Methodius III, called Moronis or Maronis ( el, Μεθόδιος Γ' ο Μορώνης/Μαρώνης), (? – 1679) was

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...

in 1668–1671. Descended from

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

, he served at the Church of the

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or ''Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are " ...

of Chrysopigi in

Galata Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most notabl ...

. In 1646, he was elected Metropolitan of Heraclea. On 5 January 1668, he was elected

Ecumenical Patriarch The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...

, succeeding Patriarch Clement. But because former Patriarch Parthenius was hostile towards him, he was forced to resign in March 1671 and to become a monk in the

Nea Moni of Chios Nea Moni ( el, Νέα Μονή, lit. "New Monastery") is an 11th-century monastery on the island of Chios that has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located on the Provateio Oros Mt. in the island's interior, about 15 km f ...

and after that in the

Strofades Monastery Strofades ( el, Στροφάδες; also called Strofadia, , or Stromphides, ) is a group of two small List of islands of Greece, Greek islands in the Ionian Islands. They lie about south-southeast of the island of Zakynthos. Administratively th ...

Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; el, Ζάκυνθος, Zákynthos ; it, Zacinto ) or Zante (, , ; el, Τζάντε, Tzánte ; from the Venetian form) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. Za ...

. In 1677, he went to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

and became commissioner in the orthodox Church of Saint George, which served the local Greek-speaking community, until 1679 when he died.

Sources

Ecumenical Patriarchate
*''Νεώτερον Εγκυκλοπαιδικόν Λεξικόν Ηλίου'' Vol. 13, p. 172. {{DEFAULTSORT:Methodius 03 of Constantinople 1679 deaths 17th-century Greek clergy Religious leaders from Crete 17th-century Ecumenical Patriarchs of Constantinople Year of birth unknown