List Of Metropolitans And Patriarchs Of Moscow

Since 1308, there have been 59.

The Russian Orthodox Church traces its beginnings to the Christianization of Kievan Rusʹ at Kiev in 988 AD. 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 by the 1917–18 Local Council and suspended by the Soviet government in 1925. It was reintroduced for the last time by the 1943 Bishops' Council, 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.

For a list of metropolitans before the seat of the Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus' was moved to Moscow, see List of metropolitans and patriarchs of Kyiv.

No.	Primate	Portrait	Reign	Notes
1	St. Peter		1308–1326
Seat vacant 1326–1328
2	St. Theognostus		1328–1353
3	St. Alexius		1354–1378
	Mikhail (Mityay) (ru)		1378–1379	Locum tenens
Seat vacant 1379–1381
4	St. Cyprian		1381–1382	First tenure
5	Pimen		1382–1384	In opposition
6	St. Dionysius I		1384–1385	In opposition
Seat vacant 1385–1390
	St. Cyprian		1390–1406	Second tenure
Seat vacant 1406–1408
7	St. Photius		1408–1431
Seat vacant 1431–1433
8	Gerasim (ru)		1433–1435
9	Isidore of Kiev		1436–1441	Deposed by the Grand Prince of Moscow, Vasily II, over his acceptance of the Council of Florence. The deposition was not recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
Seat vacant 1441–1448 (according to the Grand Duke of Moscow)

 

Isidore of Kiev, who was of Greek origin, submitted to the articles of the Bull of Union with the Greeks which united the Orthodox Church in Russia with the Latin Church. Following his acceptance of the Council of Florence, Isidore returned to Moscow in 1441 as a Ruthenian cardinal. He was arrested by the Grand Prince of Moscow — Vasily II, and accused of apostasy. The Grand Duke deposed Isidore and in 1448 installed his own candidate as Metropolitan of Kiev — Jonah. This was carried out without the approval of Patriarch Gregory III of Constantinople. When Isidore died in 1458, the Orthodox dioceses within the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, including Kiev, were reorganized. The metropolitan see was moved to Vilnius, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. A parallel succession to the title ensued between Moscow and Vilnius.

The Grand Prince of Moscow voided the Union of Florence and imprisoned Metropolitan Isidore for some time. Following that incident, the Grand Prince removed Isidore from office and appointed his own man — Jonah. These decisions were not recognised by Patriarch Gregory III of Constantinople who continued to recognise Isidore as the canonical metropolitan. As a result, in 1448, Jonah unilaterally changed his title to "Metropolitan of Moscow and all Rus' " which was tantamount to a declaration of independence of the Church in eastern Rus' from the Patriarchate of Constantinople. All sixteen successive hierarchs of the Metropolis of Moscow and all Rus' were selected by the civil power and installed without the approval of Patriarchate of Constantinople. Successive patriarchs continued to recognize Isidore and his successors as hierarchs of the Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus'.

No.	Primate	Portrait	Reign		Notes
1	St. Jonah		1448	1461	Installed without the approval of Patriarch Gregory III of Constantinople who continued to recognize Isidore until his death in 1458.
2	Theodosius		3 May 1461	13 September 1464	Became the second Metropolitan to be appointed by the Grand Duke of Moscow. He was not recognised by the Patriarch of Constantinople.
3	St. Philip I		11 November 1464	5 April 1473
4	St. Gerontius		29 June 1473	28 May 1489
5	Zosimus		26 September 1490	17 May 1494	Removed from the metropolitan throne on charges of heresy
6	Simon		22 September 1495	30 April 1511
7	Varlaam		3 August 1511	18 December 1521
8	Daniel 1492–1547		27 February 1522	2 February 1539	Deposed by the Shuyskys after the death of de facto regent Elena Glinskaya and the fall of her favorite Ivan Ovchina-Telepnev.
9	St. Joasaphus Skripitsyn died 1555		6 February 1539	January 1542	Deposed by the Shuysky
10	St. Macarius		19 March 1542	31 December 1563
11	Athanasius died 1575		5 March 1564	16 May 1566
12	St. Herman Grigory Sadyrev-Polyev		July 1566		Metropolitan-elect. Expelled from Moscow after a dispute with Ivan IV
13	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
14	Cyril III (IV) 1492–1572		11 November 1568	8 February 1572
15	Anthony		May 1572	1581
16	Dionysius II died 1591		1581	13 October 1587	Deposed
17	St. Job		11 December 1587	23 January 1589	Elevated to "Patriarch of Moscow"

• Russian Orthodox Church
  • Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'
• List of metropolitans and patriarchs of Kyiv
• List of current popes and patriarchs
• List of current Christian leaders
• Eastern Orthodox Church
• Organization of the Eastern Orthodox Church