome by

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

s of Constantinople who had always kept separate from Acacius and his friend Mongus. An accompanying letter of Zeno showed great affection for Fravitta; Zeno had only worked for his appointment because he thought him worthy and to restore peace and unity to the churches. Pope Felix, delighted with the letters, had Zeno's read aloud to the deputation and all the clergy of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, who expressed loud approval. When the Pope, however, wished the monks from Constantinople to undertake that the names of Acacius and Mongus should be rejected from the diptychs, they replied that they had no instructions on that point. The joy of the Pope was destroyed by the arrival at Rome of a copy of the letter which Fravitta had sent to Mongus, denying all communion with Rome.Winstanley, Edmund. ''An outline of ecclesiastical and civil history'', Vol. 2, p. 219
/ref> The Pope would not hear a word more from the monks. Whether the story of Nicephorus be true or not, Fravitta stands disgraced by this duplicity.

References

;Attribution * Sinclair cites: ** Evagrius. iii. 23, Patr. Gk. lxxxvi. part ii.; **Felicis Pap. Ep. xii. and xiii.

Patrologia Latina The ''Patrologia Latina'' (Latin for ''The Latin Patrology'') is an enormous collection of the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers published by Jacques-Paul Migne between 1841 and 1855, with indices published between ...

lviii. p. 971; **Joann. Zonar. Annal. xiv. iii.

Patrologia Graeca The ''Patrologia Graeca'' (or ''Patrologiae Cursus Completus, Series Graeca'') is an edited collection of writings by the Christian Church Fathers and various secular writers, in the Greek language. It consists of 161 volumes produced in 1857– ...

cxxxiv. § 53, p. 1214; **Liberat. Diac. Brev. xviii. Patr. Lat. lxviii.; **

xvi. 19, Patr. Gk. cxlvii. § 684. p. 152; ** Theophanes Chronogr. 114, Patr. Gk. cviii. p 324. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fravitta of Constantinople, Patriarch

Fravitta Flavius Fravitta (Greek: ; died 404/405) was a leader of the Goths and a top-ranking officer in the army of the Eastern Roman Empire. Fravitta was a member of the Visigoth aristocracy. He was also a pagan, and for this reason he was praised by Eun ...

490 deaths Year of birth unknown