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Athanasius III of Constantinople

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Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in 1634 and 1652

Saint Athanasius III of Constantinople

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Venerated in	Russian Orthodox Church andRomanian Orthodox Church
Canonized	1670s
Majorshrine	Relics at theAnnunciation Cathedral, Kharkiv
Feast	Synaxis of Athonite Venerables: 2 (15) May
Patronage	Dubna,Kharkiv

Athanasius III of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church	Church of Constantinople
In office	25 February 1634 – Early April 1634 June 1652 (15 days)
Predecessor	Cyril I of Constantinople Cyril III of Constantinople
Successor	Cyril I of Constantinople Paisius I of Constantinople
Personal details
Born	Alexios Patellarios 1597 (1597) Retimon,Crete
Died	5 April 1654(1654-04-05) (aged 56–57) Mhar Monastery
Denomination	Eastern Orthodoxy

Athanasius III of Constantinople (Greek:Ἀθανάσιος; bornAlexios Patellarios,Ἀλέξιος Πατελλάριος;Russian:Алексий Пателла́рий;^[1] 1597 – 5 April 1654) was theEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in 1634 and 1652. Before his patriarchate, Athanasius wasmetropolitan ofThessaloniki. He participated atPatriarch Nikon of Moscow's book editing reforms in 1653.

Athanasius III was canonised as anEnlightener into the Synaxis of Athonite Venerables by theRussian Church in the 1670s. His feast date is on 2 (15) May, the 2nd Week afterPentecost, canonised alongsideAthanasius of Alexandria.

*Enlightener Athanasius III, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, in the Lubensk Monastery, he who rested sitting*,Russian icon, 17th century

Biography

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Alexios was born to an imperial noble family with roots dating back to thePalaiologos. His father Georgios was a scientist and publisher, and his elder brother Eustaphios was a physician. For 26 years he lived inCrete in theArkadi Monastery, which was then underVenetian rule and received there his education. Alexios knew wellphilosophy,Ancient Greek,Latin,Hebrew,Arabic andItalian.

In 1631, Alexios was consecrated as metropolitan bishop of Thessaloniki; he was under the patronage of Ecumenical PatriarchCyril I of Constantinople. In early 1634, a third opposition against Cyril I regarding the publication ofEastern Confession of the Christian faith in March 1629 was formed inFanari, as the document hadCalvinist theological lines. On 25 February 1634, Athanasius III became Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and wasenthroned on 25 March.

After several days he was dethroned by Cyril I, who returned from prison. Athanasius III then escaped to theMount Athos, where he built theskete (where in 1849 the Russian St. Andrew skete was founded), which kept the iconConsolation in Sorrow and Grief (В скорбех и печалех Утешение).

After his second deposition in 1635, Athanasius III went to Italy, staying inAncona andVenice. Peter Rietbergen relates, "Landing in Ancona, he was received by the famous Orientalist scholar FatherOrazio Giustiniani. After having reached Rome, he swore fealty to the Pope. Consequently, he was given support in manpower and money before returning to Constantinople".^[2] He "declared [himself] for Rome", saysSteven Runciman.^[3]^[4] The Pope of Rome advised Athanasius III to becomecardinal and accept theCredo with theFilioque, but the saint declined.^{[citation needed]}

In 1637, Athanasius III was called to Constantinople. On 26 June 1638, after Cyril I was strangled by the request ofMurad IV, Athanasius III became a pretender to the patriarchate.Parthenius I of Constantinople, Patriarch from 1639 to 1644, required Athanasius III to renounce from the patriarchate and return to the Thessaloniki cathedra. Because of themetropolis' taxes, Athanasius III was imprisoned twice and asked the Russian TsarMichael of Russia for charity.

In 1643, Michael of Russia moved toTsardom of Russia, but on the way there became ill and stayed inMoldavia, by thehospodar Vasile Lupu. InGalați he founded the St. Nicholas Monastery as ametochion ofSt. Catherine's Monastery inSinai. At that time he wrote the "Hymn to the Mother of God", and anencomium to Lupu.

Athanasius III returned to Constantinople in 1652 and took the patriarchate for the third time. Again holding the throne for a short time, Athanasius III in July 1652 voluntarily renounced from the patriarchate and ad infinitum left Constantinople. During his last patriarchate, he spoke out a sermon mentioning his dissociation with Catholicism. He again went to Moldavia visiting Lupu inIași, then toChigirin visitingBohdan Khmelnytsky. With the deeds of those people for the Tsar he reachedMoscow on 16 April 1653, and on 22 April visited TsarAlexis of Russia.

There he lived at the Kirillov metochion and made his divine service at theNovospassky Monastery and at theSaviour Cathedral by theTerem Palace. In July 1653 Athanasius III visited theTrinity Sergius Monastery.

