Patriarch Paisius II of Constantinople
Encyclopedia
Paisius II Kioumourtzoglou was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for four times in the 18th century.
and his family name was Kioumourtzoglou (a Turkish
name). He probably moved early to Istanbul
and became Metropolitan
of Nicomedia
surely before 1716, probably in 1712.
The first time that Paisius was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople was 20 November 1726, the day when Callinicus III
was found dead by heart attack before his enthronement: Paisius was immediately chosen by the faction that previously elected Callinicus to preclude a return to the throne of Jeremias III. The first years of his reign were marked by clashes with the faction gathered around the community of Caesarea, whose main representatives were Jeremias III and later Neophytus VI, despite the fact that Paisius himself was born in this town. In 1731 this faction tried to depose him and to restore Jeremias, but failed. A second attempt in September 1732 was successful, when Jeremias III overthrew him. When later Jeremias had to retire due to health problems, a Patriarch from Nicomedia (Serapheim I) followed and later again one from Caesarea (Neophytus VI) who reigned six years.
The reign of Neophytus VI was ended by a decision of the Grand Vizier
, who allowed Paisius to be reinstalled for his second term in August 1740. However three years later, in May 1743, Paisius was deposed by the Ottoman authorities for financial issues and Neophytus VI was restored.
The third reign of Paisius began in March 1744, when he overthrew Neophytus. Shortly after however a new opponent arose: the Metropolitan of Nicomedia and future Patriarch Cyril V Karakallos, who voiced the complaints against him and was able to depose him on 28 September 1748. The complaints were due mainly to Paisius' financial management of the millet
, i.e. the Christian civil community ruled by the Patriarch: to reduce the high levels of debts, Paisius increased the taxation particularly of the laity, and this caused discontent with him.
Paisius II's fourth term was an interlude in the reign of Cyril V, and began in last days of May 1751 when Cyril was actually deposed by the Metropolitans both because of his regulations on taxes and because of his strong position in favor of the necessity of re-baptism
of Armenian
and Latin converts. Cyril however was supported by a large portion of the populace and by the demagogic monk Auxentios, who instigated riots which culminated in a violent assault on the Patriarchate and the seizure of Paisius himself. Paisius was subsequently deposed and Cyril V was reinstated on 7 September 1752 after a gift to the Ottoman authorities of 45,000 piastres.
After his fourth and final deposition, Paisius retired in the monastery of Kamariotissa on island of Halki, where he died on 11 December 1756.
Life
Paisius was born in CaesareaKayseri
Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
and his family name was Kioumourtzoglou (a Turkish
Ottoman Turkish language
The Ottoman Turkish language or Ottoman language is the variety of the Turkish language that was used for administrative and literary purposes in the Ottoman Empire. It borrows extensively from Arabic and Persian, and was written in a variant of the Perso-Arabic script...
name). He probably moved early to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and became Metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of Nicomedia
Izmit
İzmit is a city in Turkey, administrative center of Kocaeli Province as well as the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality. It is located at the Gulf of İzmit in the Sea of Marmara, about east of Istanbul, on the northwestern part of Anatolia. The city center has a population of 294.875...
surely before 1716, probably in 1712.
The first time that Paisius was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople was 20 November 1726, the day when Callinicus III
Patriarch Callinicus III of Constantinople
Callinicus III was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for one day in 1726. He is sometimes not counted amongst the patriarchs, and Callinicus IV, who was Patriarch for a short time in 1757, is then numbered as the third of that name.-Life:...
was found dead by heart attack before his enthronement: Paisius was immediately chosen by the faction that previously elected Callinicus to preclude a return to the throne of Jeremias III. The first years of his reign were marked by clashes with the faction gathered around the community of Caesarea, whose main representatives were Jeremias III and later Neophytus VI, despite the fact that Paisius himself was born in this town. In 1731 this faction tried to depose him and to restore Jeremias, but failed. A second attempt in September 1732 was successful, when Jeremias III overthrew him. When later Jeremias had to retire due to health problems, a Patriarch from Nicomedia (Serapheim I) followed and later again one from Caesarea (Neophytus VI) who reigned six years.
The reign of Neophytus VI was ended by a decision of the Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
, who allowed Paisius to be reinstalled for his second term in August 1740. However three years later, in May 1743, Paisius was deposed by the Ottoman authorities for financial issues and Neophytus VI was restored.
The third reign of Paisius began in March 1744, when he overthrew Neophytus. Shortly after however a new opponent arose: the Metropolitan of Nicomedia and future Patriarch Cyril V Karakallos, who voiced the complaints against him and was able to depose him on 28 September 1748. The complaints were due mainly to Paisius' financial management of the millet
Millet (Ottoman Empire)
Millet is a term for the confessional communities in the Ottoman Empire. It refers to the separate legal courts pertaining to "personal law" under which communities were allowed to rule themselves under their own system...
, i.e. the Christian civil community ruled by the Patriarch: to reduce the high levels of debts, Paisius increased the taxation particularly of the laity, and this caused discontent with him.
Paisius II's fourth term was an interlude in the reign of Cyril V, and began in last days of May 1751 when Cyril was actually deposed by the Metropolitans both because of his regulations on taxes and because of his strong position in favor of the necessity of re-baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
of Armenian
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
and Latin converts. Cyril however was supported by a large portion of the populace and by the demagogic monk Auxentios, who instigated riots which culminated in a violent assault on the Patriarchate and the seizure of Paisius himself. Paisius was subsequently deposed and Cyril V was reinstated on 7 September 1752 after a gift to the Ottoman authorities of 45,000 piastres.
After his fourth and final deposition, Paisius retired in the monastery of Kamariotissa on island of Halki, where he died on 11 December 1756.