Germanus IV of Constantinople

His All Holiness Germanus IV of Constantinople was the Patriarch of Constantinople for two periods, from 1842 to 1845 and from 1852 to 1853.

He was patriarch during the period of the nineteenth century that the Church of Greece was asserting its independence from Constantinople. While acting independently, the Greek Church had not made any attempt to notify the patriarchate of a change their relations. Thus, in 1844, Germanus, like Anthimos IV before him, refused to take notice of the Greek Church's declared independence when the Church notified him of their excommunication for heresy of Theophilos Kaires, the founder of the "Theosebismos" sect, that was an imitation of French Deism.

Also in 1844, Patr. Germanus initiated the conversion of the deserted Holy Trinity monastery on Halki island, in the Sea of Marmara, into an Orthodox school of theology. The Theological School of Halki would remain the main school of theology and the primary seminary of the Patriarchate of Constantinople until it was closed in 1971 by the Turkish government.

Succession box: Germanus IV of Constantinople
Preceded by: Anthimus V	Patriarch of Constantinople 1842-1845	Succeeded by: Meletius III
Preceded by: Anthimus IV	Patriarch of Constantinople 1852-1853	Succeeded by: Anthimus VI

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Sources

• Archbishop Stylianos
• Catholic On-line: Greece