Dionysius II
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Dionysius II sending Joasaphus, metropolitan of Cyzicus, as ambassador to Ivan IV of Russia
Church	Church of Constantinople
Elected	17 April 1546 – July 1556
Predecessor	Jeremias I
Successor	Joasaph II
Personal details
Born	unknown
Died	July 1556
Previous post(s)	Metropolitan of Nicomedia

Dionysius II (Greek: Διονύσιος; died July 1556) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1546 to 1556.

Life

Dionysius was born in Galata (now part of Istanbul).^[1] In 1516^[2]^: 186 he was appointed Metropolitan of Nicomedia and he was consecrated bishop by Patriarch Theoleptus I.^[1]

Dionysius was designed by Patriarch Jeremias I as his successor, and, after Jeremias' death, he was actually elected on 17 April 1546^[2]^: 39 supported by popular manifestations and against the hopes of the Holy Synod.^[3] During his Patriarchate he was blamed for having raised the appointment fee (peshtesh) due to the Ottoman Sultan to three thousand Écus and for the demolition, ordered by the Sultan, of the great cross on the roof of the Pammakaristos Church, at the time the seat of the Patriarchate.^[4]

The more significant event of his patriarchate was the 1546 travel in Italy of the young Metropolitan of Caesaria, Metrophanes, who years later would become Patriarch. Dionysius sent Metrophanes to Venice mainly to raise funds, but Metrophanes went also to Rome and met the Pope. In 1548 these news caused a great concern in a part of the Greek population of Constantinople, with riots and an attempt to murder Dionysius, who was considered as guilty as Metrophanes.^[5] Dionysius was on the point of being deposed, but no actions were taken against him because he enjoyed the support of Suleiman the Magnificent.^[6]

Dionysius reigned until he died. The date of his death is disputed among scholars, and various dates have been proposed, such as 1554 and 1555, but the correct date seems to be July 1556,^[2]^: 46 a conclusion supported by Venetian documents.^[5] He was buried in the Kamariotissa Monastery on the island of Chalki.^[1]

References

Sources

Frazee, Charles A. (2006) [1983]. Catholics and Sultans: The Church and the Ottoman Empire 1453-1923. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521027007.

v t e Bishops of Byzantium and Patriarchs of Constantinople
Bishops of Byzantium (Roman period, 38–330 AD)	Andrew Stachys Onesimus Polycarpus I Plutarch Sedecion Diogenes Eleutherius Felix Polycarpus II Athenodorus Euzois Laurence Alypius Pertinax Olympianus Marcus I Philadelphus Cyriacus I Castinus Eugenius I Titus Dometius Rufinus Probus Metrophanes Alexander
Archbishops of Constantinople (Roman period, 330–451 AD)	Alexander Paul I Eusebius Macedonius I Eudoxius Evagrius Demophilus Maximus I Gregory I Nectarius John I Chrysostom Arsacius Atticus Sisinnius I Nestorius Maximianus Proclus Flavian Anatolius
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Byzantine period, 451–1453 AD)	Anatolius Gennadius I Acacius Fravitta Euphemius Macedonius II Timothy I John II Epiphanius Anthimus I Menas Eutychius John III John IV Cyriacus II Thomas I Sergius I Pyrrhus Paul II Peter Thomas II John V Constantine I Theodore I George I Paul III Callinicus I Cyrus John VI Germanus I Anastasius Constantine II Nicetas I Paul IV Tarasius Nicephorus I Theodotus I Antony I John VII Methodius I Ignatios Photios I Stephen I Antony II Nicholas I Εuthymius I Stephen II Tryphon Theophylact Polyeuctus Βasil I Αntony III Nicholas II Sisinnius II Sergius II Eustathius Alexius Michael I Constantine III John VIII Cosmas I Eustratius Nicholas III John IX Leo Michael II Cosmas II Nicholas IV Theodotus II Neophytus I Constantine IV Luke Michael III Chariton Theodosius I Basil II Nicetas II Leontius Dositheus George II John X Michael IV^† Theodore II^† Maximus II^† Μanuel I^† Germanus II^† Methodius II^† Manuel II^† Arsenius^† Nicephorus II^† Germanus III Joseph I John XI Gregory II Athanasius I John XII Nephon I John XIII Gerasimus I Isaias John XIV Isidore I Callistus I Philotheus Macarius Nilus Antony IV Callistus II Matthew I Euthymius II Joseph II Metrophanes II Gregory III Athanasius II
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Ottoman period, 1453–1923 AD)	Gennadius II Isidore II Joasaph I Sophronius I Mark II Symeon I Dionysius I Raphael I Maximus III Nephon II Maximus IV Joachim I Pachomius I Theoleptus I Jeremias I Joannicius I Dionysius II Joasaph II Metrophanes III Jeremias II Pachomius II Theoleptus II Matthew II Gabriel I Theophanes I Meletius I Neophytus II Raphael II Cyril I Timothy II Gregory IV Anthimus II Cyril II Athanasius III Neophytus III Parthenius I Parthenius II Joannicius II Cyril III Paisius I Parthenius III Gabriel II Parthenius IV Dionysius III Clement Methodius III Dionysius IV Gerasimus II Athanasius IV James Callinicus II Neophytus IV Gabriel III Neophytus V Cyprianus Athanasius V Cyril IV Cosmas III Jeremias III (Callinicus III) Paisius II Seraphim I Neophytus VI Cyril V Callinicus IV (III) Seraphim II Joannicius III Samuel Meletius II Theodosius II Sophronius II Gabriel IV Procopius Neophytus VII Gerasimus III Gregory V Callinicus V (IV) Jeremias IV Cyril VI Eugenius II Anthimus III Chrysanthus Agathangelus Constantius I Constantius II Gregory VI Anthimus IV Anthimus V Germanus IV Meletius III Anthimus VI Cyril VII Joachim II Sophronius III Joachim III Joachim IV Dionysius V Neophytus VIII Anthimus VII Constantine V Germanus V Meletius IV
Patriarchs of Constantinople (Turkish period, since 1923 AD)	Gregory VII Constantine VI Basil III Photius II Benjamin Maximus V Athenagoras Demetrius Bartholomew
^† in exile at Nicaea Christianity portal

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