List of heads of the Russian Orthodox Church

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

Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus

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Kiev Metropolitanate (988–1441)

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  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

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  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

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First Patriarchial Period (1589—1721)

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Patriarch Worldly name Period Portrait
St. Job Ivan 23 January 1589 June 1605
Ignatius[f] 30 June 1605 May 1606
St. Hermogenes Yermolay 3 June 1606 17 February 1612
Philaret Fyodor Nikitich Romanov 24 June 1619 1 October 1633
Joasaphus I 6 February 1634 28 November 1640
Joseph Dyakov 27 May 1642 15 April 1652
Nikon Nikita Minin (Minov) 25 July 1652 12 December 1666
Joasaphus II Novotorzhets (nickname) 10 February 1667 17 February 1672
Pitirim 7 July 1672 19 April 1673
Joachim Ivan Petrovich Savelov 26 June 1674 17 March 1690
Adrian[g] Andrey 24 August 1690 16 October 1700

Most Holy Synod (1721-1917)

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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)

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Patriarch Worldly name Period Portrait
St. Tikhon Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin 4 (21) December 1917 7 April 1925
Sergius Ivan Nikolayevich Stragorodsky 8 September 1943 15 May 1944
Alexius I Sergey Vladimirovich Simansky 2 February 1945 17 April 1970
Pimen Sergey Mikhailovich Izvekov 2 June 1971 3 May 1990
Alexius II Alexey Mikhailovich Ridiger 10 June 1990 5 December 2008
Kirill Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyaev 1 February 2009 Incumbent

Notes

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  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

References

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  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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