Matthew II
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church	Church of Constantinople
In office	February 1596 April 1598 – January 1602 January – February 1603
Predecessor	Jeremias II Theophanes I Neophytus II
Successor	Gabriel I Neophytus II Raphael II
Personal details
Born	unknown
Died	1603
Previous post(s)	Metropolitan of Ioannina

Matthew II (Greek: Ματθαῖος; died 1603) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople three times, shortly in 1596, from 1598 to 1602 and for a few days in 1603.^[1]

Life

Member of the Aromanian community,^[2] Matthew was born in the village Klinovos (now part of Kalabaka), and he became Metropolitan of Ioannina. In early 1596, he was elected Ecumenical Patriarch, but the election was not recognized because the Holy Synod that elected him was not attended by all the members; thus, after twenty days, Matthew was forced to resign and moved to Mount Athos.^[3]

Matthew was elected again in April 1598. During this Patriarchate, Matthew transferred the patriarchal see from the Church of St. Demetrius Xyloportas, used since 1597, to the unimpressive church of the women's monastery of St. George in the Phanar, where it remains until today as St. George's Cathedral.^[4] The Phanar district then became the recognised centre of Greek Christian life in the city. He remained on the throne until January 1602, when he returned to Mount Athos.

Once again, he ascended to the throne in January 1603 and reigned for seventeen days, either until his death,^[1] or, according to other sources, until he retired to Mount Athos, where he died in the same year.^[3]

Canonizations

Matthew canonized the Blessed Philothei, who was martyred in 1589 in Athens.^[3]

Notes

^ ^a ^b Kiminas, Demetrius (2009). The Ecumenical Patriarchate. Wildside Press LLC. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-4344-5876-6.
^ "Ο Βλαχόφωνος Ελληνισμός". vlahoi.net. Retrieved 14 Sep 2011.(in Greek)
^ ^a ^b ^c "Ματθαῖος Β´". Ecumenical Patriarchate. Retrieved 14 Sep 2011.(in Greek)
^ "Ecumenical Patriarchate website". Ec-patr.org. Retrieved 20 Aug 2017.

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