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New Martyr19th century

Hieromartyr Gregory V Patriarch of Constantinople

1746-1821

Also known as Gregory V of Constantinople · Gregorios E

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, born in Dimitsana in the Peloponnese in 1746. He was hanged at the gate of the Patriarchate on Pascha 1821 in Ottoman reprisal during the Greek War of Independence, and is venerated as a hieromartyr and ethnomartyr.

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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Gregory V, Patriarch of Constantinople

Life

Gregory V was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, born in Dimitsana in the Peloponnese in 1746. He held the patriarchal throne in three separate periods between 1797 and 1821 and was hanged at the gate of the Patriarchate on Pascha in 1821, in Ottoman reprisal during the Greek War of Independence. He is venerated as a hieromartyr and ethnomartyr.

Born Georgios Angelopoulos, he was educated in Dimitsana, Athens, Smyrna, and at the School of Patmos before his ordination and rise through the hierarchy. His death made him one of the most prominent figures of the Greek struggle for independence.

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide
KontakionTone 4

(Podoben: “You appeared today...”) Gathering together today in the city of Athens,
all you true sons of Greece,
let us celebrate Patriarch Gregory joyously, with divine songs.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 1

(Podoben: “O citizen of the desert...”) Let us the faithful honor the offspring of Dēmētsána and leader of Byzantium,
as an all-glorious Martyr of Christ,
that we may receive forgiveness for our faults, crying aloud to God:
“Glory to Him Who strengthened you.
Glory to Him Who crowned you.
Glory to Him Who glorified you in Heaven, O Saint.”

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline5 momentsReadHide
  1. 1746Birth in DimitsanaGregory was born Georgios Angelopoulos in Dimitsana, in Arcadia in the Peloponnese, to poor parents. He studied in Dimitsana and Athens and pursued further education in Smyrna and at the School of Patmos.
  2. 1785Bishop of SmyrnaAfter ordination he advanced through the hierarchy and became Metropolitan of Smyrna, the office he held before his first elevation to the patriarchal throne.
  3. 1797-1821Three patriarchatesGregory served as Ecumenical Patriarch in three separate periods, 1797-1798, 1806-1808, and from 1818 until his death in 1821. Between his terms he was twice removed and sent into exile, including to Mount Athos.
  4. 1821Martyrdom on PaschaDuring the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence, by order of Sultan Mahmud II, Gregory was hanged in his full patriarchal vestments from the front gate of the Patriarchate on Pascha, April 10, 1821. His body was afterward cast into the sea, recovered by Greek sailors, and carried to Odessa.
  5. 1921GlorificationThe Church of Greece numbered Gregory among the saints, venerating him as a hieromartyr and ethnomartyr. His relics were brought from Odessa and interred in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens.

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributionsReadHide

Patriarchate and the Greek Struggle

As Ecumenical Patriarch, Gregory stood as ethnarch of the Orthodox Christians within the Ottoman Empire, a position that placed him between the Greek revolutionary movement and the Ottoman state. When the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821, he publicly condemned the revolt in an effort to shield the Christian population of Constantinople from reprisal, but Sultan Mahmud II held him responsible for failing to suppress the uprising.

On Pascha, April 10, 1821, immediately after the paschal liturgy, Gregory was hanged from the gate of the Patriarchate while still in his liturgical vestments. The accounts relate that his body was thrown into the sea, recovered by Greek sailors, and taken to Odessa in southern Russia, where it was received with honor. The gate at which he died is traditionally said to have remained shut ever since.

Veneration

Gregory V is venerated as a hieromartyr and ethnomartyr, commemorated on April 10, the day of his death. The Church of Greece recognized him as a saint in 1921. His relics were later translated from Odessa and interred in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens, where they remain.

Related Saints1 saintShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

The penitent whom he counselled to go to Mount Athos and prepare his soul for his confession of Christ.
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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints; Wikipedia, Gregory V of Constantinople