Righteous Gregory II of Cyprus, Patriarch of Constantinople (sainthood unconfirmed)

Gregory, secular name George, was born in 1241 on Cyprus into an impoverished noble family that had left the island after the Latin conquest of 1191. He was educated in Nicosia, then in Greek and Latin schools in Constantinople, served as a scribe in the imperial chancellery, and studied under George Akropolites. On March 28, 1283, he was elected Patriarch of Constantinople. He authored the "Exposition of the Tome of Faith against [Patriarch] Bekkos," rejecting the 1274 Union of Lyons and developing a theological distinction between the "procession" (ekporeusis) and "shining forth" (ellampsis) of the Holy Spirit — a formulation that influenced later Palamite theology. He faced opposition from the Arsenites, Latin unionists, and Bekkos's supporters; he convened several councils (1283, 1284, the 1285 Council of Blachernae). In June 1289 he was forced to resign the see, withdrew to a monastery, and died there in 1290.

IMPORTANT CAVEAT: despite his significant role in Byzantine theology, Gregory of Cyprus's veneration as a saint is NOT CONFIRMED by any source — pravenc.ru's dedicated article treats him purely as a patriarch and church writer, never applying the title "hierarch-saint"; azbyka.ru's Otechnik library likewise contains no indication of canonization, relics, or a feast day. He should not be confused with a different, ACTUALLY canonized Patriarch of Constantinople of the same name — the Hieromartyr Gregory V (1797-1821), executed by the Ottomans in 1821 (feast Apr 10/23).