Dionysius IV Muselimes of Constantinople

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Dionysius IV Muselimes was the Patriarch of Constantinople for five periods from 1671 to 1673, 1676 to 1679, 1682 to 1684, 1686 to 1687, and 1693 to 1694. He was deposed at the end of each period he was patriarch.

Life

Dionysius Komnenus came from an old aristocratic family of Constantinople. He was born before the mid-seventeenth century in Constantinople. He received an excellent education, that included studies at the Patriarchal Academy. Although still a layman, he was elected Metropolitan of Larisa on August 9, 1662. He lived during a period of frequent turnover in the position of patriarch as the Turkish Sultan and his administration took frequent advantage for financial payoffs from the competing factions among the Orthodox to have their man as patriarch.

He was first elected Patriarch of Constantinople in October 1671. He was removed from office following actions of the wife of the Great Dragoman, Panagiotis Nikousios, on July 25, 1673, and was offered the Diocese of Philippopolis, now Plovdiv, Bulgaria, eis zoarkeian. He was recalled as patriarch on October 24, 1676, but removed again on August 2, 1679, this time to Wallachia. It was during his second time as patriarch, in 1677, that the first Orthodox Church in London, England was established. On August 31, 1683, Dionysius returned for the third time to the patriarchal throne. He was deposed on March 10, 1684 and retired to Halki and possibly Adrianople before being offered the Diocese of Chalcedon in 1685.

At his point he was involved in a serious confrontation with Patriarch James, that became extremely fierce in the following years. Securing the support of the hierarchs, Dionysius overthrew James before he became patriarch for the fourth time on April 7, 1686. However, James retaliated by offering a large sum to the Grand Vizier and overthrew Dionysius on October 17, 1687. After he had retired to Adrianople, Dionysius was persecuted, arrested, and made to pay ransom for his freedom. He then moved for Wallachia, where he enjoyed the hospitality of the prince Constantine Brâncoveanu. With Brâncoveanu's support, Dionysius became patriarch in 1693 for the fifth time, since James was no longer in the patriarchal picture. Dionysius replaced Callinicus II of Akarnania. During his last term as patriarch he met with a negative attitude from among the Greek-Orthodox elite. His relations with the body of hierarchs was unstable with denunciations of maladministration. After seven months, he was permanently removed from the patriarchal throne and retired to Wallachia.

Dionysius died in Tîrgovişte of Wallachia on September 23, 1696 and was buried in the yard of the Radulvoda Monastery.

Confession of Dositheus

He participated in the Synod of Jerusalem in 1672 that refuted the Confession of Cyril Lucaris. The synod declared the confession a forgery, and reaffirmed that the Holy Spirit proceeds God the Father and not from both the Father and Son as recorded in the document called the Confession of Dositheus.

Succession box:
Dionysius IV Muselimes of Constantinople
Preceded by:
Parthenius IV 		Patriarch of Constantinople
1671-1673 		Succeeded by:
Gerasimus II
Preceded by:
Parthenius IV 		Patriarch of Constantinople]
1676-1679 		Succeeded by:
Athanasius IV
Preceded by:
James 		Patriarch of Constantinople]
1682-1684 		Succeeded by:
Parthenius IV
Preceded by:
James 		Patriarch of Constantinople]
1686-1687 		Succeeded by:
James
Preceded by:
Callinicus I 		Patriarch of Constantinople]
1693-1694 		Succeeded by:
Callinicus II
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Sources

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