Samuel of Constantinople | |
|---|---|
| Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople | |
 | |
| Church | Church of Constantinople |
| Diocese | Constantinople |
| See | Ecumenical Patriarchate |
| Installed | 24 May 1763 17 November 1773 |
| Term ended | 5 November 1768 24 December 1774 |
| Predecessor | Joannicius III of Constantinople Theodosius II of Constantinople |
| Successor | Meletius II of Constantinople Sophronius II of Constantinople |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Skarlatos Chantzeris (Σκαρλάτος Χαντζερής) 1700 (1700) |
| Died | 10 May 1775(1775-05-10) (aged 74–75) |
| Buried | Church of Saint Nicholas,Heybeliada |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodox Church |
Samuel of Constantinople (Greek:Σαμουήλ),lay nameSkarlatos Chantzeris (Σκαρλᾶτος Χαντζερῆς; 1700 – 10 May 1775), served asEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople during the periods 1763–1768 and 1773–1774.
He was born in 1700 in Constantinople. He studied in theGreat School of the Nation. At a young age, he was ordaineddeacon, and later he became anarchdeacon of the PatriarchPaisius II of Constantinople. He was electedmetropolitan bishop of Derkoi in 1731 and Ecumenical Patriarch on 24 May 1763, even though he thought he was too old for this position.
During his patriarchy, he was occupied with the finances of the Patriarchate. He limited the expenses, restrained the fundraisers, and the procession of the "disk" five times per year and he repealed the old habit for priests andhieromonks to contribute in-kind (animals, eggs, etc.) to the Patriarchate. He reinforced education and he restored the authority of the Patriarchate. In 1767 Samuel abolished theautocephaly of the archbishops ofPeć andOhrid, whose jurisdiction had come to include large areas ofMacedonia,Epirus,Thessaly,Albania, andSerbia, and placed them again under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
On a social level, Samuel inveighed against the "slavery of the woman" and talked against the institution of dowry and commercial wedding.[1] He decided to divide the patriarchal seal into four parts, three of which were given tosynodic hierarchs. This way he emphasised the synodic administrative system of the Patriarchate, according to which there is shared responsibility and the arbitrariness of the Patriarch is limited.
His radical acts provoked reactions, which reached the point of forcing him to resign on 5 November 1768. He was exiled toGreat Lavra ofMount Athos, but in 1770 he convinced the Ottoman government to allow him to return to his residence inTarabya. After the resignation ofTheodosius II of Constantinople, the Synod reelected Samuel Patriarch, against his will, on 17 November 1773.
This second patriarchy lasted about one year. During it he tried to solve the issue of the "Kollyvades", choosing a harsher stance than his predecessor. On 24 December 1774, he was exiled again to Mount Athos and later toHeybeliada, where he died on 10 May 1775. He was buried in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Heybeliada.[2] It is rumored that the noblewoman Roxandra Karatza was Samuel's mistress.[3]
| Eastern Orthodox Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1763 – 1768 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1773 – 1774 | Succeeded by |
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