Matthew I of Constantinople (; died 10 August 1410) was the

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 ...

from 1397 to 1410, with a brief interruption in 1402–1403. Matthew entered a monastery as a fifteen-year-old. He is known to have been a monk of the Charsianites Monastery at

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

by 1380, when he was ordained 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 ...

, eventually becoming its

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

in 1388. Matthew was a pupil of Mark, the abbot of the Kosmidion Monastery at Constantinople, and of Patriarch

Nilus of Constantinople Nilus of Constantinople (; died 1 February 1388) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople between March/April 1380 and 1 February 1388. He was a Hesychast. Career In 1380, he convened a synod to decide the metropolitanate of Moscow, choosin ...

. In 1387, during the latter's patriarchate, Matthew was elected Bishop of

Cyzicus Cyzicus ( ; ; ) was an ancient Greek town in Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peninsula (the classical Arctonnesus), a tombolo which is said to have or ...

, but was apparently not consecrated. He concurrently served as ''locum tenens'' (''

proedros ''Proedros'' (, "president") was a senior Byzantine court and ecclesiastic title in the 10th to mid-12th centuries. The female form of the title is ''proedrissa'' (προέδρισσα). Court dignity The title was created in the 960s by Nikephor ...

'') of the

Metropolis of Chalcedon The Metropolis of Chalcedon () is an ecclesiastical territory (diocese) of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Christianity spread in Chalcedon during the 2nd century AD. The city was initially the see of a bishopric before being promot ...

until April 1389. Through the support of Emperor

Manuel II Palaiologos Manuel II Palaiologos or Palaeologus (; 27 June 1350 – 21 July 1425) was Byzantine emperor from 1391 to 1425. Shortly before his death he was tonsured a monk and received the name Matthaios (). Manuel was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, which ...

, he became Patriarch of Constantinople in October 1397 but soon encountered the opposition of the metropolitans Macarius of

Ancyra Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( Etimesgut, Yenimahalle, Çankaya, Keçiören, Altında ...

, Matthew of

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

, and John Holobolos, who succeeded in deposing him during Manuel II's absence in the West, in autumn 1402. On the emperor's return, Matthew was re-appointed (14 June 1403) and held the post until his death in August 1410.

Notes and references

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthew 01 of Constantinople 14th-century births 1410 deaths 14th-century patriarchs of Constantinople 15th-century patriarchs of Constantinople Bishops of Cyzicus Year of birth unknown Byzantine abbots 14th-century Christian abbots 15th-century Christian abbots