Procopius (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece 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 ...

: Προκόπιος), original surname Pelekasis (

: Πελεκάσης), (1734 – 1803 or 1804) served as

Ecumenical 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 ...

during the period 1785-1789.

Biography

Procopius was born in Sitsova of

Messenia Messenia or Messinia ( ; el, Μεσσηνία ) 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 ...

in 1734. 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 churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

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 the Christian antiquity would understand ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning a ...

, and when he 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 center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big ci ...

. He remained in this metropolis for 11 years, until 1770, when he was transferred to the Metropolis of Smyrna, 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 or protosynkellos ( el, πρωτοσύγκελλος) 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 t ...

of the metropolis; Angelopoulos would go on to become a Patriarch and a Saint, under the name of Gregory V. During his reign, many churches were built, though it wasn't possible to get the permission for the construction of the church of Photine of Samaria. During the period 1780-1782, Procopius was a member of the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and resided in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

. 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 ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...

, Alexander Mavrokordatos Firaris, 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, he was forced to resign on 30 April 1789 and was exiled to the

Great Lavra The Monastery of Great Lavra ( el, Μονή Μεγίστης Λαύρας) is the first monastery built on Mount Athos. It is located on the southeastern foot of the Mount at an elevation of . The founding of the monastery in AD 963 by Athanasi ...

in Mount Athos. 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 1803 or 1804 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.

Sources

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