Meletius I of Constantinople | |
|---|---|
| Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople | |
| Church | Church of Constantinople |
| Installed | 30 March 1597 |
| Term ended | March 1598 |
| Predecessor | Theophanes I of Constantinople |
| Successor | Matthew II of Constantinople |
| Other post | Locum tenens (1596 – 1597) of theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Meletius Pigas 1549 (1549) |
| Died | 12 September 1601(1601-09-12) (aged 51–52) |
| Sainthood | |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church |
Meletius I of Constantinople (Greek:Μελέτιος Πηγᾶς; 1549 – 12 September 1601) served aspatriarch of Alexandria between 1590 and 1601. Simultaneously from 1597 to 1598 he served also aslocum tenens of theEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. He is honoured as asaint in theEastern Orthodox Church,[1] with his feast day held on13 September.[2][3]
Meletius was born in Candia (Heraklion) in the island ofCrete, at the time capital of theRepublic of VeniceKingdom of Candia in 1549,[4] and he studied classical philology, philosophy and medicine inPadua. He becameprotosyncellus of the patriarch of AlexandriaSilvester, at whose death he succeeded on 5 August 1590.[5]
Even if he supported the doctrine oftransubstantiation, he was a fierce opponent of theCatholic Church and worked for the reunion of theGreek Church with theCoptic Church. In 1593, he participated in asynod inConstantinople which confirmed the establishment of thePatriarch of Moscow and all Rus'.[1]
Without resigning as Patriarch of Alexandria, he served as locum tenens of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople between December 1596 and February 1597, and Patriarch of Constantinople from 30 March 1597 to March 1598, when he resigned to go on dealing only with his Egyptiansee.[4]
He died inAlexandria on 12 September 1601.[4]
| Eastern Orthodox Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1597 – 1598 | Succeeded by Matthew II (2) |