Ecumenical Patriarch Paisius II of Constantinople

Paisius II
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Church	Church of Constantinople
In office	20 November 1726 – September 1732 August 1740 – May 1743 March 1744 – 28 September 1748 May 1751 – September 1752
Personal details
Born	Caesarea
Died	11 December 1756 Halki
Previous post	Metropolitan of Nicomedia

Paisius II Kioumourtzoglou (Greek: Παΐσιος Β΄ Κιουμουρτζόγλου) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for four times in the 18th century.

Paisius was born in Caesarea and his family name was Kioumourtzoglou (a Turkish name, as common among the mainly Karamanli Cappadocian Greeks). He probably moved early to Istanbul and became Metropolitan of Nicomedia surely before 1716, probably in 1712.

The first time that Paisius was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople was 20 November 1726, the day when Callinicus III was found dead by heart attack before his enthronement: Paisius was immediately chosen by the faction that previously elected Callinicus to preclude a return to the throne of Jeremias III. The first years of his reign were marked by clashes with the faction gathered around the community of Caesarea, whose main representatives were Jeremias III and later Neophytus VI, despite the fact that Paisius himself was born in this town. In 1731 this faction tried to depose him and to restore Jeremias, but failed. A second attempt in September 1732 was successful, when Jeremias III overthrew him. When later Jeremias had to retire due to health problems, a Patriarch from Nicomedia (Serapheim I) followed and later again one from Caesarea (Neophytus VI) who reigned six years.

The reign of Neophytus VI was ended by a decision of the Grand Vizier, who allowed Paisius to be reinstalled for his second term in August 1740. However three years later, in May 1743, Paisius was deposed by the Ottoman authorities for financial issues and Neophytus VI was restored.

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