Meletius II (Greek: Μελέτιος; died 5 January 1780) served as Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople during the period 1768–1769.
Meletius II | |
|---|---|
| Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople | |
| Church | Church of Constantinople |
| Diocese | Constantinople |
| See | Ecumenical Patriarchate |
| Installed | 16 November 1768 |
| Term ended | April 1769 |
| Predecessor | Samuel |
| Successor | Theodosius II |
| Personal details | |
| Born | unknown |
| Died | 5 January 1780 Istanbul |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Occupation | Ecumenical Patriarch |
He was born in Tenedos. From 1750 until 1768, he served as metropolitan bishop of Larissa and then was elected Ecumenical Patriarch. During the uprising of 1769, he was dismissed and was exiled to Mytilene. In 1775, with permission of the Sultan Mustafa III, he returned to Tenedos and in 1777 to Istanbul, where he died destitute in 1780.
He was probably buried on Tenedos. In the late 20th century, his fragmentary tombstone was discovered in the garden of North Bank, a mansion in Muswell Hill, London, where it may have been taken as a souvenir in the 19th century. In 2013, the stone was returned to Istanbul, in the custody of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.[1][2]
References
edit- ^ Chrysostomides, Julian; Clogg, Richard; Dendrinos, Charalambos (2017). "The tombstone of an Ecumenical Patriarch in Muswell Hill, London: Meletios II (1700–80, r. 1768–9)". Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. 41 (2): 229–238.
- ^ Clogg, Richard; Dendrinos, Charalambos (2018). "A newly discovered photograph of the tombstone of Patriarch Meletios II". Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. 42 (1): 184.
Sources
edit- Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο
- Encyclopaedia Papyrus Larousse Britannica, 2007, vol. 35, p. 419