Saint Bessarion, Archbishop (Metropolitan) of Larissa, was a sixteenth-century hierarch in Ottoman-ruled Thessaly, best known as the founder of the Monastery of the Savior Christ at Dousiko. He is sometimes designated Bessarion II to distinguish him from an earlier bishop of the same see. He is commemorated on September 15.
By tradition he was born around 1490 in the village of Porta, near Trikala in Thessaly, and given the name Vasileios, with the family surname recorded as Tsigaridas or Ganas. Raised by Orthodox parents, he is said to have entered upon the monastic life from the age of ten. After passing through the ranks of deacon and presbyter, he was ordained a bishop, and was eventually elected Metropolitan of Larissa, a position he held until his death in 1540.
As metropolitan, Bessarion is remembered for combining the care of his flock with practical works of charity and public benefit at a time of hardship under Ottoman rule. The sources relate that he ransomed captives held in bondage and that he designed and supervised the construction of stone bridges over the rivers of the region, including a bridge over the Aspropotamos. His best-known foundation, the Dousiko monastery, was established as an avaton, closed to female visitors, a rule that is reported to remain in force.
