List of metropolitans and patriarchs of Moscow

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Monogram of the current Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', Kirill.
Church of the Twelve Apostles, Cathedral Square, Kremlin – cathedral church of the Patriarchs of Moscow.

This article lists the metropolitans and patriarchs of Moscow, spiritual heads of the Russian Orthodox Church. Since 1308, there have been 59.

History[edit]

The Russian Orthodox Church traces its beginnings to the Christianization of Kievan Rusʹ at Kiev in 988 AD. In 1316 the Metropolitan of Kiev changed his see to the city of Vladimir, and in 1322 moved again to Moscow. In 1589, the see was elevated to a Patriarchate. The Patriarchate was abolished by the Church reform of Peter the Great in 1721 and replaced by the Most Holy Governing Synod, and the Bishop of Moscow came to be called a Metropolitan again. The Patriarchate was restored by the 1917–18 Local Council and suspended by the Soviet government in 1925. It was reintroduced for the last time by the 1943 Bishops' Council, during World War II by the initiative of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. To this date, 19 of the Metropolitans have been glorified in the Russian Orthodox Church.

Metropolitans of Kiev and all Rus' (permanent residence in Moscow, 1325–1441)[edit]

For a list of metropolitans before the seat of the Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus' was moved to Moscow, see List of metropolitans and patriarchs of Kyiv.

No. Primate Portrait Reign Notes
1 St. Peter 1308–1326
Seat vacant 1326–1328
2 St. Theognostus 1328–1353
3 St. Alexius 1354–1378
Mikhail (Mityay) (ru) 1378–1379 Locum tenens
Seat vacant 1379–1381
4 St. Cyprian 1381–1382 First tenure
5 Pimen 1382–1384 In opposition
6 St. Dionysius I 1384–1385 In opposition
Seat vacant 1385–1390
St. Cyprian 1390–1406 Second tenure
Seat vacant 1406–1408
7 St. Photius 1408–1431
Seat vacant 1431–1433
8 Gerasim (ru) 1433–1435
9 Isidore of Kiev 1436–1441 Deposed by the Grand Prince of Moscow, Vasily II, over his acceptance of the Council of Florence. The deposition was not recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
Seat vacant 1441–1448 (according to the Grand Duke of Moscow)
Five Holy Metropolitans (Peter, Alexius, Jonah, Philip). 18th century icon

Isidore of Kiev, who was of Greek origin, submitted to the articles of the Bull of Union with the Greeks which united the Orthodox Church in Russia with the Latin Church. Following his acceptance of the Council of Florence, Isidore returned to Moscow in 1441 as a Ruthenian cardinal. He was arrested by the Grand Prince of MoscowVasily II, and accused of apostasy. The Grand Duke deposed Isidore and in 1448 installed his own candidate as Metropolitan of Kiev — Jonah. This was carried out without the approval of Patriarch Gregory III of Constantinople. When Isidore died in 1458, the Orthodox dioceses within the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, including Kiev, were reorganized. The metropolitan see was moved to Vilnius, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. A parallel succession to the title ensued between Moscow and Vilnius.

Metropolitans of Moscow and all Rus' (1448–1589)[edit]

The Grand Prince of Moscow voided the Union of Florence and imprisoned Metropolitan Isidore for some time. Following that incident, the Grand Prince removed Isidore from office and appointed his own man — Jonah. These decisions were not recognised by Patriarch Gregory III of Constantinople who continued to recognise Isidore as the canonical metropolitan. As a result, in 1448, Jonah unilaterally changed his title to "Metropolitan of Moscow and all Rus' " which was tantamount to a declaration of independence of the Church in eastern Rus' from the Patriarchate of Constantinople. All sixteen successive hierarchs of the Metropolis of Moscow and all Rus' were selected by the civil power and installed without the approval of Patriarchate of Constantinople. Successive patriarchs continued to recognize Isidore and his successors as hierarchs of the Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus'.

