The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople () is one of the autocephalous churches of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
Because of its historical location as the capital of the former Eastern Roman Empire and its role as the mother church of most modern Eastern Orthodox churches, Constantinople holds a special place of honor within Eastern Orthodox Christianity and serves as the seat for the ecumenical patriarch, who enjoys the status of primus inter pares (first among equals) among the world's Eastern Orthodox prelates and is regarded as the representative and spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians. Phanar (Turkish: Fener), the name of the neighbourhood where ecumenical patriarch resides, is often used as a metonym or shorthand for the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.Compare "the Vatican" for the Holy See of the Catholic Church, or "the Sublime Porte" for the Ottoman government.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople promotes the expansion of the Christian faith and Eastern Orthodox doctrine, and the ecumenical patriarchs are involved in ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, charitable work, and the defense of Orthodox Christian traditions. Prominent issues for the Ecumenical Patriarchate's policy in the 21st century include the safety of the believers in the Middle East, reconciliation of the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches, and the reopening of the Theological School of Halki, which was closed down by the Turkish authorities in 1971.
History
The Great Church of Christ
In 330 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great moved his residence to the city, renaming it Nova Roma (), or "New Rome". Thenceforth, the importance of the church there grew, along with the influence of its bishop. Prior to the moving of the imperial capital, the bishop of Byzantium had been under the authority of the metropolitan of Heraclea, but from the 4th century on, he grew to become independent in his own right and even to exercise authority throughout what is now Greece, Asia Minor, Pontus, and Thrace. With the development of the hierarchical structure of the Church, the bishop of Constantinople came to be styled as exarch (a position superior to metropolitan). Constantinople was recognized as the fourth patriarchate at the First Council of Constantinople in 381, after Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome. The patriarch was usually appointed by Antioch.
Because of the importance of the position of Constantinople's church at the center of the Roman Empire, affairs involving the various churches outside Constantinople's direct authority came to be discussed in the capital, particularly where the intervention of the emperor was desired. The patriarch naturally became a liaison between the emperor and bishops traveling to the capital, thus establishing the position of the patriarch as one involving the unity of the whole Church, particularly in the East.
In turn, the affairs of the Constantinopolitan church were overseen not just by the patriarch, but also by synods held including visiting bishops. This pan-Orthodox synod came to be referred to as the (, "resident synod"). The resident synod not only governed the business of the patriarchate but also examined questions pertinent to the whole Church as well as the eastern half of the old empire. The patriarch thus came to have the title of Ecumenical, which referenced not a universal episcopacy over other bishops but rather the position of the patriarch as at the center of the , the "household" of the empire.
As the Roman Empire stabilized and grew, so did the influence of the patriarchate at its capital. This influence came to be enshrined in Orthodox canon law, to such an extent that it was elevated even beyond more ancient patriarchates: Canon 3 of the First Council of Constantinople (381) stated that the bishop of that city "shall have primacy of honor after the Bishop of Rome because Constantinople is the New Rome."
In the Council of Chalcedon in 451, Canon 28 granted the Church of Constantinople equal privileges () with the Church of Rome. It also placed the dioceses of Pontus, Asia, and Thrace under its jurisdiction. Canons 9 and 17 granted Constantinople the right to hear appeals involving clergy from other ecclesiastical jurisdictions.
For almost a thousand years, the Patriarch of Constantinople presided over the church in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire and oversaw its missionary activity, which brought the Christian faith in its Byzantine form to many peoples north of the imperial borders. The cathedral church of Constantinople, Hagia Sophia, served as the center of religious life in the eastern Christian world.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate came to be called the "Great Church of Christ" and it was the touchstone and reference point for ecclesiastical affairs in the East, whether in terms of church government, relations with the state, or liturgical matters.
Prerogatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate In history and in canonical literature (i.e. the Church's canons and traditional commentaries on them), the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been granted certain prerogatives () that other autocephalous Orthodox churches do not have. Not all of these prerogatives are today universally acknowledged, though all do have precedents in history and canonical references. The following is a (non-exhaustive) list of these prerogatives and their reference points:
Equal prerogatives to Old Rome (Canon 28 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, Canon 36 of the Quinisext Council); The right to hear appeals, if invited, regarding disputes between clergy (Canons 9 and 17 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council); The right to ordain bishops for areas outside defined canonical boundaries (Canon 28 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council); The right to establish stavropegial monasteries even in the territories of other patriarchates (the Epanagoge, commentaries of Matthew Blastares and Theodore Balsamon)
Iconoclast controversy
In the eighth and ninth centuries the iconoclast movement caused serious political unrest throughout the Empire. The emperor Leo III issued a decree in 726 against images and ordered the destruction of an image of Christ over one of the doors of the Chalke, an act which was fiercely resisted by the citizens. Constantine V convoked a church council in 754, which condemned the worship of images, after which many treasures were broken, burned, or painted over with depictions of trees, birds or animals: one source refers to the church of the Holy Virgin at Blachernae as having been transformed into a "fruit store and aviary". Following the death of his son Leo IV in 780, the empress Irene restored the veneration of images through the agency of the Second Council of Nicaea in 787.
