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| St. Gregory V, Patriarch of Constantinople (Feast Day - April 10) |
By Hieromonk Makarios of Simonos Petra
MYSTAGOGYΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ ΑΓΙΟ ΕΔΩ
Born in 1745 in the bosom of a poor
family from Dimitsana in the Peloponnese, Saint Gregory received his
earliest education from his uncle who was a hieromonk, and then went to
live with him in Smyrna. Becoming a monk in the monastery on the island
of Strophades, he completed his theological studies on Patmos. On his
return to Smyrna, Metropolitan Procopios, who showed him a fatherly
affection, made him archdeacon and then ordained him priest. When
Procopios was elevated to the Patriarchate in 1788, he consecrated
Gregory to succeed him.
For
twelve years, the holy hierarch governed the great and wealthy city of
Smyrna, the metropolis of Hellenism in Asia Minor, with wisdom and
apostolic zeal. He had several churches rebuilt there, founded schools
and organized a system of charity for the underprivileged. In 1797, he
was elected Ecumenical Patriarch and immediately undertook to enhance
the patriarchal dignity by having the Phanar palace rebuilt. He also
founded a publishing house in which he edited books in the vernacular,
which contributed greatly to the cultural and spiritual awakening of the
Greek people. The holy hierarch was vigilant about the strict
observance of the ecclesiastical canons and the moral rectitude of the
clergy. In those troubled times, when the Greeks, who had been held
under the Ottoman yoke for almost four centuries, were brewing up for a
general uprising, the Patriarch, aware of his pastoral responsibilities,
exerted himself to temper the warlike spirits while secretly nurturing
national feeling.
After just a year and a half, he
was denounced to the Sultan by some bishops whom he had reprimanded for
their conduct, and was exiled to Chalcedon and then to the Monastery of
Iveron on the Holy Mountain. During this forced stay on Athos, the
Saint visited all the monasteries, preached the word of God and was a
model of monastic life to all. He then gave the blessing to Saint
Euthymios (March 22) to go and offer himself for martyrdom, and
expressed his joy and pride at the news of the martyrdom of Saint
Agathangelos (19 April), thus showing that he considered death for love
of Christ to be the supreme goal and crown of the Christian life.
Recalled to the Patriarchate in
1806, he was received with enthusiasm by the Christian people of
Constantinople, and courageously resumed his pastoral work and the
raising of moral standards among the clergy. But in 1808, a coup d'état
brought Sultan Mehmed II to power. He constrained Gregory to retire
and withdraw to the island of Prinkipos, and then again to Mount Athos,
where he resumed his patristic studies and his ascetic life, keeping
himself informed, meanwhile, of the situation in the Church and among
the people.
In 1818, he was contacted by
members of the 'Society of Friends' (Filiki Eteria), a secret society
that was preparing for revolution by trying to bring together and
coordinate the various scattered forces. Gregory showed his support for
the cause of liberty with enthusiasm; but, judging that the time was
not yet ripe, he advised patience. A very short time later, he was
recalled for the third time to the Ecumenical throne and resumed his
activity, especially encouraging the foundation of schools in which the
pupils could receive a Hellenic formation. He also organized a 'Mercy
Fund,' which received funds from affluent Greeks for the aid of needy
Christians.
As soon as a
greatly-disorganized insurrection of the Greeks from the Danube
principalities began on 1 February 1821, there immediately followed
terrible and bloody reprisals in Constantinople and in the great centres
of the Ottoman Empire. The Turks massacred all the eminent men who had
links with the principalities and arrested four bishops. When the
government had given the order for all the eminent Greek families of
Constantinople to assemble at the Phanar, the Patriarch, in the hope of
avoiding a massacre, made himself answerable for their allegiance at the
Sublime Porte. Not content with this declaration, the Sultan forced
Saint Gregory to sign the excommunication of the leader of the
insurrection, Alexander Ypsilantes, and his companions.
On 31 March, a general revolt in
the Peloponesse was proclaimed, and three days later, on the Monday in
Holy Week, the Great Interpreter, representing the Greek community at
the Sultan's court, was executed along with other eminent citizens.
Foreseeing what his fate would be and refusing suggestions that he flee,
the Patriarch said: "How could I abandon my flock? If I am Patriarch,
it is to save my people, not to give them over to the swords of the
Janissaries. My death will be of more use than my life, because through
it the Greeks will fight with the energy of despair, which often
produces victory. No; I will not become a laughing-stock for the world
by taking flight, so that they can point their finger at me and say:
'Look at the killer Patriarch!'"
On Easter Day, 10 April, Saint
Gregory celebrated the Liturgy of the Resurrection calmly and with great
solemnity, interrupted only by his tears. At the end of the ceremony,
the news of the revolution in the Peloponnese was confirmed to him. He
then replied: "May the Lord's will, now as always, be done!" Some hours
later, they came to tell him of his deposition, and the Janissaries
took him off to prison with no consideration for his person. Submitted
to interrogation and torture, he kept a majestic silence, that was only
broken when, on their urging him to renounce his faith, he said: "The
Patriarch of the Christians must die a Christian!" Shortly afterwards,
as soon as a successor was elected by the Holy Synod, he was hanged at
the gateway of the Patriarchate, that has ever since remained closed in
commemoration of this wicked act. At the last moment, Saint Gregory
lifted his hands up to heaven, blessed the Christians who were present,
and said: "Lord Jesus Christ, receive my spirit!" While the Turks and
the Jews were casting stones on the Patriarch's corpse, the vizier who
had been charged with the execution sat smoking in front of it.
They left the body hanging for
three days, with the document containing the indictment round its neck.
Finally, the Jews bought the body for 800 piastres, dragged it through
the streets to gibes and cries of triumph, and threw it in the sea. In
spite of the heavy rock that was tied to it, the body floated and was
recovered by a Greek ship flying Russian colors, which took it to
Odessa. Venerated by the crowd for several days, the holy relics showed
no sign of corruption.
In 1871, on the occasion of the
fiftieth anniversary of the Greek Revolution, the body of the holy
Patriarch was translated to Athens and placed in the Metropolitan
Cathedral with the greatest solemnity.
He was officially canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on April 10, 1921.
From The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church, Volume 4: March, April,
translated from the French by Mother Maria (Rule) and Mother Joanna
(Burton), Holy Convent of The Annunciation of Our Lady Ormylia
(Chalkidike), 2003.
Islam, New martyrs (tags in our blog)
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| The Closed Gate of St. Gregory in 1920 |
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