No. Primate Portrait Reign Notes
1 St. Jonah 1448 1461 Installed without the approval of Patriarch Gregory III of Constantinople who continued to recognize Isidore until his death in 1458.
2 Theodosius 3 May 1461 13 September 1464 Became the second Metropolitan to be appointed by the Grand Duke of Moscow. He was not recognised by the Patriarch of Constantinople.
3 St. Philip I 11 November 1464 5 April 1473
4 St. Gerontius 29 June 1473 28 May 1489
5 Zosimus 26 September 1490 17 May 1494 Removed from the metropolitan throne on charges of heresy
6 Simon 22 September 1495 30 April 1511
7 Varlaam 3 August 1511 18 December 1521
8 Daniel
1492–1547
27 February 1522 2 February 1539 Deposed by the Shuyskys after the death of de facto regent Elena Glinskaya and the fall of her favorite Ivan Ovchina-Telepnev.
9 St. Joasaphus
Skripitsyn
died 1555
6 February 1539 January 1542 Deposed by the Shuysky
10 St. Macarius 19 March 1542 31 December 1563
11 Athanasius
died 1575
5 March 1564 16 May 1566
12 St. Herman
Grigory Sadyrev-Polyev
July 1566 Metropolitan-elect. Expelled from Moscow after a dispute with Ivan IV
13 St. Philip II
Feodor Kolychyov
1507–1569
25 July 1566 4 November 1568 Deposed and believed to have been later killed by Ivan IV's officials
14 Cyril III (IV)
1492–1572
11 November 1568 8 February 1572
15 Anthony May 1572 1581
16 Dionysius II
died 1591
1581 13 October 1587 Deposed
17 St. Job 11 December 1587 23 January 1589 Elevated to "Patriarch of Moscow"

Patriarchs of Moscow and all Rus' (1589–1721)[edit]

First five Patriarchs (Job, Hermogenes, Philaret, Joasaphus I, Joseph). 19th century lubok
No. Primate Portrait Reign Notes
1 St. Job 23 January 1589 June 1605
Ignatius 30 June 1605 16 May 1606
2 St. Hermogenes 3 July 1606 17 February 1612
Seat vacant 1612–1619
3 Filaret
Fyodor Romanov
1553–1633
24 June 1619 1 October 1633 Father of Michael of Russia
4 Joasaphus I 6 February 1634 28 November 1640
Seat vacant 1640–1642
5 Joseph
Ignaty Dyakov
27 May 1642 15 April 1652
6 Nikon
Nikita Minin
1605–1681
25 July 1652 12 December 1666
Pitirim 1658 1667 locum tenens
7 Joasaphus II 31 January 1667 17 February 1672
8 Pitirim 7 July 1672 19 April 1673
9 Joachim
Ivan Savyolov
1620–1690
26 July 1674 17 March 1690
10 Adrian 26 August 1690 16 October 1700
Stefan 1700 1721 Locum tenens

Metropolitans and archbishops of Moscow (1721–1917)[edit]

No. Primate Portrait Reign Notes
1 Stefan
Simeon Yavorsky
(1658–1722)
1721 1722 President of the Most Holy Synod. Stefan refused to sign the Synod's documents, did not attend its meetings. Peter I apparently appointed him only to give a certain sanction to the new institution.
2 Theophan
Prokopovich
(1681–1736)
1722 1736 Vice president of the Synod and its prime member since 15 July 1726
Seat vacant 1736–1742
3 Joseph (ru)
Volchansky
1 September 1742 10 June 1745 Archbishop of Moscow and Vladimir [1]
4 Plato I (ru)
Pavel Malinovsky
5 April 1748 14 June 1754 Archbishop of Moscow and Sevsk [2]
Hilarion (ru)
Grigorovich
(1696–1759)
1754–1757 Coadjutor
5 Timothy (ru)
Tikhon Shcherbatsky
(1698–1767)
22 October 1757 3 January 1767 Metropolitan of Moscow and Kaluga
6 Ambrosius
Andrey Sertis-Kamensky
(1708–1771)
18 January 1768 16 September 1771 Archbishop of Moscow. Murdered during the Moscow plague riot of 1771
Samoel (ru) 1771–1775 Coadjutor
7 Plato II
Levshin
(1737–1812)
20 January 1775 13 June 1812 Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna since 1787
Seat vacant 1812–1818
8 Augustine (ru)
Alexey Vinogradsky
(1766–1819)
19 February 1818 15 March 1819 Archbishop of Moscow and Kolomna
9 Seraphim (ru)
Stefan Glagolevsky
(1763–1843)
15 March 1819 19 June 1821 Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna
10 St. Philaret
Vasily Drozdov
(1783–1867)
15 July 1821 2 December 1867 Archbishop of Moscow and Kolomna, metropolitan since 1826
11 St. Innocent
Ivan Veniaminov
(1797–1879)
5 January 1868 12 April 1879
12 Macarius I
Mikhail Bulgakov
(1816–1882)
20 April 1879 21 June 1882
13 Joannicius (ru)
Ivan Rudnev
(1826–1900)
27 June 1882 17 November 1891
14 Leontius (ru)
Ivan Lebedinsky
(1822–1893)
17 November 1891 13 August 1893
15 Sergius (ru)
Nikolay Lyapidevsky
(1820–1898)
21 August 1893 23 February 1898
16 St. Vladimir
Vasily Bogoyavlensky
(1848–1918)
5 March 1898 6 December 1912
17 St. Macarius II
Mikhail Nevsky
(1835–1926)
8 December 1912 2 April 1917

