List of Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Moscow

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.

The following is a list of Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Moscow, spiritual heads of the Russian Orthodox Church, since 1308.

History

The history of the Russian Orthodox Church begins with the Christianization of Kievan Rus' at Kiev, the date of which is commonly given as 988; however, the evidence surrounding this event is contested. 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 in 1917 and suspended by the Soviet authorities in 1925. It was reintroduced for the last time in 1943, during World War II by the initiative of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

Metropolitans of Kiev and all Russia (permanent residence in Moscow, 1325–1461)

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)		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		1433–1435
9	Isidore		1436–1441
Seat vacant 1441–1448
10	St. Jonah		1448–1461

Metropolitans of Moscow and all Russia (1461–1589)

No.	Primate	Portrait	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)

No.	Primate	Portrait	Reign	Notes
1	St. Job		1589–1605
	Ignatius		1605–1606	Not counted as legitimate by the Russian Orthodox Church
2	St. Hermogenes		1606–1612
Seat vacant 1612–1619
3	Philaret		1619–1633
4	Joasaphus I		1634–1640
Seat vacant 1640–1642
5	Joseph		1642–1652
6	Nikon		1652–1658
	Pitirim		1658–1667	First tenure; locum tenens
7	Joasaphus II		1667–1672
8	Pitirim		1672–1673	Second tenure
9	Joachim		1674–1690
10	Adrian		1690–1700
	Stefan		1700–1721	Locum tenens

Metropolitans and archbishops of Moscow (1721–1917)

No.	Primate	Portrait	Reign	Notes
1	Stefan		1721–1722
2	Theophan		1722–1736
Seat vacant 1736–1742
3	Joseph		1742–1745
4	Plato I		1745–1754
	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)

No.	Primate	Portrait	Reign		Notes
11	St. Tikhon		4 December 1917	7 April 1925
Seat vacant 1925–1943					Metropolitan Peter of Krutitsy, locum tenens (1925–1936), de facto only until 1926 Metropolitan Sergius of Nizhny Novgorod, Acting locum tenens (1926–1936) Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow and Kolomna (previously of Nizhny Novgorod), locum tenens (1936–1943)
12	Sergius I		12 September 1943	15 May 1944
13	Alexy I		4 February 1945	17 April 1970
14	Pimen I		3 June 1971	3 May 1990
15	Alexy II		10 June 1990	5 December 2008
16	Kirill I		1 February 2009	Incumbent

See also

• Russian Orthodox Church
  • Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'
• List of Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Kiev
• List of current patriarchs
• List of current Christian leaders
• List of Orthodox churches