Joseph VII Peter Tyan (born on March 15, 1760 in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

– died on February 20, 1820 in Qannubin, Lebanon) (or Youssef Tyan, ''Youssef Tiyen'', ''Thian'', ''Tian'', ''Tyen'', ''Al-Tiyyan'', ar, يوسف السابع تيّان) was the 66th Maronite

Patriarch of Antioch Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian c ...

from 1796 until his resignation in 1809.

Life

Joseph Tyan was born in

, on March 15, 1760. He studied in Rome in the

College of the Propaganda A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a University system, constituent part of one. A college may be a academic degree, degree-awarding Tertiary education, tertiary educational institution, a part of a coll ...

where he remained from 1773 to 1782. In 1783 and 1784 he played an important role in supporting Patriarch Joseph Estephan's reconciliation with the Roman authorities. Joseph Tyan was ordained as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

in 1784, and he was appointed Maronite

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the

Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Damascus Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Damascus ( la, Archeparchy Maronitarum Damascena) is an archeparchy of the Maronite Church The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full commun ...

and consecrated on August 6, 1786 by Patriarch Joseph Estephan. Even if

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

judged his episcopal ordination as not in line with the current rules, Tyan was appointed Patriarchal Vicar in 1788. After the death of Patriarch Joseph Estephan in 1793, two short-reigning Patriarchs followed, and finally on April 28, 1796 Joseph Tyan was elected patriarch, though opposed by the

Khazen Khazen (also El-Khazen, Al-Khazen, Khazin or De Khazen, ar, آل الخازن, is a prominent Levantine family and clan based in Keserwan District, Lebanon, Damascus, Syria, Nablus, Palestine, as well as other districts around the Levant, predomi ...

Sheikhes. His election was confirmed by Pope Pius VI on July 24, 1797. In March 1801 Joseph Tyan wrote an encyclical to his faithful against the

Jansenist Jansenism was an early modern theological movement within Catholicism, primarily active in the Kingdom of France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination. It was declared a heresy by th ...

ic doctrine of

Germanos Adam Germanos Adam (born in 1725 in Aleppo, Syria – died on 10 November 1809 in Zouk Mikael, Lebanon) was the Melkite Catholic bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Aleppo during the late 18th century and a Christian theologian. Life ...

, thus defending

papal primacy Papal primacy, also known as the primacy of the bishop of Rome, is a Roman Catholic ecclesiological doctrine concerning the respect and authority that is due to the pope from other bishops and their episcopal sees. The doctrine is accepted ...

. Patriarch Joseph Tyan took a stand against the Ottoman government, and during the

French Campaign in Egypt and Syria The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the ...

he supported

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in the

siege of Acre (1799) The siege of Acre of 1799 was an unsuccessful French siege of the Ottoman city of Acre (now Akko in modern Israel) and was the turning point of Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and Syria, along with the Battle of the Nile. It was Napoleon's th ...

, urging Maronites to volunteer and asking

Emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...

Bashir II to ally himself with Napoleon. Despite Tyan's hopes, Emir Bashir remained neutral and the British-Ottoman alliance defeated Napoleon at

Akko Acre ( ), known locally as Akko ( he, עַכּוֹ, ''ʻAkō'') or Akka ( ar, عكّا, ''ʻAkkā''), is a city in the coastal plain region of the Northern District of Israel. The city occupies an important location, sitting in a natural harb ...

. The difficulties of the Patriarchate of Joseph Tyan increased; he came in conflict with Emir Bashir II not only for his support of Napoleon, but also for the excessive taxes the Emir imposed on the Maronite peasants. He also had to face the discontent of some of his bishops, led by the Khazen Sheikhes, who in 1800 wrote to Rome complaining that Tyan illegally took church properties and instigated discord. Actually the real reason for the Khazen Sheikhes' opposition to him seems to have been his attempt to implement reform of the administration of the monasteries, which in great measure were owned by the Sheikhes. Only Tyan's successor, John Helou, could start such reform with the 1818 synod. Due to the above difficulties, in 1805 the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

appointed an

Apostolic visitor In the Catholic Church, an apostolic visitor (or ''Apostolic Visitator''; Italian: Visitatore apostolico) is a papal representative with a transient mission to perform a canonical visitation of relatively short duration. The visitor is deputed ...

in the Maronite Patriarchate, Germanos El Khazen bishop of Damascus, followed on March 7, 1807, by Aloisio Gandolfi, who took a stand against Joseph Tyan, and advised him to retire. On October 3, 1807, Patriarch Joseph Tyan wrote a letter to Rome with his resignation, that was communicated to the Maronite bishops on November 19, 1808. Consequently Aloisio Gandolfi summoned a meeting of all the bishops in

Harissa Harissa ( ar, هريسة ''harīsa'', from Maghrebi Arabic) is a hot chili pepper paste, native to the Maghreb. The main ingredients are roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers (), spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, coriander ...

in April 1809. A short time later, on June 8, 1809, John Helou was elected Patriarch. Joseph Tyan retired in a hermitage and later moved to Kfarhaye (Batroun District) to teach theology in the newly erected

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

of Saint Maron. He died in

odour of sanctity The odour of sanctity (also spelled odor), according to the Catholic Church, is commonly understood to mean a specific scent (often compared to flowers) that emanates from the bodies of saints, especially from the wounds of stigmata. These saints a ...

on February 20, 1820, in the patriarchal residence of the Qannubin Monastery, in the

Kadisha Valley Kadisha Valley ( ar, وادي قاديشا), also romanized as the Qadisha Valley and also known as the Kadisha Gorge or Wadi Kadisha (french: Ouadi Qadisha), is a gorge that lies within the Bsharri and Zgharta Districts of the North Governorat ...

Notes

External links

* http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/btyen.html * http://www.kobayat.org/data/maronites/patriarchs.htm#tayan * https://archive.org/stream/dictionnairedet10pt1vaca * https://archive.org/stream/serieschronologi00asseuoft#page/40/mode/2up * https://archive.org/stream/hierarchiacathol06eubeuoft#page/87/mode/1up {{DEFAULTSORT:Tyan, Joseph 18th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 1760 births 1820 deaths Lebanese Eastern Catholic bishops Lebanese Maronites Maronite Patriarchs of Antioch 18th-century Eastern Catholic archbishops Eastern Catholic bishops in the Ottoman Empire

Life

See also

Notes

External links