Patriarch Nicholas IV of Constantinople
Encyclopedia
Nicholas IV Mouzalon was the Patriarch of Constantinople
from December 1147 to March/April 1151.
Nicholas was born in ca. 1070, and probably began his career teaching the gospels. Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
(r. 1081–1118) appointed him as archbishop of Cyprus, but Nicholas abdicated the see in ca. 1110. He spent the next 37 years in the Monastery of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the Kosmidion suburb of Constantinople
(modern Eyüp
).
He was elected to the patriarchal throne in 1147, replacing Cosmas II, who was accused of Bogomilism
. His election however caused considerable controversy: its canonical validity
was called in question, since he had voluntarily resigned from his previous see. Eventually, Nicholas was forced to resign as patriarch, and died in 1152.
He wrote a number of theological works, amongst them a treatise refuting the Filioque addressed to Alexios I, and a vivid poetic defence of his first abdication.
Patriarch of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarch is the Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome – ranking as primus inter pares in the Eastern Orthodox communion, which is seen by followers as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church....
from December 1147 to March/April 1151.
Nicholas was born in ca. 1070, and probably began his career teaching the gospels. Emperor Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,...
(r. 1081–1118) appointed him as archbishop of Cyprus, but Nicholas abdicated the see in ca. 1110. He spent the next 37 years in the Monastery of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the Kosmidion suburb of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
(modern Eyüp
Eyüp
-External links:* * * * *...
).
He was elected to the patriarchal throne in 1147, replacing Cosmas II, who was accused of Bogomilism
Bogomilism
Bogomilism was a Gnostic religiopolitical sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar Petar I in the 10th century...
. His election however caused considerable controversy: its canonical validity
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
was called in question, since he had voluntarily resigned from his previous see. Eventually, Nicholas was forced to resign as patriarch, and died in 1152.
He wrote a number of theological works, amongst them a treatise refuting the Filioque addressed to Alexios I, and a vivid poetic defence of his first abdication.