Polyeuctus of Constantinople

File:Consecration of Patriarch Polyeuctus.png

Consecration of Polyeuctus, from the Madrid Skylitzes

Polyeuctus was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (956–970). His orthodox feast is on February 5 (Old style?)

History

Polyeuctus was raised from being a simple monk to the Patriarchate in 956, as successor to the imperial prince Theophylact Lekapenos, and remained on the patriarchal throne in Constantinople until his death in 16 January 970. For his great mind, zeal for the Faith and power of oratory, he was called a "second Chrysostom".

Although he was given his position by Constantine VII he did not show much loyalty to him. He began by questioning the legitimacy of Constantine's parents' marriage, and then went as far as to restore the good name of Patriarch Euthymius who had so vigorously opposed that union.^[1]

The Russian Princess Saint Olga came to Constantinople in the time of Patriarch Polyeuctus during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, and was baptised there in 957. The Patriarch baptised her, and the Emperor stood godfather. St Polyeuctus prophesied: `Blessed art thou among Russian women, for thou bast desired the light and cast away darkness; the sons of Russia will bless thee to the last generation.'

He raised bishop Petrus of Otranto (958) to the dignity of metropolitan, with the obligation to establish the Greek Rite throughout the province; the Latin Rite was introduced again after the Norman conquest, but the Greek Rite remained in use in several towns of the archdiocese and of its suffragans, until the 16th century.

Although he had supported his rise to the throne, against the machinations of Joseph Bringas, Polyeuctus excommunicated Nikephoros II for having married Theophano on the grounds that he had been the godfather to one or more of her sons. He had previously refused Nikephoras communion for a whole year for the sin of having contracted a second marriage. Nikephoros' first wife had been dead several years when he married Theophano, but in the religious views prevalent in the Eastern Roman Empire, especially in the 10th Century, remarriage after the death of ones first wife was a sin only begrudgingly tolerated.

Polyeuctus at least had the good grace to oppose sin on all fronts. He excommunicated the assassins of the Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas and refused to crown the new Emperor John I Tzimiskes, nephew of the late Emperor (and one of the assassins) until he punished the assassins and exiled his lover Empress Theophano who organised her husband's assassin.

Titles of Chalcedonian Christianity
Preceded by Theophylactus	Patriarch of Constantinople 956–970	Succeeded by Basil I

Sources and references

↑ Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium, The Apogee. [New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992) p. 173.

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[1] Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium, The Apogee. [New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992) p. 173.

[1]

v t e Bishops of Byzantium and Patriarchs of Constantinople
Bishops of Byzantium (to 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 (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 Modern period (since 1923 AD)	Gregory VII Constantine VI Basil III Photios II Benjamin Maximus V Athenagoras Demetrius Bartholomew
^† in exile at Nicaea

Polyeuctus of Constantinople

History

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