Cyril VII Siaj

Cyril VII Siaj
Patriarch of Antioch
Church	Melkite Greek Catholic Church
See	Patriarch of Antioch
Installed	11 December 1794
Term ended	6 August 1796
Predecessor	Athanasius IV Jawhar
Successor	Agapius II Matar
Orders
Consecration	December 1763 (Bishop) by Euthymius Fadel
Personal details
Born	François Siaj 1735
Died	6 August 1796 (aged 60–61) Aitanite, Lebanon

Cyril VII François Siaj BS (or Siage or Siagi; circa 1735 – 6 August 1796) was Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church from 1794 to 1796.

Life

Francis Siaj was a monk of the Basilian Salvatorian Order. Between 1760 and 1768 he was an open partisan of Athanasius Jawhar in the clashes for the patriarchate between patriarch Theodosius V Dahan and anti-patriarch Athanasius Jawhar. In this frame he went with Jawhar to Rome in 1762, and when returned to Lebanon he was consecrated bishop of Bosra and Hauran a few days after 23 December 1763, and took the name Cyril.^{: 67} Because his consecration was celebrated by Euthymius Fadel bishop of Zahle and Forzol and a partisan of Jawhar, the patriarch Theodosius V Dahan did not recognized his appointment till the appeasement in 1768 between Theodosius Dahan and Athanasius Jawhar.

Cyril Francis Siaj was elected patriarch by the synod of bishops on 11 December 1794. His election was confirmed by Pope Pius VI on 28 June 1796. Cyril VII Siaj died on 6 August 1796 at Aitanite, where he was buried.^{: 77}