List of heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church

The heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church and its predecessors in the ancient Georgian Kingdom of Iberia (i.e. Kartli) have borne the title of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia since 1010, except between 1811 and 1917, when the Church was subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church as part of the Russian imperial policies.

The current style of the head of the Church is as follows:

"უწმიდესი და უნეტარესი, სრულიად საქართველოს კათოლიკოს-პატრიარქი, მთავარეპისკოპოსი მცხეთა-თბილისისა და მიტროპოლიტი ბიჭვინთისა და ცხუმ-აფხაზეთის.."

"Utsmindesi da unetaresi, sruliad sakartvelos katolikos-patriarki, mtavarepiskoposi mtskheta-tbilisis da mitropoliti bichvintisa da tskhum-apkhazetis.."

"His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, the Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan bishop of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia.."

Archbishops of Mtskheta (326–467)

• Ioane I (326–363)
• Iakobi (363–375)
• Iobi (375–390)
• Elia I (390–400)
• Svimeon I (400–410)
• Mose (410–425)
• Iona (425–429)
• Ieremia (429–433)
• Grigol I (433–434)
• Vasili I (434–436)
• Glonakor (436–448)
• Iovel I (448–452)
• Mikael I (452–467)

Catholicoi of Iberia (467–1010)

• Petre I (467–474)
• Samoel I (474–502)
• Gabriel I (502–510)
• Tavfechag I (510–516)
• Chirmagi–Chigirmane (516–523)
• Saba I (523–532)
• Evlavi (532–544)
• Samoel II (544–553)
• Makari (553–569)
• Svimeon II (569–575)
• Samoel III (575–582)
• Samoel IV (582–591)
• Bartlome (591–595)
• Kirion I (595–610)
• Ioane II (610–619)
• Babila (619–629)
• Tabor (629–634)
• Samoel V (634–640)
• Evnon (640–649)
• Tavfechag II (649–664)
• Evlale (664–668)
• Iovel II (668–670)
• Samoel VI (670–677)
• Giorgi I (677–678)
• Kirion II (678–683)
• Izid–Bozidi (683–685)
• Teodore I (Teodose) (685–689)
• Petre (Svimeoni) II (689–720)
• Talale (720–731)
• Mamai (731–744)
• Ioane III (744–760)
• Grigol II (760–767)
• Sarmeane (767–774)
• Mikael II (774–780)
• Samoel VII (780–790)
• Kirile (791–802)
• Grigol III (802–814)
• Samoel VIII (814–826)
• Giorgi II (826–838)
• Gabriel II (838–850)
• Ilarion I (850–860)
• Arsen I (860–887)
• Evsuki (887–900)
• Klementos (900–914)
• Basili II (914–930)
• Mikael III (930–944)
• Davit I (944–955)
• Arseni II (955–980)
• Oqropiri (Ioane I) (980–1001)
• Svimeon III (1001)

Catholicos-Patriarchs of Georgia (1010–1811)

• St. Melkisedek I (1001–1030)
• Okropir (Ioane) II (1031–1039)
  • Melkisedek I (1039–1045), restored
  • Okropir (Ioane) II (1045–1049), restored
• Ekvtime I (1049–1055)
• Giorgi III (Taoeli) (1055–1065)
• Gabriel III (Safareli) (1065–1080)
• Dimitri (1080–1090)
• Basili III (Karichisdze) (1090–1100)
• Ioane IV (Safareli) (1100–1142)
• Svimeon IV (Gulaberisdze) (1142–1146)
• Saba II (1146–1150)
• Nikoloz I (Gulaberize) (1150–1178)
• Michael IV (1178–1186)
• Theodore II (1186–1206)
• Basil IV (1206–1208)
• John VII (1208–1210)
• Epiphane (1210–1220)
• Ekvtime II (1220–1222)
• Arseni III (1222–1225)
• Giorgi IV (1225–1230)
• Arseni IV (Bulmaisisdze) (1230–1240)
• Nikoloz II (1240–1280)
• Abraam I (1280–1310)
• Ekvtime III (1310–1325)
• Mikel V (1325–1330)
• Basil V (1330–1350)
• Doroteoz I (1350–1356)
• Shio I (1356–1364)
• Nikoloz III (1364–1380)
• Giorgi V (1380–1399)
• Elioz (Gobirakhisdze) (1399–1411)
• Mikel VI (1411–1426)
• David II (1426–1428)
• Teodore III (1428–1435)
• David III (1435–1439)
• Shio II (1439–1443/47)
• David IV (1443/47–1459)
• Markoz (1460–1466)
• Davit IV (1466–1479)
• Evagre (1480–1492)
• Abraam II (Abalaki) (1492–1497)
• Efrem I (1497–1500)
  • Evagre (1500–1503), restored
• Doroteoz II (1503–1510)
• Dionise (1510–1511)
  • Doroteoz II (1511–1516), restored
• Basil VI (1517–1528)
• Malachia (1528–1538)
• Melkisedek II (Bagrationi) (1538–1541)
• Germene (1541–1547)
• Svimeon V (1547–1550)
• Zebede I (1550–1557)
• Domenti I (1557–1562)
• Nikoloz IV (Baratashvili) (1562–1584)
• St. Nikoloz V (1584–1591)
• Doriteoz III (1592–1599)
• Domenti II (1599–1603)
• Zebede II (1603–1610)
• Ioane VI (Avalishvili) (1610–1613)
• Kristefore I (1613–1622)
• Zachary (1623–1630)
• St. Evdemoz I (Diasamidze) (1630–1638)
• Kristefore II (Urdubegisdze Amilakhvari) (1638–1660)
• Domenti III (Kaikhosro Mukhran Batonisdze) (1660–1675)
• Nikoloz VI (Magaladze) (1675–1676)
• Nikoloz VII (Amilakhvari) (1676–1687)
• Ioan VII (Diasamidze) (1687–1691)
  • Nikoloz VII (Amilakhvari) (1691–1695), restored
  • Ioan VII (Diasamidze) (1696–1700), restored
• Evdemoz II (Diasamidze) (1700–1703)
• Domenti IV (1704–1725)
• Besarion (Orbeliani) (1725–1737)
• Kirile (1737–1739)
  • Domenti IV (1739–1741), restored
• Nikoloz VIII (Kherkheulidze) (1742–1744)
• Anton I (1744–1755)
• Ioseb (Jandieri) (1755–1764)
• Ioseb of Abkhazia (1769–1776)
  • Anton I (1764–1788), restored
• St. Anton II (1788–1811)

