On April 10 of the Church calendar we commemorated the martyrdom of Patriarch Gregory V who was executed by hanging at the gate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the orders of the Ottoman Sultan in retaliation for the Greek War of Independence. Patriarch Gregory was a righteous martyr who gave his life for Christ and for the Greek nation. His death was a sacrifice for others.
In the aftermath of the conquest of Constantinople, the Ottoman Sultan reached an agreement with the new Patriarch Gennadios. The Patriarch was to discourage any form of revolutionary activity in return for a degree of autonomy for the Greek Orthodox Church. The agreement had many problems with it but it was as good an agreement as possible following the complete collapse of the remnant of Byzantium.
Following the Greek uprising, the Sultan in his wrath ordered the execution of the Patriarch and several other Bishops. The Patriarch Gregory was a very frail and skinny man. It took many excruciating hours for him to die. Even after death, the Sultan refused to permit his body to be removed. Furthermore, the Sultan demanded an immediate election for a successor to Gregory.
The Synod in a state of terror elected Patriarch Eugenios as his successor. The new Patriarch was forced to enter the Patriarchate through the gate in which his predecessors body was still hanging. Eventually, the Patriarchs body was dragged through the streets of Constantinople until it was thrown into the bosporus.
His remains were recovered by the Russians and a state funeral was given to the martyred Patriarch by the Russians. In 1871, the Russians gave the Patriarchs relics to Greece where they can be venerated by the faithful within the Annunciation Cathedral of Athens. The Patriarch was canonized as a Saint in 1921 on the centennial of his martyrdom.
Patriarch Gregory had become aware of plans for a Greek uprising. The Patriarch stated that he could not become involved because of his delicate position in the Ottoman Empire. But he did not reveal plans for the uprising to the Turks and it is for this reason that he was executed. Patriarch Gregory’s death also spared countless numbers of Orthodox Greeks within the Ottoman Empire from potential mass slaughter.
The Turks began organizing terror and violence against the Greeks of Constantinople, Smyrna, and Thessaloniki as retribution for the Greek uprising. The death of Gregory V helped alleviate the Sultan’s anger and the massive violence against the Greeks still within the Empire subsided. The British and the Russians both expressed anger and outrage at the execution of the Patriarch and in Russia popular opinion turned heavily against the Ottomans.
Patriarch Gregory V was a martyr and a Saint of the Church. His death served as a sacrifice in place countless men, women, and children among his flock. His execution ended what had been his third tenure on the Patriarchal throne. The Patriarch had been removed from the Patriarchate twice before for political reasons. As an Orthodox traditionalist he had spent much time on Mount Athos.
He was also known as a staunch conservative in matters of faith. His writings included criticism of the Latin faith and a defense of Orthodoxy. Patriarch Gregory was not interested in what is today called “ecumenism”. He has been criticized for excommunicating the the Greek Revolutionaries.
But in proper context, this excommunication was not considered valid or binding by the Greek Revolutionaries who understood the difficult position the Patriarch had been in. May the martyred Patriarch Gregory intervene on behalf of suffering Christians throughout the middle east today, and may he watch over the present Ecumenical Patriarch and correct him from his misdeeds.