List of metropolitans and patriarchs of Moscow

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Monogram of the current Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', Kirill.

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[edit]

The history of the Russian Orthodox Church begins with the Christianization of Kievan Rus' at Kyiv, the date of which is commonly given as 988; however, the evidence surrounding this event is contested. In 1316 the Metropolitan of Kyiv 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)[edit]

No.	Primate	Reign	Notes
1	St. Peter	1308–1326
Seat vacant 1326–1328
2	St. Theognostus	1328–1353
3	St. Alexius	1354–1378
	Mikhail (Mityay)	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	Gerasim (ru)	1433–1435
9	Isidore	1436–1441
Seat vacant 1441–1448
10	St. Jonah	1448–1461

Metropolitans of Moscow and all Russia (1461–1589)[edit]

No.	Primate	Reign	Notes
1	Theodosius	1461–1464
2	Philip I	1464–1473
3	Gerontius	1473–1489
4	Zosimus	1490–1494
5	Simon	1495–1511
6	Varlaam	1511–1521
7	Daniel	1522–1539
8	Joasaphus	1539–1542
9	St. Macarius	1542–1563
10	Athanasius	1564–1566
11	St. Herman	1566
12	St. Philip II	1566–1568
13	Cyril III (IV)	1568–1572
14	Anthony	1572–1581
15	Dionysius II	1581–1587
16	St. Job	1587–1589	Elevated to Patriarch

Patriarchs of Moscow and all Russia (1589–1721)[edit]

First five Patriarchs (Job, Hermogenes, Philaret, Joasaph I, Joseph). 19th century lubok

No.	Primate	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	24 June 1619 – 1 October 1633
4	Joasaphus I	6 February 1634 – 28 November 1640
5	Joseph Ignaty Dyakov	27 May 1642 – 15 April 1652
6	Nikon Nikita Minin 1605–1681	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	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)[edit]

No.	Primate	Reign	Notes
1	Stefan	1721–1722
2	Theophan	1722–1736
Seat vacant 1736–1742
3	Joseph	1742–1745	[1]
4	Plato I	1745–1754	[2]
	Hilarion	1754–1757	Coadjutor
5	Timothy	1757–1767
6	Ambrosius	1768–1771
	Samoel	1771–1775	Coadjutor
7	Plato II	1775–1812
8	Avgustin	1812–1819
9	Seraphim	1819–1821
10	St. Philaret	1821–1867
11	St. Innocent	1868–1879
12	Macarius I	1879–1882
13	Joannicius	1882–1891
14	Leontius	1891–1893
15	Sergius I	1893–1898
16	St. Vladimir	1898–1912
17	St. Macarius II	1912–1917

Patriarchs of Moscow and all Russia (restored, 1917–present)[edit]

No.	Primate	Election	Reign		Notes
11	St. Tikhon Vasily Bellavin 1865–1925	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	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	1990	10 June 1990	5 December 2008
16	Kirill Vladimir Gundyayev born 1946	2009	1 February 2009	Incumbent

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