Theodosius II of Constantinople | |
|---|---|
| Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople | |
| Church | Church of Constantinople |
| Diocese | Constantinople |
| See | Ecumenical Patriarchate |
| Installed | 11 April 1769 |
| Term ended | 16 November 1773 |
| Predecessor | Meletius II of Constantinople |
| Successor | Samuel of Constantinople |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Christianopoulos (Χριστιανόπουλος) |
| Died | After 1776 |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodox Church |
Theodosius II (Greek:Θεοδόσιος), lay surnameChristianopoulos (Χριστιανόπουλος), served as theEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople between 1769 and 1773.
He was born inCrete, where he was father superior. He served as chief of theChurch of St. George inConstantinople. Later he was elected bishop ofIerissos andMount Athos, and in 1767 metropolitan bishop ofThessaloniki. He was elected Patriarch on 11 April 1769, at a time when Christians were persecuted after the withdrawal of the Russian forces following theOrlov Revolt. Many Christians had helped the Russians, following the exhortations of the former PatriarchSeraphim II of Constantinople and other clerics. Theodosius II made efforts to save themonasteries of Mount Athos from demolition, he freed prisoners, he supported schools and monasteries and, with cooperation with thePatriarch of JerusalemSophronius V of Jerusalem, he managed to keep theHoly Land under the jurisdiction of theEastern Orthodox Church. Lastly, he tried to give a conciliatory solution[1] to the issue of theKollyvades of Mount Athos.
Theodosius II was forced to resign on 16 November 1773, following the machinations of the Metropolitan of Prousa, Meletius. He retired to the Kamariotissa Monastery inHeybeliada. In 1776, having completely lost his sight, he returned to Constantinople, where he resided until his death.
| Eastern Orthodox Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1769 – 1773 | Succeeded by Samuel (2) |
