Metropolitan of Kyiv is an episcopal title that has been created with varying suffixes at multiple times in different Christian churches, though always maintaining the name of the metropolitan city — Kiev (Kyiv) — which today is located in the modern state of Ukraine. The church was canonically established and governed by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in Kievan Rus'. Following the Council of Florence and the Union of Brest, there are now parallel apostolic successions: in the Russian Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ruthenian Uniate Church and its successors. This list contains the names of all the metropolitan bishops (hierarchs) who have claimed the title. It is arranged chronologically and grouped per the claimed jurisdiction.
Patriarchate of Constantinople (988-1441)
"Michael I and Leontius", 988(?)–1004(?) Metropolitans of Kyiv and all Rus (988–1305) (Митрополиты Киевские и всея Руси (988—1305 гг.)). Russia in color. Theophylact, 988–1018 John, 1008(?)–1017(?) Teopempt 1037(?)–1043(?) "Cyril" (information about him appeared only no earlier than the 16th century) Hilarion 1051–(?) Ephraim, 1055(?)–(?) George, 1072(?)–(?) John II Prodrom, 1077(?)–1089 John III, 1090–1091 Nicholas, 1097–1101(?) Nikephoros, 1104–1121 Nikita, 1122–1126 Michael, 1130(?)–1145(?) Clement, 1147–1159 Constantine, 1156–1159 Theodore, 1161–1163 John IV, 1164–1166 Costantine II, 1167–1177(?) Michael II, "John V (?)–(?)" Nicephorus II, 1182(?)–1197(?) Matthew, 1210(?)–1220 Cyril, 1224–1233 Joseph I, 1237–(?) "Peter (Akerovich)", 1241–1246 (Archbishop of Ruthenia),Epstein, S. Purity Lost: Transgressing Boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1000–1400. JHU Press, 2007 never confirmed by the Patriarch Cyril II, 1250–1281 Maximus, 1283–1299 Consecrated as metropolitan in 1283, Maximus moved the episcopal seat to Vladimir in 1299. Peter, 1308–1326 Metropolitan Peter moved the episcopal seat to Moscow in 1325.
Division of the Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus'
In the 14th century, Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos sanctioned the creation of two additional metropolitan sees: the Metropolis of Halych (1303) and the Metropolis of Lithuania (1317).Metropolis of Lithuania. Encyclopedia of Ukraine.
Metropolitan Roman (1355–1362) of Lithuania and Metropolitan Alexius of Kiev both claimed the see. Both metropolitans travelled to Constantinople to make their appeals in person. In 1356, their cases were heard by a Patriarchal Synod.Russkaia Istoricheskaia Biblioteka, VI, Prilozheniia, pp. 63-70. The Holy Synod confirmed that Alexius was the Metropolitan of Kiev while Roman was also confirmed in his see at Novogorodek. In 1361, the two sees were formally divided. Shortly afterwards, in the winter of 1361/62, Roman died. From 1362 to 1371, the vacant see of Lithuania–Halych was administered by Alexius. By that point, the Lithuanian metropolis was effectively dissolved.
Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus'(See in Vladimir) Metropolis of Halych(See in Halych) Metropolis of Lithuania(See in Navahrudak)
Maximus (1285–1305) Niphont (1303–1305)
Peter of Moscow (1308–1326) sede vacante (1305–1326)(Administered by Peter of Moscow) Theophilus 1317–1330
In 1325, the metropolitan seat was moved from the city of Vladimir to Moscow.
Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus'(See in Moscow) Metropolis of Lithuania(See in Vilno) Metropolis of Halych(See in Halych)
1326–1328 vacant 1317–1330 Theophilus 1326–1329 Gabriel
1328–1353 Theognostus 1352 Teodorite 1337–1347 Theodore II
1354–1378 Alexius 1354–1362 Roman (united)
1384–1385 Dionysius I 1376–1406 Cyprian 1370–1391 Antoniy
1382–1389 Pimen
1376–1406 Cyprian (united)
1410–1431 Photius 1415–1419 Gregory
1433–1435 Gerasimus (united)
1436–1458 Isidore (united)
Following the signing of the Council of Florence, Metropolitan Isidore of Kiev returned to Moscow in 1441 as a Ruthenian cardinal. He was arrested by the Grand Duke of Moscow and accused of apostasy. The Grand Duke deposed Isidore and in 1448 installed own candidate as Metropolitan of Kyiv — Jonah. This was carried out without the approval of Patriarch Gregory III of Constantinople. When Isidore died in 1458, he was succeeded as metropolitan in the Patriarchate of Constantinople by Gregory the Bulgarian. Gregory's canonical territory was the western part of the traditional Kievan Rus' lands — the states of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland. The episcopal seat was in the city of Navahrudak which is today located in Belarus.Vortman, D. Navahrudak – Novhorod the Lithuanian (НОВОГРУДОК - НОВГОРОД ЛИТОВСЬКИЙ). Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. 2010 It was later moved to Vilnius — the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. A parallel succession to the title ensued between Moscow and Vilnius. The Metropolitans of Kiev are the predecessors of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' that was formed in the 16th century.
In the Holy See An Ecumenical council of the Church — the Council of Florence — took place from 1431 to 1449. Although he resisted at first, the Grand Prince of Moscow — Vasily II of Moscow — eventually permitted the Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus' — Isidore of Kiev — to attend the council. Isidore, who was of Greek origin, submitted to the articles of the Bull of Union with the Greeks which united the Eastern Orthodox Church with the Holy See. The Great Prince of Moscow voided the union in his lands and imprisoned Isidore for some time. In September 1443, after two years of imprisonment, Metropolitan Isidor escaped to Tver, then to Lithuania and on to Rome. He was graciously received by the pope in 1443. Pope Nicholas V (1447–1455) sent him as legate to Constantinople to arrange the reunion there in 1452, and gave him two hundred soldiers to help the defence of the city.
