List of heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church

The heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church and of its direct predecessors in the ancient Georgian Kingdom of Iberia (Kartli) have continuously borne the title Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia since 1010. This designation reflects both the primate’s role as the supreme spiritual leader of the entire Georgian Church and his patriarchal dignity.

The sole interruption in this nearly millennium-long tradition occurred between 1811 and 1917, when the Russian Empire, after annexing the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and the western Georgian principalities, forcibly abolished the autocephaly of the Georgian Church and placed it under the jurisdiction of the Most Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church as part of its broader imperial policies of administrative and ecclesiastical centralization. Autocephaly and the title of Catholicos-Patriarch were restored only after the fall of the Tsarist regime in 1917.

The current style of the head of the Church is as follows:საქართველოს ახალი პატრიარქი ჰყავს Imedi TV

Archbishops of Mtskheta (326–467)

Order Name Period 1 John I (326–363) 2 Jacob (363–375) 3 Iobi (375–390) 4 Elia I (390–400) 5 Svimeon I (400–410) 6 Mose (410–425) 7 Iona (425–429) 8 Ieremia (429–433) 9 Grigol I (433–434) 10 Vasili I (434–436) 11 Glonakor (436–448) 12 Iovel I (448–452) 13 Mikael I (452–467)

Catholicos of Iberia (467–1010) Order Name Period 14 Petre I (467–474) 15 Samoel I (474–502) 16 Gabriel I (502–510) 17 Tavfechag I (510–516) 18 Chirmagi–Chigirmane (516–523) 19 Saba I (523–532) 20 Evlavi (532–544) 21 Samoel II (544–553) 22 Makari (553–569) 23 Svimeon II (569–575) 24 Samoel III (575–582) 25 Samoel IV (582–591) 26 Bartlome (591–595) 27 Kirion I (595–610) 28 Ioane II (610–619) 29 Babila (619–629) 30 Tabor (629–634) 31 Samoel V (634–640) 32 Evnon (640–649) 33 Tavfechag II (649–664) 34 Evlale (664–668) 35 Iovel II (668–670) 36 Samoel VI (670–677) 37 Giorgi I (677–678) 38 Kirion II (678–683) 39 Izid–Bozidi (683–685) 40 Teodore I (Teodose) (685–689) 41 Petre (Svimeoni) II (689–720) 42 Talale (720–731) 43 Mamai (731–744) 44 Ioane III (744–760) 45 Grigol II (760–767) 46 Sarmeane (767–774) 47 Mikael II (774–780) 48 Samoel VII (780–790) 49 Kirile (791–802) 50 Grigol III (802–814) 51 Samoel VIII (814–826) 52 Giorgi II (826–838) 53 Gabriel II (838–850) 54 Ilarion I (850–860) 55 Arsen I (860–887) 56 Evsuki (887–900) 57 Klementos (900–914) 58 Basili II (914–930) 59 Mikael III (930–944) 60 Davit I (944–955) 61 Arseni II (955–980) 62 Okropir (Ioane I) (980–1001) 63 Svimeon III (1001) Catholicos-Patriarchs of Georgia (1010–1811) Order Name Period Notes 64 St. Melkisedek I 1001–1030 65 Okropir (Ioane) II 1031–1039 66 Melkisedek I 1039–1045 restored 67 Okropir (Ioane) II 1045–1049 restored 68 Ekvtime I 1049–1055 69 Giorgi III (Taoeli) 1055–1065 70 Gabriel III (Safareli) 1065–1080 71 Dimitri 1080–1090 72 Basili III (Karichisdze) 1090–1100 73 Ioane IV (Sapareli) 1100–1142 74 Svimeon IV (Gulaberisdze) 1142–1146 75 Saba II 1146–1150 76 Nikoloz I (Gulaberidze) 1150–1178 77 Michael IV 1178–1186 78 Theodore II 1186–1206 79 Basil IV 1206–1208 80 John VII 1208–1210 81 Epiphane 1210–1220 82 Ekvtime II 1220–1222 83 Arseni III 1222–1225 84 Giorgi IV 1225–1230 85 Arseni IV (Bulmaisisdze) 1230–1240 86 Nikoloz II 1240–1280 87 Abraam I 1280–1310 88 Ekvtime III 1310–1325 89 Mikel V 1325–1330 90 Basil V 1330–1350 91 Doroteoz I 1350–1356 92 Shio I 1356–1364 93 Nikoloz III 1364–1380 94 Giorgi V 1380–1399 95 Elioz (Gobirakhisdze) 1399–1411 96 Mikel VI 1411–1426 97 David II 1426–1428 98 Teodore III 1428–1435 99 David III 1435–1439 100 Shio II 1439–1443/47 101 David IV 1443/47–1459 102 Markoz 1460–1466 103 Davit IV 1466–1479 104 Evagre 1480–1492 105 Abraam II (Abalaki) 1492–1497 106 Efrem I 1497–1500 107 Evagre 1500–1503 restored 108 Doroteoz II 1503–1510 109 Dionise 1510–1511 110 Doroteoz II 1511–1516 restored 111 Basil VI 1517–1528 112 Malachia 1528–1538 113 Melkisedek II (Bagrationi) 1538–1541 114 Germene 1541–1547 115 Svimeon V 1547–1550 116 Zebede I 1550–1557 117 Domenti I 1557–1562 118 Nikoloz IV (Baratashvili) 1562–1584 119 St. Nikoloz V 1584–1591 120 Doriteoz III 1592–1599 121 Domenti II 1599–1603 122 Zebede II 1603–1610 123 Ioane VI (Avalishvili) 1610–1613 124 Kristefore I 1613–1622 125 Zachary 1623–1630 126 St. Evdemoz I (Diasamidze) 1630–1638 127 Kristefore II (Amilakhvari) 1638–1660 128 Domenti III 1660–1675 129 Nikoloz VI (Magaladze) 1675–1676 130 Nikoloz VII (Amilakhvari) 1676–1687 131 Ioan VII (Diasamidze) 1687–1691 132 Nikoloz VII (Amilakhvari) 1691–1695 restored 133 Ioan VII (Diasamidze) 1696–1700 restored 134 Evdemoz II (Diasamidze) 1700–1703 135 Domenti IV 1704–1725 136 Besarion (Orbeliani) 1725–1737 137 Kirile 1737–1739 138 Domenti IV 1739–1741 restored 139 Nikoloz VIII (Kherkheulidze) 1742–1744 140 Anton I 1744–1755 141 Ioseb (Jandieri) 1755–1764 142 Anton I 1764–1788 restored 143 St. Anton II 1788–1811

