GREGORY (GEORGE) OF CYPRUS. - Greek theologian and man of letters, b. 1241, d. 1290. A native of Cyprus, from which he took his name, he studied at Nicaea and Constantinople, where he was a pupil of George Acropolites. He soon became a deacon in the imperial court clergy and, under Michael VIII Palaeologus, proved himself one of the most ardent advocates of the union of the Eastern Church with Rome. After the accession of Andronicus II (1288), he was called to the patriarchal throne: he then changed his original name of George to Gregory, by which he is generally known, and began to oppose the policy of Michael VIII and the agreement of the Council of Lyons. Not recognized by the Patriarch of Antioch and opposed by the Orthodox themselves for his theological views, he abdicated in 1289 and died a year later.
Most of his theological works were written against John Bekkos and his followers, or in defence of friends accused before the Synod of Constantinople. These works earned him the title of “pillar of orthodoxy.” He also wrote literary works which make him one of the most characteristic representatives of Byzantine humanism in the 13th century. His autobiography, which precedes his correspondence, is a valuable contribution to the knowledge of contemporary society.