At the request ofPatriarch Nikon of Moscow, Athanasius III wroteThe Ordo of the Episcopal Liturgy in the East, which underlined the Muscovian editedArchieratikon of the Episcopal Service, which is used by the Russian Church to date.^[5] Athanasius III delivered the Tsar a notebook in which he stated his main reason for his visit to Moscow; that is, to arouse the Tsar unite with Moldavia and theCossack Hetmanate for a future war with the Turks, after which the Tsar should become the new Roman Emperor, and the Moscow Patriarch – the new Ecumenical Patriarch.

Athanasius III is known as a trader of indulgences, which he sold in large quantities in Ukraine and Russia.^[6]

By December 1653, Athanasius III moved to Moldavia for the Nicholas Monastery in Galați. En route, he made a visit to Bohdan Khmelnytsky. In February 1654, he stayed at theMhar Monastery near Lubensk and died on 5 April on Thomas' Week. He was buried by thehegumen of the Transfiguration monastery, his body was in a sitting position on the throne under theambon.

Veneration

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Shrine of Saint Athanasius III at the Lubensk Monastery,lithography, 1868

Oil from the relics of Patriarch Athanasius

On 1 February 1662, the saint's relics weretranslated due to themetropolitan of Gaza Paisios Ligarides, who, visiting Lubensk Monastery, had a vision of Athanasius III during his sleep. In 1672, the Tsar requestedpodyachy M. Savin to investigate the wonders from the relics. In the 18th century, manuscripts of hishagiography andcanon were preserved at the Lubensk Monastery.

In 1818, Methodius (Pishnyachevsky), bishop of Poltava, applied theMost Holy Synod for the canonisation of Athanasius III, but the application was declined. However the saint's honouring and recorded wonders from his relics continued. In the 1860s, church historian Andrey Nikolayevich Muravyov created a new hagiography of Athanasius III with examples of wonders at his relics.

The history of the canonisation of Athanasius III is vague, but the official veneration began in the Russian Church by the end of the 19th century, althoughYevgeny Golubinsky through his works proved that the honouring started between 1672 and 1676 underJoseph Tukalskyi-Nelyubovych),metropolitan of Kiev (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople).

In 1922, the Transfiguration cathedral, including the saint's silver throne, was plundered by theBolsheviks. The relics were moved toKharkiv in the 1930s. They were eventually preserved in the city'sAnnunciation Cathedral in 1947.

Notes and references

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^In Russian tradition also known asEnlightener Athanasius of Tsargrad (the Sitting), Wonderworker of Lubensk andAthanasius of Kharkiv
^Peter Rietbergen,Power and Religion in Baroque Rome - Barberini Cultural Policies (Brill, 2006), p. 400.
^"The career of Cyril I showed that there was a powerful party within the hierarchy which was prepared to accept Roman supremacy. Cyril I's opponents, the PatriarchsGregory IV,Cyril II and Athanasius III, all declared themselves for Rome" (Steven Runciman,The Great Church in Captivity, 4 - The Church and the Churches - Constantinople and Rome.)
^See also Eugenia Kermeli, "Kyrillos Loukaris'Legacy: Reformation as a catalyst in the 17th century Ottoman Society", inThe Muslim World, Volume 107, Issue 4, pp. 737–753, "Finally Cyril II of Constantinople educated in the Jesuit school of Constantinople and Athanasius III metropolitan of Salonica and Patriarch for a month in 1634, both signed the catholic symbol of faith" (footnote 83).
^M. S. Zheltov, Episcopal Liturgy
^Гидулянов, Павел Васильевич /Загробная жизнь, как предмет спекуляции, или индульгенции в римско-католической и греко-православной церкви / П. В. Гидулянов - М; Рязань: Атеист, 1930 - 176 с. / С. 163, 172

External links

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Englightener Athanasius III Patellarios, Patriarch of Tsargrad on pravoslavie.ru
Englightener Athanasius, Wonderworker of Lubensk. Short hagiography on the Poltava Missionary Spiritual Seminary of theUOC

Eastern Orthodox Church titles
Preceded by Cyril I (4)	Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1634	Succeeded by Cyril I (5)
Preceded by Cyril III	Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1652	Succeeded by Paisius I