The iconoclast controversy returned in the early 9th century, only to be resolved once more in 843 during the regency of Empress Theodora, who restored the icons.
Christianization of the Slavs
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople played a central role in the Christianization of the Slavic peoples during the Early Middle Ages, particularly between the 9th and 11th centuries. This activity was closely connected to the wider Byzantine policy of cultural and religious influence in Eastern Europe, often referred to by modern historians as the expansion of the Byzantine commonwealth.
One of the earliest and most significant stages of this process was the mission to Great Moravia, undertaken in the 860s by Saints Cyril and Methodius. Acting under the approval of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, they developed the Glagolitic script and translated key liturgical texts into Old Church Slavonic. This innovation allowed Christian worship to be conducted in a language understood by Slavic populations, significantly facilitating the spread of Christianity among the Slavs.
Following the mission to Great Moravia, the Christianization of the First Bulgarian Empire marked a major expansion of Orthodox Christianity in the Balkans. In 864, under Knyaz Boris I, Bulgaria accepted Christianity, and in 870 the Bulgarian Church was granted autonomous status under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This development laid the foundation for the emergence of a distinct Slavic Christian tradition within Eastern Orthodoxy.
The Christianization of Kievan Rus' is traditionally dated to 988, when Grand Prince Vladimir the Great was baptized in Chersonesus and subsequently ordered the mass baptism of the population in Kiev. This event firmly integrated Kievan Rus’ into the Byzantine ecclesiastical sphere under the authority of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which appointed the metropolitan bishops of Kiev for several centuries thereafter.
In the Western Balkans, the Christianization of the Serbs also developed under Byzantine ecclesiastical influence. The establishment of the autocephalous Serbian Orthodox Church in 1219 by Saint Sava received recognition from Constantinople, reflecting both the spread of Orthodox Christianity and the gradual decentralization of ecclesiastical authority in the region.
Great Schism of 1054
The relations between the papacy and the Byzantine court were generally cordial in the years leading up to 1054. The emperor Constantine IX and Pope Leo IX maintained alliances through the mediation of the Lombard catepan of Italy, Argyrus, who had spent years in Constantinople, originally as a political prisoner.
In 1053, Patriarch Michael I Cerularius ordered a letter to be written to John, the Bishop of Trani, in which he strongly criticized what he viewed as "Judaistic" practices of the Western Church, specifically the use of unleavened bread in the Eucharist. In addition, the letter addressed other theological and cultural issues, particularly questioning the supremacy claimed by the Pope in Rome and criticizing the addition of the Filioque clause to the Nicene Creed by the Western Church. John sent the letter to all Western bishops, including the pope. It was translated into Latin by Humbert of Mourmoutiers, the cardinal-bishop of Silva Candida, who delivered it to the pope. A formal response was prepared addressing each accusation and defending papal supremacy.
Although Michael attempted to moderate the debate and prevent escalation, Humbert of Mourmoutiers and the papal representatives made no concessions and traveled with legatine authority to Constantinople to resolve the questions. Humbert, Frederick of Lorraine, and Peter, Archbishop of Amalfi, arrived in April 1054 and were met with a hostile reception; they left their written response with Michael, who refused to recognize their authority. When Pope Leo IX died on April 19, 1054, the legates’ authority technically ended, but they continued their mission. In response to Michael's refusal to address the concerns, the legates entered the Hagia Sophia during the Divine Liturgy and placed a bull of excommunication on the altar.
The events of 1054 are generally cited as the beginning of the East–West Schism. The bull excommunicated only Cerularius, Leo of Achrida, and their adherents. The schism developed gradually as other Eastern patriarchs aligned with Michael, influenced in part by Emperor Michael VI Stratiotikos. Some have questioned the legal authority of the bull, as Pope Leo IX had died before its issuance. The legates departed for Rome shortly after issuing the bull, leaving Constantinople in near-riot conditions. The patriarch retained popular support, and to assuage anger, the bull was burned; only the legates were anathematised, with no indication of excommunicating the entire Western Church.