Gregory II, (1458–1473). His title to the metropolitan see was acknowledged both by the Holy See and by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Misail Pstruch, 1476–1480 – his election was accepted by Casimir IV Jagiellon (King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania), after he agreed to adhere to the Union of Florence. He was appointed by Pope Sixtus IV. , 1476–1482 – consecrated as Orthodox metropolitan of Kyiv by Patriarch Raphael I of Constantinople but rejected by Casimir IV
Patriarchate of Constantinople (1441–1596)
Following the Fall of Constantinople, the Union of Florence disintegrated. The patriarchy of Constantinople resumed the Eastern Orthodox succession with Simeon of Kiev. His tenure was challenged by the anti-Eastern Orthodox sentiments of the King of Poland Casimir IV Jagiellon and the 1482 plundering of Kiev by the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray,Lencyk, W. Christianization of Ukraine. Encyclopedia of Ukraine an ally of the Grand Prince Ivan III of Moscow.
Simeon of Kiev, 1481–1488 – first accepted Orthodox metropolitan since 1458 Jonah Hlezna, 1489–1494 , 1495–1497 , 1499–1501 , 1503–1507 , 1509–1522 , 1523–1533 , 1534–1555 , 1556–1567 , 1568–1577 , 1577–1579 , 1579–1589 Michael III, 1589–1599
In 1595, most Eastern Orthodox leaders in the Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus' signed the Union of Brest with the Holy See, thereby establishing the Ruthenian Uniate Church.
In the Holy See (Union of Brest)
Following the failure of the Union of Florence, a second attempt at union was essayed in 1595/6. It resulted in the Union of Brest which re-established full communion with the Holy See. The effect was to create the Ruthenian Uniate Church. This is a list of Metropolitans of Kiev, Galicia and all Ruthenia in the Ruthenian Uniate Church before the partitions of Poland: 1596—1599 Michael III (, ) 1600—1613 Hypatius Pociej (, ) 1613—1637 Joseph Rutski (, ) 1637—1640 Raphael Korsak (, ) 1641—1655 Antonius Sielawa (, ) 1666—1674 Gabriel Kolenda (, ) 1674—1693 Cyprian Żochowski (, ) 1694—1708 Leo Załęski (, ) 1708—1713 George Winnicki (, ) 1714—1729 Leo Kiszka (, ) 1729—1746 Athanasius Szeptycki 1748—1762 Florian Hrebnicki 1762—1778 Philip Wołodkowicz 1778—1779 Leo Szeptycki 1780—1786 Jason Smogorzewski 1787—1805 Theodosius Rostocki
Patriarchate of Constantinople (Exarchate of Ukraine)
Some clergy in the Commonwealth refused to subscribe to the Union of Brest and continued with the old rites and their allegiance to the Ecumenical Patriarch. More than 25 years of struggles within parishes for possession of church buildings and monasteries ensued. In 1620, the patriarch of Jerusalem — Theophanes III — entrenched the schism by establishing an "Exarchate of Ukraine" for those dissenting clergy and laity who refused to conform to the union. Parallel successions to the title of Metropolitan of Kiev, Galicia and all Rus' (Ruthenian: Митрополитъ Кієвскій, Гáлицкїй, й всеѧ` Рѡ´ссїи)Petro Mohyla's Euchologion (1646) continued until 1686. In that year, the Metropolis was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow, which then assumed the right to consecrate the Kievan metropolitans.
List of metropolitans of the "Exarchate of Ukraine": Job (1620–1631) Isaiah (1631–1633) Peter III (1633–1646) who was the first metropolitan to be recognized by the Crown of Poland Sylvester (1647–1657) Dionisius II (1657–1663) who transferred the episcopal seat from Kyiv to Chyhyryn due to Muscovite military incursions Joseph V, 1663–1675 Anton Vinnicky, (anti-Metropolitan) 1663–1679 vacant 1679–1685
Appointed by Romanov civil authorities (residence in Kyiv): Locum Tenens Lazar Baranovych, 1659–1661 Locum Tenens Methodius Filimonovich, 1661–1668 Locum Tenens Lazar Baranovych, 1670–1685
In the Patriarchate of Moscow
Metropolitans of Kyiv, Galicia and of all Little Rus (1685–1770)
According to the Russian Orthodox Church, the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox metropolis was transferred from the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the Moscow Patriarchate in 1686 thereby establishing the Metropolis of Kiev (Patriarchate of Moscow). This interpretation is disputed by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (see 2018 Moscow–Constantinople schism). Gedeon Chetvertinsky, 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. , 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 Rus"
Metropolitans of Kyiv and Galicia (1770–1921) In 1770, the Most Holy Synod stripped the metropolis of its suffragan sees. The title became an honorific with no practical sense of governing an ecclesiastical territory beyond its own geographic remit. This is a list of bishops who retained this empty title: 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 , 1900–1903 Flavian, 1903–1915 Vladimir, 1915–1918 Nicodemus, 1918 (as bishop of Chyhyryn) Anthony, 1918–1919 When Gen. Pyotr Wrangel′s White Army was defeated in South Russia in November 1920, Anthony emigrated. In 1921 he settled down in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia. Along with several other Russian bishops in exile, he established an independent Russian church administration that sought to embrace all Russian Orthodox diaspora, known as the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). Nazarius Blinov, 1919–1921
Metropolitans and Archbishops of Kyiv and Galicia (1921–present) Bishops in communion with the Patriarchate of Moscow (1921–present)