Patriarchs of Moscow and all Rus' (restored, 1917–present)[edit]

No. Primate Portrait Election Reign Notes
11 St. Tikhon
Vasily Bellavin
(1865–1925)
1917–18 4 December 1917[1] 7 April 1925[2] 7 years, 4 months and 3 days
Peter
Pyotr Polyansky
(1862–1937)
12 April 1925 December 1925 /
11 September 1936
10–11 years Metropolitan of Krutitsy, locum tenens
Sergius
Ivan Stragorodsky
(1867–1944)
December 1925 27 December 1936 17 years, 9 months Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod, acting locum tenens
27 December 1936 12 September 1943 Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, locum tenens
12 Sergius
Ivan Stragorodsky
(1867–1944)
1943 12 September 1943[3] 15 May 1944[4] 8 months and 3 days
13 Alexy I
Sergey Simansky
(1877–1970)
1945 4 February 1945[5] 17 April 1970[6] 25 years, 2 months and 13 days
14 Pimen
Sergey Izvekov
(1910–1990)
1971 3 June 1971[7] 3 May 1990[8] 18 years and 11 months During Pimen's reign the 1000th anniversary of the Christianization of Rus' was celebrated, and the 1988 Local Council was held in connection with the celebration.
15 Alexy II
Aleksei Ridiger
(1929–2008)
1990 10 June 1990 5 December 2008 18 years, 5 months and 25 days
16 Kirill
Vladimir Gundyayev
(born 1946)
2009 [ru] 1 February 2009 Incumbent 15 years, 1 month and 22 days
(as of 23 March 2024)

Timeline of patriarchs[edit]

Patriarch Kirill of MoscowPatriarch Alexy II of MoscowPatriarch Pimen I of MoscowPatriarch Alexy I of MoscowPatriarch Sergius of MoscowPatriarch Tikhon of MoscowPatriarch Adrian of MoscowPatriarch Joachim of MoscowPatriarch Pitirim of MoscowPatriarch Joasaphus II of MoscowPatriarch Nikon of MoscowPatriarch Joseph of MoscowPatriarch Joasaphus I of MoscowPatriarch Filaret of MoscowPatriarch Hermogenes of MoscowPatriarch Job of Moscow

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Tikhon Russian Patriarch". The New York Times. 25 November 1917. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  2. ^ "Patriarch Tikhon Dies Near Moscow". The New York Times. 9 April 1925. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  3. ^ "The Russian Patriarch". The New York Times. 14 September 1943. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Sergius, Patriarch of Russia, Dies 78". The New York Times. 16 May 1944. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Alexei Is Elected Russian Patriarch". The New York Times. 3 February 1945. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Patriarch Alexis Is Dead at 92". The New York Times. 19 April 1970. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Metropolitan Pimen Elected Patriarch of Russian Orthodox Church". The New York Times. 3 June 1971. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  8. ^ Bill Keller (4 May 1990). "Patriarch Pimen, 79, the Leader Of the Russian Church Since '71". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2022.