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, Moscow Kremlin – cathedral church of the Patriarchs of Moscow.

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

History[]

The history of the Russian Orthodox Church begins with the Christianization of Kievan Rus' at Kiev, the date of which is commonly given as 988; however, the evidence surrounding this event is contested. 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 in 1917 and suspended by the Soviet government in 1925. It was reintroduced for the last time in 1943, 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, 1325–1461)[]

No.	Primate	Portrait	Reign	Notes
1	St. Peter		1308–1326
Seat vacant 1326–1328
2	St. Theognostus		1328–1353
3	St. Alexius		1354–1378
	(ru)		1378–1379	Locum tenens
Seat vacant 1379–1381
4	St. Cyprian		1381–1382	First tenure
5	Pimen		1382–1384
6	St. Dionysius I		1384–1385
Seat vacant 1385–1390
	St. Cyprian		1390–1406	Second tenure
Seat vacant 1406–1408
7	St. Photius		1408–1431
Seat vacant 1431–1433
8	(ru)		1433–1435
9	Isidore		1436–1441
Seat vacant 1441–1448
10	St. Jonah		1448–1461

Metropolitans of Moscow and all Russia (1461–1589)[]

No.	Primate	Portrait	Reign	Notes
1	Theodosius		3 May 1461 – 13 September 1464	Became the first Metropolitan to be appointed by the Grand Duke of Moscow and not by the Patriarch of Constantinople.
2	St. Philip I		11 November 1464 – 5 April 1473
3	St. Gerontius		29 June 1473 – 28 May 1489
4	Zosimus		26 September 1490 – 17 May 1494	Removed from the metropolitan throne on charges of heresy
5	Simon		22 September 1495 – 30 April 1511
6	Varlaam		3 August 1511 – 18 December 1521
7	Daniel 1492–1547		27 February 1522 – 2 February 1539	Deposed by the Shuiskys after the death of de-facto regent Elena Glinskaya and fell of her favorite Ivan Ovchina-Telepnev.
8	St. Joasaphus Skripitsyn died 1555		6 February 1539 – January 1542	Deposed by the Shuiskys
9	St. Macarius		19 March 1542 – 31 December 1563
10	Athanasius died 1575		5 March 1564 – 16 May 1566
11	St. Herman Grigory Sadyrev-Polyev		July 1566	Metropolitan-elect. Expelled from Moscow after a dispute with Ivan IV
12	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
13	Cyril III (IV) (1492–1572)		11 November 1568 – 8 February 1572
14	Anthony		May 1572 – 1581
15	Dionysius II died 1587		1581 – 13 October 1586	Deposed
16	St. Job		11 December 1587 – 23 January 1589	Elevated to Patriarch

Patriarchs of Moscow and all Russia (1589–1721)[]

First five Patriarchs (Job, Hermogenes, Philaret, Joasaph 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	Philaret Fyodor Romanov 1553–1633		24 June 1619 – 1 October 1633
4	Joasaphus I		6 February 1634 – 28 November 1640
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)[]

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	(ru)		1742–1745	[1]
4	(ru)		1745–1754	[2]
			1754–1757	Coadjutor
5			1757–1767
6	Ambrosius		1768–1771
			1771–1775	Coadjutor
7	Plato II		1775–1812
8			1812–1819
9			1819–1821
10	St. Philaret		1821–1867
11	St. Innocent		1868–1879
12	Macarius I		1879–1882
13			1882–1891
14			1891–1893
15			1893–1898
16	St. Vladimir		1898–1912
17	St. Macarius II		1912–1917

Patriarchs of Moscow and all Russia (restored, 1917–present)[]

No.	Primate	Portrait	Election	Reign		Notes
11	St. Tikhon Vasily Bellavin 1865–1925		1917–18	4 December 1917	7 April 1925
—	Peter of Krutitsy		—	12 April 1925	December 1925/ 11 September 1936	locum tenens
—	Sergius of Nizhny Novgorod			December 1925	27 December 1936	Acting locum tenens
	Sergius of Moscow and Kolomna			27 December 1936	12 September 1943	locum tenens
12	Sergius Ivan Stragorodsky 1867–1944		1943	12 September 1943	15 May 1944
13	Alexy I Sergey Simansky 1877–1970		1945	4 February 1945	17 April 1970
14	Pimen Sergey Izvekov 1910–1990		1971	3 June 1971	3 May 1990
15	Alexy II Alexei Ridiger 1929–2008		1990	10 June 1990	5 December 2008
16	Kirill Vladimir Gundyayev born 1946			1 February 2009	Incumbent

See also[]

• Russian Orthodox Church
  • Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'
• List of Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Kiev
• List of current patriarchs
• List of current Christian leaders
• Eastern Orthodox Church
• Eastern Orthodox Church organization