Bessarion II (, ) was a

metropolitan bishop In Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), is held by the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a Metropolis (reli ...

Larissa Larissa (; , , ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to the 2021 census. It is also the capital of the Larissa ...

and a saint of the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

. He was born Vasileios Tsigaridas (Βασίλειος Τσιγαρίδας) or Ganas (Γκανάς), in the village of Porta. His family had a tradition of monasticism, and at the age of 10 he became a novice monk to the Metropolitan of Larissa

Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

. He advanced rapidly, being consecrated a

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 ...

, 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 Christian antiquity understood ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning as overseer ...

, and at age 20 he was appointed bishop of the

Thessalian Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia (, ), and appea ...

villages of Domeniko and

Elassona Elassona (; Katharevousa: ) is a town and a municipality in the Larissa regional unit in Greece. During antiquity Elassona was called Oloosson (Ὀλοοσσών) and was a town of the Perrhaebi tribe. It is situated at the foot of Mount Olympus ...

. However, his very youth caused the local inhabitants to reject him, so that he returned to serve alongside Metropolitan Mark for four more years, before being appointed

exarch An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'') was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, ...

of the bishopric of Stagoi. Finally, in 1526/7, when Mark died, he succeeded him as Metropolitan of Larissa with the support of both the local clergy and the people. For two years, he remained as

locum tenens A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...

of Stagoi as well. His tenure was marked by important social and charitable work, particularly with the construction of the

Korakou Korakou (, ) is a village in the Nicosia District of Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation a ...

and Portaikos bridges. Along with his brother Ignatius, who was the Bishop of Kappoua and Fanari, he re-founded the Dousikou Monastery. The ''

katholikon A ''katholikon'' or catholicon () or ''sobor'' () refers to one of three things in the Eastern Orthodox Church: * The cathedral of a diocese. * The major Church (building), church building (temple) of a monastery corresponding to a conventual ...

'' founded by Bessarion was later replaced by another, still surviving one, by his nephew, Metropolitan Neophytus II of Larissa. He died on 13 September 1540 and was buried in the Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Agios Vissarion, which now bears his name. His head is preserved in the Dousikou Monastery as a relic.

References

{{authority control 1490 births 1540 deaths Greek saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Bishops of Larissa 16th-century Greek clergy 16th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops Founders of Christian monasteries Saints of Ottoman Greece Ottoman Thessaly People from Trikala (regional unit)