Raphael I of Constantinople

Raphael I of Constantinople
Raphael I of Constantinople
	Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church	Church of Constantinople
In office	early 1475 – early 1476
Predecessor	Symeon I
Successor	Maximus III
Personal details
Born	unknown
Died	1476

Raphael I (Greek: Ραφαήλ Α΄, Rafaíl A΄, Serbian: Рафаило I / Rafailo I; ? – 1476) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1475 to 1476.

Life

Raphael was a Serbian monk.^[1] He probably was chosen and supported as Patriarch by Mara Brankovic,^[1] the stepmother of Mehmed the Conqueror.^[2] Raphael was successfully appointed Patriarch in the first months of 1475^[3] promising the Sultan a yearly payment of 2000 gold florins and a one-time gift of 700 gold florins.^[4]

The Greek community of Constantinople had not part in his appointment and fiercely opposed him. The Metropolitan of Heraclea, who traditionally enthroned the new patriarch, refused to consecrate him, and the liturgy was celebrated by the Metropolitan of Ancyra.^[5] For this reason he was not recognized as Patriarch by a large part of the Greek clergy.

The sources show an extended bias against Raphael.^[1] He is accused of not speaking properly Greek and is denounced for his foreign accent and for his addiction to alcohol.^[1] It is reported that he was not able to stand during the ceremonies of the Great Friday because he was drunk.^[2]

Raphael reigned for about one year, until early 1476: at the beginning of the year, when he had to pay the annual gift he had promised to the Sultan, he tried to collect it from his faithful, who denied their help.^[4] Unable to pay the requested fee, he was immediately deposed and imprisoned. He died shortly after still in chains.

References

1 2 3 4 Philippides & Hanak 2011, p. 84-85.
1 2 Philippides, Marios (2011). The Siege and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. Ashgate Pub Co. pp. 84–85. ISBN 978-1-4094-1064-5.
↑ Kiminas, Demetrius (2009). The Ecumenical Patriarchate. Wildside Press LLC. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-4344-5876-6.
1 2 Vitalien, Laurent (1968). "Les premiers patriarches de Constantinople sous la domination turque (1454-1476)". Revue des études byzantines (26): 229–263(260). doi:10.3406/rebyz.1968.1407. (in French)
↑ Runciman, Steven (1985). The Great Church in captivity. Cambridge University Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-521-31310-0.

Sources

Philippides, Marios; Hanak, Walter K. (2011). The Siege and the Fall of Constantinople in 1453: Historiography, Topography and Military Studies. Ashgate Publishing.

Bishops of Byzantium and Patriarchs of Constantinople
Bishops of Heraclea/Byzantium (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 (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 Eastern Christianity portal

Raphael I of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church	Church of Constantinople
In office	early 1475 – early 1476
Predecessor	Symeon I
Successor	Maximus III
Personal details
Born	unknown
Died	1476

Raphael I of Constantinople

Life

References

Sources

Further reading