List of heads of the Russian Orthodox Church

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This is a list of heads of the Russian Orthodox Church .

Contents

Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus

Kiev Metropolitanate (988–1441)

  1. St. Michael I (988–992)
  2. Leontius (992–1008)
  3. Theophilact (1008 – until 1018)
  4. John I (1008/18 – c. 1030)
  5. Theopemptus (c. 1035 – 1040th)
  6. Cyril I [a]
  7. Hilarion I (1051–1054) [b]
  8. Ephraim (1054/1055 – c. 1065)
  9. Georgius (c. 1065 – c. 1076)
  10. St. John II (not later than 1076/1077 – after August 1089)
  11. John III (summer 1090 – before 14 August 1091)
  12. Nicholas (c. 1093 – before 1104)
  13. Nicephorus I (18 December 1104 – April 1121)
  14. Nikita (15 October 1122 – 9 March 1126)
  15. Michael II (summer 1130 – 1145)
  16. Kliment Smoliatich (27 July 1147 – early 1155)
  17. St. Constantine I (1156 – 1158/1159)
  18. Theodore (August 1160 – June 1163)
  19. John IV (spring 1164 – 1166)
  20. Constantine II (1167 – 1169/1170)
  21. Michael III (spring 1171 – ?)
  22. Nicephorus II (before 1183 – after 1201)
  23. Matthew (before 1210 – 19 August 1220)
  24. Cyril II (1224/1225 – autumn 1233)
  25. Joseph (1242/1247 – ?)
  26. Cyril III (1242/1247 – 27 November 1281)
  27. St. Maximus (1283 – 6 December 1305 [c] )
  28. St. Peter (1308 – 21 December 1326)
  29. St. Theognostus (1328–1353)
  30. St. Alexius (1354–1378)
  31. Michael  [ ru ] (1379)
  32. St. Cyprian (1381–1383)
  33. Pimen (1382 – 1384 [d] )
  34. St. Dionysius (1383–1385 [e] )
  35. St. Cyprian (1390–1406 restored)
  36. St. Photius (1408–1431)
  37. Gerasimus (1433–1435)
  38. Isidore (1437–1441)

In 1441, Metropolitan Isidore of Moscow embraced the Union of Florence which briefly healed the Great Schism by re-uniting various Eastern Catholic Churches with the Holy See. Under pressure from Vasily II, princes of the Grand Duchy of Moscow denounced the union with Rome and imprisoned Isidore in the Chudov Monastery for two years. [1] The metropolitan see lay vacant for seven years. In 1448, the secular authorities appointed Jonah of Moscow as metropolitan since Isidore was adjudged to have apostatized to Catholicism. [2] Like his immediate predecessors, he permanently resided in Moscow, and was the last Moscow-based primate of the metropolis to keep the traditional title with reference to the metropolitan city of Kiev. He was also the first metropolitan in Moscow to be appointed without the approval of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople as had been the norm. [3] Some time after his appointment, Jonah unilaterally changed his title to "Metropolitan of Moscow and all Rus' " which was a de facto declaration of independence of the Church in north-eastern Rus' from the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia

  1. Jonah (1448–1461)
  2. Theodosius (3 May 1461 – 13 September 1464)
  3. Philip I (11 November 1464 – 5 April 1473)
  4. St. Gerontius (29 June 1473 – 28 May 1489)
  5. Zosimus (26 September 1490 – 9 February 1495)
  6. Simon (22 September 1495 – 30 April 1511)
  7. Barlaam (3 August 1511 – 18 December 1521)
  8. Daniel (27 February 1522 – 2 February 1539)
  9. St. Joasaphus (6 February 1539 – January 1542)
  10. St. Macarius (19 March 1542 – 31 December 1563)
  11. Athanasius (5 March 1564 – 16 May 1566)
  12. St. Philip II (25 July 1566 – 4 November 1568)
  13. Cyril IV (11 November 1568 – 8 February 1572)
  14. Anthony (May 1572 – early 1581)
  15. Dionisyus (1581 – 13 October 1586)
  16. Job (11 December 1586 – 23 January 1589)

Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus

First Patriarchial Period (1589—1721)

PatriarchWorldly namePeriodPortrait
St. Job Ivan23 January 1589June 1605 Patriarch Job of Moscow.jpg
Ignatius [f] 30 June 1605May 1606
St. Hermogenes Yermolay3 June 160617 February 1612 Patriarch Germogen (tsarskiy titulyarnik) 2.jpg
Philaret Fyodor Nikitich Romanov24 June 16191 October 1633 Philaret.jpg
Joasaphus I 6 February 163428 November 1640 Joasaphus I from Tsarsky titulyarnik.jpg
Joseph Dyakov27 May 164215 April 1652 Patriarch Iosif.jpg
Nikon Nikita Minin (Minov)25 July 165212 December 1666 Portrait of Patriarch Nikon.jpg
Joasaphus II Novotorzhets (nickname)10 February 166717 February 1672 Joasaphus II from Tsarsky titulyarnik.jpg
Pitirim 7 July 167219 April 1673 Pitirim from Tsarsky titulyarnik.jpg
Joachim Ivan Petrovich Savelov26 June 167417 March 1690 Icon 02044 Patriarh Ioakim Moskovskij 1620-1690. Neizv. hud. XVII v. Rossiya.jpg
Adrian [g] Andrey24 August 169016 October 1700 Patriarkh Adrian.jpg

Most Holy Synod (1721-1917)

The Ober-Procurator (Imperial Delegate having the procuration for religious affairs) was a non-clerical officer who assisted the Most Holy Synod from 1722 to 1917 after the Church reform of Peter the Great. The real "head" of the Synod and most important clerical figure was the Primus or Prime member, its legal chairman, always a Metropolitan or an Archbishop. The first Primus was the Metropolitan Stephen Yavorsky, who had been the administrator of the Patriarchate of Moscow for over twenty years (1700-1721).

After Paul I of Russia in 1797, the Emperor of Russia had the title of "Head of the Church".

Second Patriarchial Period (since 1917)

PatriarchWorldly namePeriodPortrait
St. Tikhon Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin4 (21) December 19177 April 1925 Patriarkh Tikhon.jpg
Sergius Ivan Nikolayevich Stragorodsky8 September 194315 May 1944 Patriarkh Sergii.jpg
Alexius I Sergey Vladimirovich Simansky2 February 194517 April 1970 Patriarkh Aleksii I.jpg
Pimen Sergey Mikhailovich Izvekov2 June 19713 May 1990 Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and all Rus'.jpg
Alexius II Alexey Mikhailovich Ridiger10 June 19905 December 2008 Tema Puhadus Moskva ja kogu Venemaa Patriarh Aleksius II.jpeg
Kirill Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyaev1 February 2009Incumbent Patriarch Kirill of Moscow 2021 (cropped).jpg

Notes

  1. ↑ Is not listed in Russian Chronicles; probably 1039–1051
  2. ↑ First Ruthenian metropolitan
  3. ↑ Before 1299 in Kiev, then in Vladimir
  4. ↑ In contention with Cyprian. Factually until 1389
  5. ↑ In contention with Cyprian. Factually until 1385
  6. ↑ As Ignatius was personally elected by False Dmitriy I and during the rule of Patriarch Job, he was not the legitimate Patriarch of Moscow. After death of the monarch, Ignatius was removed from office in a Council.
  7. ↑ No successor after the death of Patriarch Adrian. From 1700–1721 the keeper of the Patriarchial throne (Exarch) was Metropolitan Stefan (Yavorsky) of Yaroslavl. After Peter I opened the Ecclesiastical College in 1721, the highest church body became the Most Holy Synod. The Patriarchy was recovered by the National Orthodox Council on 28 October 11 November 1917

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References

  1. ↑ "The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church - Consistory of December 18, 1439". cardinals.fiu.edu. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  2. ↑ ИОНА // Orthodox Encyclopedia
  3. ↑ E. E. Golubinskii, Istoriia russkoi tserkvi (Moscow: Universitetskaia tipografiia, 1900), vol. 2, pt. 1, p. 469.
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