Exarchs of Georgia (1811–1917)

Autocephalous status abolished and administration placed under the Russian Orthodox Church, 1811–1917

• Metropolitan Barlaam (Eristavi) (1811–1817)
• Metropolitan Theophilact (Rusanov) (1817–1821)
• Metropolitan Jonah (Vasilevsky) (1821–1834)
• Archbishop Moses (Bogdanov-Platonov) (1832–1834)
• Archbishop Eugene (Baganov) (1834–1844)
• Archbishop Isidore (Nikolsky) (1844–1858)
• Archbishop Ebsebius (Ilinsky) (1858–1877)
• Archbishop Joannicius (Rudnev) (1877–1882)
• Archbishop Paul (Lebedev) (1882–1887)
• Archbishop Palladius (Rayev) (1887–1892)
• Archbishop Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) (1892–1898)
• Archbishop Flavian (Gorodetsky) (1898–1901)
• Archbishop Alexis I (Opotsky) (1901–1905)
• Archbishop Nicholas (Nalimov) (1905–1906)
• Archbishop Nikon (Sofiisky) (1906–1908)
• Archbishop Innocent (Beliaev) (1909–1913)
• Archbishop Alexis II (Molchanov) (1913–1914)
• Archbishop Piterim (Oknov) (1914–1915)
• Archbishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky) (1915–1917), Primus (chairman) of the Russian Most Holy Synod

Catholicos-Patriarchs of All Georgia (1917–present)

Portrait	Name of Patriarch		Dates	Notes
	English	Georgian
	St. Kyrion II	კირიონ II	(1917–1918)	Assassinated under mysterious circumstances. Canonized as a Georgian Orthodox saint in 2002. [1] [2]
	Leonid	ლეონიდე	(1918–1921)
	St. Ambrosius	ამბროსი	(1921–1927)	Canonized as a Georgian Orthodox saint in 1995.
	Christophorus III	ქრისტეფორე III	(1927–1932)
	St. Callistratus	კალისტრატე	(1932–1952)	Canonized as a Georgian Orthodox saint in 2016. [3] [4]
	Melchizedek III	მელქისედეკ III	(1952–1960)
	Ephraim II	ეფრემ II	(1960–1972)
	David V	დავით V	(1972–1977)
	Ilia II	ილია II	(1977–present)

Timeline

References

1. (in Georgian) წმინდანთა ცხოვრება - მღვდელმოწამე კირიონ II - სრულიად საქართველოს კათოლიკოს-პატრიარქი (The Life of Saints – The Priest Martyr Kyrion II – Catholicos Patriarch of All Georgia) ^{[ permanent dead link ]}. Accessed on April 6, 2007.
2. (in Georgian) კირიონ II ("Kyrion II"), an article by Sergo Vardosanidze. Accessed on April 6, 2007.
3. "წმინდა სინოდმა წმინდანებად ორი მეფე - ბაგრატ მესამე და სოლომონ პირველი, ასევე, კათოლიკოს-პატრიარქი კალისტრატე ცინცაძე შერაცხა". Georgian Times. 22 December 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
4. "კათოლიკოს-პატრიარქი კალისტრატე ცინცაძე სინოდმა წმინდანად შერაცხა". Tabula. 2016-12-22. Retrieved 2025-05-13.

External links

• კარბელაშვილი, პოლიევკტოს (1900). იერარქია საქართველოს ეკკლესიისა: კათოლიკოსნი და მღვდელთ-მთავარნი (PDF) (in Georgian). თფილისი: სტამბა მ. შარაძისა და ამხანაგობისა.