Jeremias III of Constantinople | |
|---|---|
| Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople | |
 | |
| Church | Church of Constantinople |
| In office | 23 March 1716 – 19 November 1726 15 September 1732 – March 1733 |
| Predecessor | |
| Successor | |
| Previous post | Bishop ofCaesarea in Cappadocia |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1650/1660 Patmos, Greece |
| Died | 1735 Mount Athos, Greece |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodoxy |
Jeremias III of Constantinople (Greek:Ἰερεμίας;c. 1650/1660 – 1735) wasEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople twice, in 1716–1726 and 1732–1733.
Jeremias was born between 1650 and 1660[1] in the island ofPatmos, where he was ordaineddeacon. He served as a priest inHalki and then in the Diocese ofCaesarea in Cappadocia. When hisMetropolitanCyprianus of Constantinople became Patriarch of Constantinople in 1707, he succeeded him as Metropolitan of Cesarea.[2]
Jeremiah was elected Patriarch for the first time on 23 March 1716. His first patriarchate was long compared to the usual length of his office in that century, and Jeremias III succeeded to cope with two attempts of deposition, probably sprung from his support to theRussian Tsardom, on 1 January 1718 the Metropolitan of Pruoza, Cyril, was elected Patriarch in his place, but Jeremias III returned on the throne next 17 January, and in 1720 he was arrested and his rival, the previous PatriarchCyril IV of Constantinople, reigned from 10 to 22 January, when Jeremias III was re-installed.[3] Jeremiah III was finally deposed on 19 November 1726 after his clashes with the ruler of MoldovaGrigore II Ghica concerning his refusal to grant divorce to Ghica's brother, and he was exiled toMount Sinai.
In 1732, Jeremiah III returned from exile and on 15 September 1732 he was appointed Patriarch for the second time,[3] but after only a few months, in March 1733, he had to leave the throne because he suffered ofhemiplegia, and he retired inGreat Lavra Monastery onMount Athos, where he died in 1735.
Asked by the TsarPeter the Great about the validity of theBaptisms celebrated byProtestants, on 31 August 1718 Jeremias III confirmed that, as his predecessor Cyprianus stated about theCatholic baptism, it is not necessary to re-baptise the Protestants who joined the Orthodox Church, theChrismation being enough.[2]
In 1720, he got permission from theSultan to rebuild a new, larger and brighterOrthodox Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George, destroyed by fire some years before, at the headquarters of the Patriarchate at theFener.[4] He also reorganized the Monastery of the Transfiguration on thePrinces' Islands, which was enriched with a collection of valuable pictures that had been donated byPeter the Great of Russia.
In December 1723, Jeremias III approved the suppression, made in 1721 by Peter the Great of Russia, ofPatriarchate of Moscow and its replacement with theMost Holy Synod.[2]
After that theMelkites ofDamascus elected the pro-WesternerCyril VI Tanas as the newPatriarch of Antioch, Jeremias III declared Cyril VI Tanas' election to be invalid, excommunicated him, and appointed the young monkSylvester of Antioch as new Patriarch of Antioch. Jeremias III consecrated Sylvester as bishop inConstantinople on 8 October 1724.[5][6] These events split the Melkite Church between theMelkite Greek Catholic Church and theGreek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch.
Jeremias III imposed austerity at the expense of the Patriarchate, thus managing to reduce debt and improve its financial situation.
| Eastern Orthodox Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1716 – 1726 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1732 – 1733 | Succeeded by |