Exarchs of Georgia (1811–1917) Autocephalous status abolished and administration placed under the Russian Orthodox Church, 1811–1917

Order Name Period 1 Metropolitan Barlaam (Eristavi) 1811–1817 2 Metropolitan Theophilact (Rusanov) 1817–1821 3 Metropolitan Jonah (Vasilevsky) 1821–1832 4 Archbishop Moses (Bogdanov-Platonov) 1832–1834 5 Archbishop Eugene (Baganov) 1834–1844 6 Archbishop Isidore (Nikolsky) 1844–1858 7 Archbishop Ebsebius (Ilinsky) 1858–1877 8 Archbishop Joannicius (Rudnev) 1877–1882 9 Archbishop Paul (Lebedev) 1882–1887 10 Archbishop Palladius (Rayev) 1887–1892 11 Archbishop Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) 1892–1898 12 Archbishop Flavian (Gorodetsky) 1898–1901 13 Archbishop Alexis I (Opotsky) 1901–1905 14 Archbishop Nicholas (Nalimov) 1905–1906 15 Archbishop Nikon (Sofiisky) 1906–1908 16 Archbishop Innocent (Beliaev) 1909–1913 17 Archbishop Alexis II (Molchanov) 1913–1914 18 Archbishop Piterim (Oknov) 1914–1915 19 Archbishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky) 1915–1917

Catholicos-Patriarchs of All Georgia (1917–present) Order Portrait Name Period Notes 144 St. Kyrion IIკირიონ II 1 October 1917 26 June 1918 Assassinated (found murdered in the patriarchal residence at Martkopi Monastery on 27 June 1918) under mysterious circumstances. Canonized as Hieromartyr by the Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church on 17 October 2002. 145 Leonidლეონიდე 28 November 1918 11 June 1921 Elected during the short-lived Georgian Democratic Republic; led the Church through the Bolshevik Red Army invasion of 1921 that ended Georgian independence; died amid the onset of Soviet occupation and a cholera epidemic. 146 St. Ambrosiusამბროსი 14 October 1921 29 March 1927 Strongly opposed Soviet rule. In 1922 he sent a formal memorandum to the Genoa Conference protesting the Bolshevik occupation of Georgia and calling for international intervention. Arrested by Soviet authorities, imprisoned, released in 1926. Canonized as a Georgian Orthodox saint in 1995. 147 Christophorus IIIქრისტეფორე III 4 June 1927 10 January 1932 Led the Church under harsh Soviet anti-religious pressure and repression. Notable for his fierce resistance to Russification policies, specifically fighting to restore the Georgian language to liturgy and education. 148 St. Callistratusკალისტრატე 21 June 1932 3 February 1952 Led the Church through the most repressive Stalin-era anti-religious campaigns yet managed limited reopenings and cultural initiatives, including the Russian Orthodox Church’s formal recognition of Georgian autocephaly in 1943, despite facing three years of imprisonment. Canonized as a Georgian Orthodox saint in 2016. 149 Melchizedek IIIმელქისედეკ III 5 April 1952 10 January 1960 Despite constant Soviet anti-religious pressure, successfully reopened churches, consecrated new bishops and achieved limited expansion of church activities. 150 Ephraim IIეფრემ II 20 February 1960 7 April 1972 Avoided direct confrontation with Soviet authorities while delivering patriotic sermons that boosted his popularity; admitted the Georgian Church to the World Council of Churches in 1962. 151 David Vდავით V 1 July 1972 9 November 1977 Ascension followed serious irregularities, including the alleged destruction of predecessor Ephraim II’s will (which reportedly favored another candidate) and a rigged Holy Synod vote; widely viewed by Georgian dissidents and samizdat writers as overly aligned with Soviet authorities. 152 Ilia IIილია II 23 December 1977 17 March 2026 Died at the age of 93, after 48 years of service (the longest tenure in the Church’s over-millennia-long history); widely regarded as a pivotal figure who guided the Georgian Church and nation through the late Soviet era, the transition to independence, and a period of spiritual and national revival. 153 Shio IIIშიო III 11 May 2026 Incumbent The first patriarch elected since the 1991 restoration of independence. Widely regarded as a radical conservative; admired by conservative and pro-government circles for his emphasis on Christianity in national identity, yet viewed by others with suspicion over potential Russian ecclesiastical influence and a shift toward ultraconservatism.

Timeline This is a graphical timeline of the catholicos-patriarchs of All Georgia. They are listed in order of first assuming office.

The following chart lists the catholicos-patriarchs by lifespan, with the years outside of their tenure in blue.

References

External links