v t e Bishops of Byzantium and Patriarchs ofConstantinople
Bishops ofByzantium (Roman period, 38–330 AD)	Andrew Stachys Onesimus Polycarpus I Plutarch Sedecion Diogenes Eleutherius Felix Polycarpus II Athenodorus Euzois Laurence Alypius Pertinax Olympianus Marcus I Philadelphus Cyriacus I Castinus Eugenius I Titus Dometius Rufinus Probus Metrophanes Alexander
Archbishops ofConstantinople (Roman period, 330–451 AD)	Alexander Paul I Eusebius Macedonius I Eudoxius Evagrius Demophilus Maximus I Gregory I Nectarius John I Chrysostom Arsacius Atticus Sisinnius I Nestorius Maximianus Proclus Flavian Anatolius
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Byzantine period, 451–1453 AD)	Anatolius Gennadius I Acacius Fravitta Euphemius Macedonius II Timothy I John II Epiphanius Anthimus I Menas Eutychius John III John IV Cyriacus II Thomas I Sergius I Pyrrhus Paul II Peter Thomas II John V Constantine I Theodore I George I Paul III Callinicus I Cyrus John VI Germanus I Anastasius Constantine II Nicetas I Paul IV Tarasius Nicephorus I Theodotus I Antony I John VII Methodius I Ignatios Photios I Stephen I Antony II Nicholas I Εuthymius I Stephen II Tryphon Theophylact Polyeuctus Βasil I Αntony III Nicholas II Sisinnius II Sergius II Eustathius Alexius Michael I Constantine III John VIII Cosmas I Eustratius Nicholas III John IX Leo Michael II Cosmas II Nicholas IV Theodotus II Neophytus I Constantine IV Luke Michael III Chariton Theodosius I Basil II Nicetas II Leontius Dositheus George II John X Michael IV^† Theodore II^† Maximus II^† Μanuel I^† Germanus II^† Methodius II^† Manuel II^† Arsenius^† Nicephorus II^† Germanus III Joseph I John XI Gregory II Athanasius I John XII Nephon I John XIII Gerasimus I Isaias John XIV Isidore I Callistus I Philotheus Macarius Nilus Antony IV Callistus II Matthew I Euthymius II Joseph II Metrophanes II Gregory III Athanasius II
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Ottoman period, 1453–1923 AD)	Gennadius II Isidore II Joasaph I Sophronius I Mark II Symeon I Dionysius I Raphael I Maximus III Nephon II Maximus IV Joachim I Pachomius I Theoleptus I Jeremias I Joannicius I Dionysius II Joasaph II Metrophanes III Jeremias II Pachomius II Theoleptus II Matthew II Gabriel I Theophanes I Meletius I Neophytus II Raphael II Cyril I Timothy II Gregory IV Anthimus II Cyril II Athanasius III Neophytus III Parthenius I Parthenius II Joannicius II Cyril III Paisius I Parthenius III Gabriel II Parthenius IV Dionysius III Clement Methodius III Dionysius IV Gerasimus II Athanasius IV James Callinicus II Neophytus IV Gabriel III Neophytus V Cyprianus Athanasius V Cyril IV Cosmas III Jeremias III (Callinicus III) Paisius II Seraphim I Neophytus VI Cyril V Callinicus IV (III) Seraphim II Joannicius III Samuel Meletius II Theodosius II Sophronius II Gabriel IV Procopius Neophytus VII Gerasimus III Gregory V Callinicus V (IV) Jeremias IV Cyril VI Eugenius II Anthimus III Chrysanthus Agathangelus Constantius I Constantius II Gregory VI Anthimus IV Anthimus V Germanus IV Meletius III Anthimus VI Cyril VII Joachim II Sophronius III Joachim III Joachim IV Dionysius V Neophytus VIII Anthimus VII Constantine V Germanus V Meletius IV
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Turkish period, since 1923 AD)	Gregory VII Constantine VI Basil III Photius II Benjamin Maximus V Athenagoras Demetrius Bartholomew
^† in exile atNicaea Christianity portal

v t e Bishops of Thessalonica
Under Rome: Gaius Nicholas I Artemius Alexander I John I Aetius Irenius Paulinus Ascholius Anysius Rufus Anastasius I Auxitheus Andrew Dorotheus I Aristides Elias Thalaleus Theodosius I Eusebius of Thessalonica John II Plotinus John II Paul I John III Sergius Under Constantinople: Constantine I Peter Anastasius Basil I Theophilus Thomas Joseph the Confessor Leo the Philosopher Anthony the Confessor Basil II Theodore Paul II Gregory I Methodius John IV the Thessalian Basil III the Confessor Anatolius Isidore I Nicetas I Theophanes I Prometheus Theodulus Constantine II Michael I Nicetas II Constantine II Leo Romanus Basil IV of Ohrid Eustathius of Thessalonica Constantine III Mesopotamites Chrysanthus Constantine III Mesopotamites Nicetas III Joseph II Michael II Palatanos Manuel Joannicius Kydones Demetrius Ignatius I James Jeremy Euphemianus John V Gregory II Ignatius II Macarius I Gregory III Palamas Neilos Kabasilas Nicholas Kabasilas Dorotheus II Isidore II Gabriel I Symeon of Thessalonica Gregory III Nephon Macarius II Theonas Theophanes II Gregory-David Joasaph I Metrophanes Gabriel II Matthew I Joasaph II Argyropoulos Sophronius I Zosimas Parthenius Athanasius I Damascenus I Callinicus I Theocletus Joachim I Dionysius Anastasius II Meletius I Methodius Ignatius II James II Ignatius II Ananias Joachim II Gabriel III Spyridon Neophytus I Theodosius II Damascenus II James III Gerasimus Joseph III the Hieromartyr Matthew II Macarius III Meletius II Ieronymus Callinicus II Neophytus II Joachim III Callinicus III Gregory IV Sophronius II Athanasius II Alexander II Joachim IV Gennadius Panteleimon I Leonidas Panteleimon II Anthimos

Bishops of Thessalonica

Under Rome: