Procopius (
Greek: Προκόπιος), original surname Pelekasis (
Greek: 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 th ...
during the period 1785-1789.
Biography
Procopius was born in Sitsova of
Messenia 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 Churc ...
and
presbyter, 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 c ...
.
He remained in this metropolis for 11 years, until 1770, when he was transferred to the
Metropolis of Smyrna
The Metropolis of Smyrna ( el, Μητρόπολη Σμύρνης) is an ecclesiastical territory (diocese) of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, modern Turkey. The Christian community of Smyrna was one of the Seven Churches of Asia, m ...
, which he managed to pacify after the disruption caused by his predecessor, Kallinikos. Procopius ordained Georgios Angelopoulos deacon and even made him
protosyncellus of the metropolis; Angelopoulos would go on to become a Patriarch and a Saint, under the name of
Gregory V
Gregory may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Gregory (surname), a surname
Places Australia
* Gregory, Queensland, a town in the Shire o ...
. 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: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
,
Alexander Mavrokordatos Firaris, who had elected the
metropolitan bishop of Moldavia, Romanos Leontas, on his own.
In 1787, the
second Russo-Turkish War
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds each ...
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
Selim III ( ota, سليم ثالث, Selim-i sâlis; tr, III. Selim; was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. Regarded as an enlightened ruler, the Janissaries eventually deposed and imprisoned him, and placed his cousin Mustafa ...
, 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 Athanasiu ...
in
Mount Athos
Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...
.
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
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1734 births
1803 deaths
18th-century Ecumenical Patriarchs of Constantinople
People from Kalamata