I. Athenagoras

Also known as Aristocles Spyrou, Athenagoras I

ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (1886–1972)

Key facts

Church: Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
Installed: 1 November 1948
Term ended: 7 July 1972
Predecessor: Maximus V
Successor: Demetrios I
Born: Aristocles Matthew Spyrou , 6 April 1886 (25 March), Vasilikón, Janina Vilayet , Ottoman Empire, (now Epirus , Greece)
Died: 7 July 1972 (1972-07-07) (aged 86) , Phanar , Istanbul , Turkey
Denomination: Eastern Orthodox Church
Alma mater: Holy Trinity Theological School

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Gender: male
Citizenship: Ottoman Empire
Place of birth: Vasiliko
Place of death: Istanbul
Occupation: patriarch
Position held: metropolitan
Educated at: Halki seminary
Languages spoken: English language
Religion: Eastern Orthodoxy
Field of work: Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
Image: Patriarch Athenagoras (1967).jpg

Show 6 more facts

date of death: 1972-07-07
date of birth: 1886-04-06
Commons category: Athenagoras I of Constantinople
birth name: Αριστοκλής Σπύρου
name in native language: Αθηναγόρας Αʹ
place of burial: Church of St. Mary of the Spring

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~6 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I (Greek: Αθηναγόρας Αʹ), born Aristocles Matthaiou Spyrou (Greek: Αριστοκλής Ματθαίου Σπύρου; 6 April 1886 (25 March) – 7 July 1972), was the 268th Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from November 1948, until his death in July 1972, serving as the primus inter pares (first among equals) and spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christianity worldwide.

Prior to his election to the Ecumenical Throne, Athenagoras was served as the Archbishop of North and South America (GOARCH) from 1930 to 1948, where he played a pivotal role in organizing the Greek Diaspora.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “I. Athenagoras” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.