Maximus IV ( el, ), previously known as Manasses ( el, Μανασσής), was an Orthodox Christian monk and bishop. He 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 ...

from 1491 to 1497.

Life

He was

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

of the

Vatopedi monastery The Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi ( el, Βατοπέδι, ) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos, Greece. The monastery was expanded several times during its history, particularly during the Byzantine period and in the 18th an ...

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...

before being appointed by

Patriarch Symeon I of Constantinople Symeon I of Trebizond ( el, ), (? – autumn 1486) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople three times: for a short time in 1466, from 1471 to 1475 and from 1482 to 1486. In 1484 he presided over the Synod of Constantinople (1484), Synod of C ...

Metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the b ...

of Serres, which he governed under the

religious name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for a religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholic Church, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should ...

of Manasses. In the first months of 1491, he was elected Patriarch of Constantinople with the support of the monks of Mount Athos. On his election, he changed his name to Maximus, an unparalleled case in the history of the Ecumenical Patriarchate because usually a monastic name is maintained throughout an ecclesiastic career. As Patriarch, he defended the rights of Orthodox Christians living in territories under the

Venetian Republic The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. During his reign arose some pieces of gossip about him, not specified by the sources, which led to his deposition in early 1497. After his resignation, he remained actively involved with ecclesiastic issues, even plotting against his successor Nephon II, until he was forced to retire in the Vatopedi monastery, where he died at an unknown date.

Notes

External links

''Historia politica et patriarchica Constantinopoleos'', Cap XII: P. Maximus, (trans. Martin Crusius, 1584)
Primary source. {{DEFAULTSORT:Maximus 04 of Constantinople, Patriarch 15th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 15th-century patriarchs of Constantinople 15th-century Greek people Athonite Fathers People associated with Vatopedi