List of Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Kiev

History

The history of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as other Eastern Orthodox Church bodies in existence in modern Ukraine, is usually traced to the Baptism of Rus' at Kiev, the date of which is commonly given as 988; however, the evidence surrounding this event is contested (see Christianisation of Kievan Rus').

Ruthenian (Russian) Orthodox Church

The church (Ancient Greek: Ρωσική Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία, Rhousike Orthodoxe Ekklesia) was established and governed by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in Kievan Rus (or Ruthenia) until invasion of Mogols and eventual partition between Grand Duchy of Lithnia, Kingdom of Hungary, and Ulus of Jochi (Golden Horde) with its vassal Grand Duchy of Moscow. At first it led to succession of Muscovite dioceses into its own Metropolis and although it was not recognized in the beginning eventually it turned into Patriarchate. Later the dioceses that were under the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were reorganized within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and as part of the Polonization process eventually joined the Union of Brest coming under communion with the Pope of Rome. The Eparchy of Mukachevo that was under the Kingdom of Hungary became one of the longest surviving dioceses of Eastern Orthodoxy in the west until it also was Catholisized though the Union of Uzhhorod.

Metropolitans of Kiev and all Ruthenia

Michael I, 988(?)–992(?)

Leontius, 988(?)–1004(?)

John, 1008(?)–1017(?)

Teopempt 1037(?)–1043(?)

Hilarion 1051–(?)

Ephraim, 1055(?)–(?)

Jurij, 1072(?)–(?)

John II Prodrom, 1077(?)–1089

John III, 1090–1091

Ephraim of Pereyaslavl, 1091–1097

Nicholas, 1097–1101(?)

Nikephoros, 1104–1121

Nikita, 1122–1126

Michael II, 1130(?)–1145(?)

Kliment Smoliatich, 1147–1159

Kostiantyn, 1156–1159

Teodor, 1161–1163

John IV, 1164–1166

Costantine II, 1167–1177(?)

John V (?)–(?)

Nikephoros II, 1182(?)–1197(?)

Matthew, 1210(?)–1220

Сyril, 1224–1233

Joseph, 1237–(?)

Peter Akerovich, 1244–1246

Cyril II, 1250–1281

Maximus, 1283–1299

In 1299 Metropolitan Maximus moves the seat from Kiev to Vladimir, title "of Kiev" retained.

Metropolitan of Kiev (Muscovy, Lithuania, Halych)

In 1325 the Vladimir's seat was moved to Moscow

Following the signing of Council of Florence, Isidore of Kiev came back to Moscow as a Ruthenian cardinal and was arrested after being accused of apostasy. In 1448 the Grand Duke of Moscow installed own Muscovite metropolitan of Kiev Jonah without the Patriarchal approval Gregory III of Constantinople (in 1461 Metropolitan of Moscow). In 1458, the Orthodox dioceses within the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, including Kiev, were reorganized and a metropolitan episcopal see was moved to Vilnius, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Metropolitans of Kiev, Galicia and All Ruthenia

Patriarch Isidore II of Constantinople reorganized the church and its primates were given a new title: Metropolitan of Kiev, Galicia, and all Ruthenia thus commemorating the office of Metropolitan of Galicia. The episcopal see was located in Vilno.

Gregory II, 1458–1473 – Catholic metropolitan appointed by Pope Pius II

Misail Pstruch, 1476–1480 – Catholic metropolitan accepted by Casimir IV Jagiellon, king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania, after agreeing to adopt the 1439 Union of Florence; appointed by Pope Sixtus IV

Spyridon Satana, 1476–1482 – consecrated as Orthodox metropolitan of Kiev by Patriarch Raphael I of Constantinople but rejected by Casimir IV

Symeon, metropolitan of Kyiv, 1481–1488 - First accepted Orthodox metropolitan since 1458

Jonah Hlezna, 1489–1494

Macarius Chort, 1495–1497

Joseph Bolharynovich, 1499–1501

Jonah, metropolitan of Kyiv, 1503–1507

Joseph Soltan, 1509–1522

Joseph Rusin, 1523–1533

Macarius Moskovytyanyn, 1534–1555

Sylvester Bilkevich, 1556–1567

Jonah Protasevich, 1568–1577

Elias Kucha, 1577–1579

Onesiphorus Devochka, 1579–1589

Michael III, 1589–1599

In 1595 the Vilno/Kiev Metropolia signs the Union of Brest with the Catholic Church, so establishing the Ruthenian Uniate Church.

Metropolitan of Kiev, Galicia, all Ruthenia, Exarch of Ukraine

In 1620 – about 25 years after the implementation of the Union of Brest – Patriarch Cyril Lucaris, of Constantinople, re-established a rival Metropolitanate of Kiev (1620–1685) with a disuniate hierarchy, within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The new metropolitan was organized with bishops who refused to join the Union of Brest. The first hierarch who was finally recognized by the Crown of Poland was Petro Mohyla.

Job, 1620–1631

Isaiah, 1631–1633

Peter III, 1633–1646 - First accepted Orthodox metropolitan after re-installment

Sylvester, 1647–1657

The Greek Orthodox Metropolitanate of Kiev was in 1686 transferred from the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the Moscow Patriarchate.

Metropolitans of Kiev, Galicia and of all Little Russia (1685–1770)

Gedeon, 1685–1690 (Former bishop of Lutsk, Gedeon Chetvertinsky was elected by the sobor initiated by the Hetman Ivan Samoilovych and later went for consecration to Moscow instead of Constantinople)

Metropolitan Varlaam, 1690–1707

Ioasaph, 1708–1718

In 1718 Peter the Great abolished metropolitan.

