Cyril VI of Constantinople

Cyril VI
His All Holiness; Cyril VI
	Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church	Church of Constantinople
Diocese	Constantinople
See	Ecumenical Patriarchate
Installed	March 4, 1813
Term ended	December 13, 1818
Predecessor	Jeremias IV
Successor	Gregory V
Personal details
Birth name	Konstantinos Serpetzoglou (Κωνσταντίνος Σερπεντζόγλου)
Born	1769; Adrianople (Edirne), Turkey
Died	April 22, 1821; Edirne
Buried	Pythio
Denomination	Eastern Orthodox Church
Occupation	Ecumenical Patriarch
Signature

Cyril VI (Greek: Κύριλλος ΣΤ΄), lay name Konstantinos Serpetzoglou (Κωνσταντίνος Σερπεντζόγλου) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople between the years 1813 and 1818.

He was born in 1769 in Edirne, where he finished school. He was a smart and good student. He was put under the protection of the local metropolitan bishop (and later Ecumenical Patriarch) Callinicus V, who ordained him deacon in 1791 and hired him as a secretary. In 1801, when Cyril was elected Patriarch, he appointed him great archdeacon of the Patriarchate. From that position he was especially occupied with the reorganisation of the Great School of the Nation, which was then moved to Kuruçeşme.

In September 1803 he was elected Metropolitan bishop of Konya, serving as such for seven years. There, he worked hard for the establishment of schools, the funding of impecunious students, the distribution of books and the general education. In 1810 he was moved to the Metropolis of Edirne. On 4 March 1813, after the resignation of Jeremias IV of Constantinople, he was elected Ecumenical Patriarch.

As Ecumenical Patriarch, past the special interest he showed for the development of education, he founded a music school, and published many books, mainly religious. He fixed the economical problems of the Patriarchate and reopened the Patriarchal Press and the Great School of the Nation. It is speculated that he was an advisor of Filiki Eteria. Moreover, it is thought that the Sultan Mahmud II made him resign, which happened on 13 December 1818.

After his resignation he retired to Edirne. When the Greek War of Independence broke out, his name was included in the decree of the Sultan where the command to execute 30 priests and kodjabashis of Edirne was given. He was executed by hanging in the gate of the Metropolis and his body stayed hanging for three days (the first time the rope broke and the Ottomans considered it a superstition) and was later thrown in the Maritsa. Later, his relic was found from a villager and was buried. His grave still exists in the yard of a house in the village of Pythio, next to the Maritsa river.

He was recognised as a saint in 1993 by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece and he is honored on April 18 or carried on Thomas Sunday.

References

Sources

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Bishops of Byzantium and Patriarchs of Constantinople
Bishops of Heraclea/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