Benjamin I ( el, Βενιαμίν Αʹ, 18 January 1871 – 17 February 1946) 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 ...

from 1936 to 1946.

Early life

Benjamin was born as Psomas Sunday on 18 January 1871, in Edremit,

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. From 1889 to 1896, he studied at the

Halki seminary The Halki seminary, formally the Theological School of Halki ( el, Θεολογική Σχολή Χάλκης and tr, Ortodoks Ruhban Okulu), was founded on 1 October 1844 on the island of Halki ( Turkish: Heybeliada), the second-largest of the ...

Career

In 1912, he was appointed as the Metropolitan of Rhodes, in 1914, he was appointed as the Metropolitan of Silybria, and was later moved to the Metropolis of Philippopolis, but was unable to perform his duties due to the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. On 18 January 1936, the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...

voted to elevated Benjamin from Metropolitan bishop to Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople following the death of Photius II. Roberto Sambonet och patriarken av Istanbul 1945 SLSA 1150 7257

Roberto Sambonet och patriarken av Istanbul 1945 SLSA 1150 7257

Benjamin died in Istanbul on 17 February 1946, after suffering from bronchitis and was succeeded by Maximus V. At the 1946

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headquartered in New York City, is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its current primate is Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. Archbishop On May 11, 2019, the church's Hol ...

national convention, two minutes of silence were given in honor of Benjamin and a delegate from Pope Pius XII attended his funeral.

References

20th-century Ecumenical Patriarchs of Constantinople 1871 births 1946 deaths Bishops of Nicaea Orthodox bishops of Rhodes People from Edremit, Balıkesir {{EasternOrthodoxy-bishop-stub