Ecumenical Patriarch Parthenius III of Constantinople
Encyclopedia
Parthenius III was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in 1656–1657. In 1657 he was charged with treason by the Ottoman Sultan and hanged, after refusing to abjure his own Christian faith. He is hence revered as New
Hieromartyr
Parthenius III and his feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church
is 24 March.
. On 26 July 1656
he became Ecumenical Patriarch, succeeding Joannicius II.
Parthenius, who sided with the Russians
in the clashes for the control of the Church in the Ukraine
, in 1656 denounced the 1643 Confession of Faith
of the previous Metropolitan of Kiev Peter Mogila, which he deemed to be too close to the Catholic doctrine. The Confession of Faith of Peter Mogila had been however already approved by all the Greek-speaking Patriarchs in 1643, and it was again approved in 1662 by Patriarch Nectarius of Jerusalem
and by the 1672 Synod of Jerusalem. Parthenius also held a burial for the remains, recovered on a shore, of his pro-Protestant predecessor Cyril Lucaris
, who was killed in 1638 on a ship in the Sea of Marmara
and his corpse thrown in the waters.
In order to raise founds, Parthenius sent letters to a Greek bishop in the Tsardom of Russia
, at the time a political enemy of the Ottoman Empire
. His correspondence was intercepted and delivered to the Grand Vizier
Mehmed Köprülü, who decided that Parthenius should stand for trial charged of treason. Though the accusations were proven false, Sultan Mehmed IV
ordered his hanging in order to "set an example for those who may try that in future". The only option he was given to be freed was to convert to Islam
, but Parthenius refused.
Thus on 24 March 1657 a long procession walked with Parthenius from his prison to a place in Istanbul named "Gate of the Hook" (Parmak Kapi) were he was hanged. He stayed hanged for three days and then was thrown into the sea. His body was found by Christians and was buried in the Kamariotissa Monastery on the island of Chalki.
New Martyr
The title of New Martyr or Neomartyr of the Eastern Orthodox Church was originally given to martyrs who died under heretical rulers . Later the Church added to the list those martyred under Islam and various modern regimes, especially Communist ones, which espoused state atheism...
Hieromartyr
Hieromartyr
In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, a hieromartyr is a martyr who was also one of the clergy . In like manner a priest-monk is often called a hieromonk....
Parthenius III and his feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
is 24 March.
Life
Parthenius was born in the island of Lesbos, and in 1639 he was elected metropolitan of ChiosChios
Chios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages...
. On 26 July 1656
he became Ecumenical Patriarch, succeeding Joannicius II.
Parthenius, who sided with the Russians
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
in the clashes for the control of the Church in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, in 1656 denounced the 1643 Confession of Faith
Confession of Faith
A Confession of Faith is a statement of doctrine very similar to a creed, but usually longer and polemical, as well as didactic.Confessions of Faith are in the main, though not exclusively, associated with Protestantism...
of the previous Metropolitan of Kiev Peter Mogila, which he deemed to be too close to the Catholic doctrine. The Confession of Faith of Peter Mogila had been however already approved by all the Greek-speaking Patriarchs in 1643, and it was again approved in 1662 by Patriarch Nectarius of Jerusalem
Nectarius of Jerusalem
Nectarius of Jerusalem was Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1660 to 1669.He was born in Crete in 1605, and died about 1680. He was educated by the monks of Sinai where he himself became a monk; but when thirty-five years of age he studied at Athens with the Neo-Aristotelian Theophilos...
and by the 1672 Synod of Jerusalem. Parthenius also held a burial for the remains, recovered on a shore, of his pro-Protestant predecessor Cyril Lucaris
Cyril Lucaris
Cyril Lucaris born Constantine Lukaris or Loucaris was a Greek prelate and theologian, and a native of Candia, Crete . He later became the Greek Patriarch of Alexandria as Cyril III and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople as Cyril I...
, who was killed in 1638 on a ship in the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
and his corpse thrown in the waters.
In order to raise founds, Parthenius sent letters to a Greek bishop in the Tsardom of Russia
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
, at the time a political enemy of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. His correspondence was intercepted and delivered to 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...
Mehmed Köprülü, who decided that Parthenius should stand for trial charged of treason. Though the accusations were proven false, Sultan Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV
Mehmed IV Modern Turkish Mehmet was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1648 to 1687...
ordered his hanging in order to "set an example for those who may try that in future". The only option he was given to be freed was to convert to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, but Parthenius refused.
Thus on 24 March 1657 a long procession walked with Parthenius from his prison to a place in Istanbul named "Gate of the Hook" (Parmak Kapi) were he was hanged. He stayed hanged for three days and then was thrown into the sea. His body was found by Christians and was buried in the Kamariotissa Monastery on the island of Chalki.