Pachomius II of Constantinople (; died after 1585) was

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 1584 to 1585. He is sometimes considered an usurper.

Life

Sixteenth-century Greek sources show an extended bias against Pachomius II, he is labeled as "dissolute" by Pseudo-Dorotheus and Leontios Eustrakios stated that he "inflicted immeasurable grief upon the Christians". Pachomius was native of

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, eighth largest ...

. He was a man of great education, a scholar, and he served as a teacher of philosophy and mathematics of

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Mehmed III. Around 1580 he became rector of the Patriarchal Church in Constantinople. On about 1583 or 1584, thanks to the support of his brother, who was a wealthy merchant, he bought his election to the

Metropolitanate A metropolis, metropolitanate or metropolitan diocese is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces. Eastern Ortho ...

of Caesarea. However, Patriarch Jeremias II of Constantinople, who as Patriarch had the right to validate any Metropolitan's appointment, refused to confirm and consecrate him. Pachomius II led a group of Greek prelates who tried to overthrow Jeremias II, accusing the latter of having supported a Greek uprising against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, to have

baptised Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and to be in correspondence with the

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. Jeremias II was arrested and beaten, and three trials followed, the first charge was proven false, but the last resulted in his deposition on 22 February 1584. With a personal decision Sultan Mehmed III appointed Pachomius II as Patriarch of Constantinople. The appointment was due not only to Pachomius II's personal relationship with the Sultan but also to a promise to increase the annual tax paid by the Church to the Ottoman state. During Pachomius II's patriarchate, 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 Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

was held in Constantinople with the participation of Patriarch Sophronius IV of Jerusalem, which condemned the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

and exiled the former Patriarch Jeremias II, whom it charged not to have been opposed enough to the new calendar. Same bishops tried to overthrow Pachomius II, offering to Sultan Murad III the great amount of 40,000 florins. The Sultan however received the same amount from friends of Pachomius II and kept him in place. Pachomius II remained unpopular with most of his flock; when he was due to pay the increased annual gift he had promised to the Sultan, he tried to collect it from the Orthodox faithful, who refused their help. To obtain money Pachomius II sold church properties, but he nevertheless failed to gather the promised amount. Pachomius II also failed to address the ongoing polemic launched against him by the deacon of Jeremias II, Nikephoros, who considered his election as illegal. Finally Pachomius II was deposed by a meeting of prelates on 26 or 27 February 1585, and the Sultan did not oppose to the synodal decision. Pachomius II was succeeded by Patriarch Theoleptus II of Constantinople, who had leagued with him in overthrowing Jeremias II the year before. A year later Pachomius II was acquitted of the charges and was sent to Egypt and Cyprus to collect donations. During his travel Pachomius II was charged of immoral behavior, and he returned to Constantinople, where he worked and continued to pose problems. He was finally exiled in

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

, where he died.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pachomius 02 Of Constantinople, Patriarch 16th-century ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople 16th-century Greek clergy People from Lesbos