Ecumenical Patriarch Serapheim II of Constantinople
Encyclopedia
Serapheim II Anina was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1757 until 1761.
, southern Albania
to Albanian
parents in the late 17th century. Before he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople on 22 July 1757 he was Metropolitan of Philippoupolis.
As Patriarch in 1759 he introduces the feast of Saint Andrew
on 30 November, and in 1760 he gave the first permission to Cosmas of Aetolia to begin missionary tours in the villages of Thrace
.
In 1759 he invited Eugenios Voulgaris
to head the reforms in the patriarchal academy and during his tenure in the academy influenced by Serapheim's pro-Russian ideals Voulgaris contributed to the reapproachment of the Russian Empire
with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
. As a consequence Serapheim II was deposed on 26 March 1761 and exiled on Mount Athos
, and he was replaced by the Ottoman authorities with Joannicius III.
During the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774 he supported the Russian Empire and the establishment of an Orthodox pro-Russian state in the Balkans and in 1769 he urged the Greek population to rebel against the Turks. After the failure of the revolution, in 1776 he moved to Ukraine
, where he died in 1781 or 1782. He was buried in the Mhar Monastery.
Life
Serapheim II was born in DelvinëDelvinë
Delvinë is a small town in Vlorë County in southern Albania, 16 km northeast of Saranda. Delvinë is the seat of the Delvinë District. Delvinë has lost over a third of its citizens since 1990, having a population of 4,200 .The city is built on a mountain slope...
, southern Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
to Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
parents in the late 17th century. Before he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople on 22 July 1757 he was Metropolitan of Philippoupolis.
As Patriarch in 1759 he introduces the feast of Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
on 30 November, and in 1760 he gave the first permission to Cosmas of Aetolia to begin missionary tours in the villages of Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
.
In 1759 he invited Eugenios Voulgaris
Eugenios Voulgaris
Eugenios Voulgaris or Boulgaris or Vulgares was a Greek Orthodox educator, and bishop of Kherson . Writing copiously on theology, philosophy and the sciences, he disseminated western European thought throughout the Greek and eastern Christian world, and was a leading contributor to the Modern...
to head the reforms in the patriarchal academy and during his tenure in the academy influenced by Serapheim's pro-Russian ideals Voulgaris contributed to the reapproachment of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople , part of the wider Orthodox Church, is one of the fourteen autocephalous churches within the communion of Orthodox Christianity...
. As a consequence Serapheim II was deposed on 26 March 1761 and exiled on Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
, and he was replaced by the Ottoman authorities with Joannicius III.
During the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774 he supported the Russian Empire and the establishment of an Orthodox pro-Russian state in the Balkans and in 1769 he urged the Greek population to rebel against the Turks. After the failure of the revolution, in 1776 he moved to 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...
, where he died in 1781 or 1782. He was buried in the Mhar Monastery.