Archbishop Varlaam, 1722–1730 , archbishop

Raphael, 1731–1747, metropolitan since 1743

In 1743 metropolitan was reinstated.

Timothy, 1748–1757

Arsenius, 1757–1770

In 1767 Catherine the Great stripped the Metropolitan Arsenius of title "of all Little Russia"

Metropolitans of Kiev and Galicia (1770–1921)

In 1770 the Kiev metropolitan was stripped of suffragan bishops and turned into a regular archeparchy carrying honoring title of Metropolitan.

Gabriel, 1770–1783

Samuel, 1783–1796

Hierotheus, 1796–1799

Gabriel II, 1799–1803

Serapion, 1803–1822

Eugene, 1822–1837

Philaret, 1837–1857

Isidore, 1858–1860

Arsenius II, 1860–1876

Philotheus, 1876–1882

Platon, 1882–1891

Joanicius, 1891–1900

Theognostus, 1900–1903

Flavian, 1903–1915

Vladimir, 1915–1918

Nicodemus, 1918 (as bishop of Chyhyryn)

Anthony, 1918–1919

Nazarius Blinov, 1919–1921

Metropolitans and Archbishops of Kiev and Galicia

Partial autonomy was reinstated in a form of exarchate which in the Russian Orthodox Church is a special fixed territory that has autonomy within the church (i.e. Belarusian Exarchate).

Michael, 1921–1925, bishop in 1921-27 exarch of Ukraine 1921-1929

Georges Deliev, 1923–1928 , bishop acting

Macarius Karamzin, 1924 , bishop acting

Sergius Kuminsky, 1925–1930 , bishop acting

Demetrius Verbitsky, 1930–1932 , archbishop

Sergius Grishin, 1932–1934 , archbishop

Constantine, 1934–1937, exarch of Ukraine 1929-1937

Alexander, 1937–1938

Nicholas, 1941–1944, exarch of Ukraine 1941

During World War II all territory of Ukraine was occupied by the Nazi Germany therefore Metropolitan Nicholas moved to Moscow. The rest of bishops loyal to Moscow Patriarchate created Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox Church which was recognized by Metropolitan Nicholas. With the end of German occupation Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox Church was dissolved and incorporated back to the Russian Orthodox Church (Ukrainian Exarchate).

Oleksii Hromadskyi, 1941–1943 (Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox Church)

Panteleimon Rudyk, 1943–1944 (Ukrainian Autonomous Orthodox Church)

John, 1944–1964, exarch of Ukraine

Ioasaph II, 1964–1966, exarch of Ukraine

Philaret II, 1966–1990, exarch of Ukraine

In 1990 the Ukrainian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, is given "self-ruled" status forming the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)

Metropolitans of Kiev and All Ukraine

Philaret II, 1990–1992 (joined the newly formed Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate) in 1992, excommunicated by the Moscow Patriarchate in 1997)

Volodymyr II, 1992–2014

Metropolitan Onuphrius, 2014–Incumbent

Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine (self consecrated)

Vasyl Lypkivsky, 1921–1927

Mykola Boretsky, 1927–1930

Ivan Pavlovsky, 1930–1936

Due to Soviet pressure, the UAOC is liquidated in 1936, some of its members emigrated to the United States.

Polish Orthodox Church period (World War II)

In 1942, UAOC was finally established with help of the Polish Orthodox Church during occupation of Ukraine by the Nazi Germany. Polikarp Sikorsky was consecrated by Dionizy (Waledyński).

Polikarp Sikorsky, (Administrator of the Church under the title of Metropolitan of Lutsk and Kovel), 1942–1944

This relative freedom lasted till the return of the Red Army in 1944, after that the UAOC was again liquidated and remained structured only in the diaspora. In 1944 the Orthodox Metropolitan of Warsaw, Dionizy Waledynski, was appointed "Patriarch of All Ukraine", but the Soviet Union did not allowed any operation in Ukraine.

Patriarchs of Kiev and all Rus-Ukraine from 1990

In 1990 the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church was reinstated in Ukraine, and the former Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada Metropolitan Mstyslav was enthroned as a Patriarch.

Stepan Mstyslav, 1991–1993

Dmytro Yarema, 1993–2000

Metropolitans of Kiev and All Ukraine

Mefodiy Kudriakov, 2000–2015 (deceased)

Makariy Maletych 2015– (incumbent)

Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate

After being dismissed in 1992 by the Archhierarch Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Metropolitan Filaret created a new Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate (UOC–KP).

Patriarch Mstyslav, 1991–1993

After Mstyslav died in 1993, the temporary union ended and the UOC–KP and UAOC separated.

Patriarch Volodymyr, 1993–1995

Patriarch Filaret, 1995– incumbent

The Living Church (1923–1941)

In 1923, a major split occurred in the Moscow Patriarchate, with a majority (initially) of the ROC bishops joining a reformist-minded wing of the Church, supported by the OGPU, the Soviet secret police. Across the territory of the USSR, many episcopal sees in the 1920s and 1930s had 2 parallel bishops: one from the Living Church, another from the Moscow Patriarchate.

Tikhon (Vasilevsky), 1923

Nikolay (Fedotov), 1923–1924

Aleksandr (Shcherbakov), 1924

Innokentiy (Pustynsky), 1924–1929

Iuvenaliy (Moshkovsky), 1928–1929

Pimen (Pegov), 1929–1935

Aleksandr (Chekanovsky), 1935–1937

Vladimir (Zlobin), 1938–1941

Fraternal Parish Association of the Ukrainian Orthodox Autocephalous churches

In 1925 there was created another organization which opposed both the Living Church and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. After 1937 it disappeared.

Feofil Buldovsky, 1925-1937