List of metropolitans and patriarchs of Moscow
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![]() 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 |
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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 |
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6 February 1539 – January 1542 | Deposed by the Shuiskys |
9 | St. Macarius | ![]() |
19 March 1542 – 31 December 1563 | |
10 | Athanasius died 1575 |
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5 March 1564 – 16 May 1566 | |
11 | St. Herman Grigory Sadyrev-Polyev |
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July 1566 | Metropolitan-elect. Expelled from Moscow after a dispute with Ivan IV |
12 | St. Philip II Feodor Kolychyov 1507–1569 |
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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) |
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11 November 1568 – 8 February 1572 | |
14 | Anthony | ![]() |
May 1572 – 1581 | |
15 | Dionysius II died 1587 |
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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)[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/5patriarchs.jpg/300px-5patriarchs.jpg)
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 |
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24 June 1619 – 1 October 1633 | |
4 | Joasaphus I | ![]() |
6 February 1634 – 28 November 1640 | |
5 | Joseph Ignaty Dyakov |
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27 May 1642 – 15 April 1652 | |
6 | Nikon Nikita Minin 1605–1681 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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] |
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1754–1757 | Coadjutor | ||
5 | ![]() |
1757–1767 | ||
6 | Ambrosius | ![]() |
1768–1771 | |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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1990 | 10 June 1990 | 5 December 2008 | |
16 | Kirill Vladimir Gundyayev born 1946 |
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1 February 2009 | Incumbent |
See also[]
- Russian Orthodox Church
- List of Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Kiev
- List of current patriarchs
- List of current Christian leaders
- Eastern Orthodox Church
- Eastern Orthodox Church organization
- Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Moscow
- Eastern Orthodoxy in Russia
- Lists of Eastern Orthodox bishops and archbishops
- Lists of patriarchs
- Lists of Russian people