The following is a chronological list of bishops and Ecumenical Patriarchs of Constantinople. The historical data on the first 25 bishops is limited with modern scholars debating their authenticity. The Foundation of the See by Andrew the Apostle is met with similar amounts of skepticism with scholars believing it to be a later tradition. The list is mostly based on the compilation made by Demetrius Kiminas, but there is no single "official" numbering of bishops. The official website of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has a list of holders but gives them no numeral.
Bishops of Byzantium (until 330 AD) It is important to point out that prior to Metrophanes, it appears, there is no evidence of a 'Bishop of Constantinople'. The narrative of Andrew finding the Bishopric of Constantinople is considered, as the consensus of scholars concur, fictional. More importantly, the Chronicon Paschale refers to Metrophanes as "the first leader of the church in Byzantium for 10 years" and none of our reliable and early sources, such as Eusebius and the ecclesiastical historians of the 5th century, speak of a Bishop prior to Metrophanes. Strikingly, there also appears no evidence of a Christian community prior to Emperor Constantine's conversion in Constantinople and his import of Christians to the city.
To the careful reader we may safely conclude that any bishops between Andrew and Metrophanes are later and fictional creations with the purpose of emboldening the Apostolic status of Constantinople.
Archbishops/Patriarchs of Constantinople The official title of the bishop became "archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and ecumenical patriarch" in the 6th century, but scholars often use the terms "archbishop" and "patriarch" for earlier bishops. The First Council of Constantinople (381) concluded that "the bishop of Constantinople, however, shall have the prerogative of honor after the bishop of Rome", while the Council of Chalcedon (451) concluded that "the bishop of New Rome shall enjoy the same privileges as the bishop of Old Rome" although both canons were not received by either Rome or Alexandria, the former canon by Pope Damasus and Timothy I and the latter was annulled by Pope Leo I. Modern scholars use the term "patriarch" after either 381 or 451. The chronology mostly follows Demetrius Kiminas (2009), who mostly uses the dates established by Venance Grumel (1958). See also the lists in the Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (1991) and the Encyclopedia of the Byzantine Empire (2015).
330–450 +#NameTenureNotes27St. Alexander11 May 330 – August 337(7 years and 3 months)First bishop of Constantinople28St. Paul Ithe Confessor337 – 339(2 years)Deposed and exiled(see Arian controversy)29Eusebius of Nicomeda339 – 341(2 years)Arian; baptised Constantine I in 337 (28)Paul I341 – 342(1 year)1st restoration; deposed by the Arians30Macedonius I342 – 346(4 years)Arian and pneumatomachian. Deposed(28)Paul I346 – 351(5 years)2nd restoration; exiled and later killed(30)Macedonius I September 351 – 27 January 360(8 years, 4 months)Restored and deposed31Eudoxius of Antioch27 January 360 – early 370(10 years)Arian32DemophilusEarly 370 – 27 November 380(10 years)Arian; deposed33EvagriusEarly 370(a few months)In opposition to Demophilus; exiled34St. Gregory of Nazianzus May 379 – June 381(2 years)Bishop of the Orthodox; confirmed in 381.35Maximus I January – May 380(4 months approx.)In opposition to Gregory; annulled in 38136NectariusJune 381 – 27 September 397(16 years and 3 months)37St. John Chrysostom 26 September 398 – 20 June 404(5 years, 9 months and 6 days)Exiled; died 14 September 407.38St. Arsacius27 June 404 – 11 November 405(1 year, 4 months and 15 days)Intruder bishop39St. AtticusMarch 406 – 10 October 425(19 years and 7 months)40St. Sisinnius I28 February 426 – 24 December 427(1 year, 10 months and 25 days)41Nestorius 10 April 428 – 11 July 431(3 years, 3 months and 1 day)Founder of Nestorianism; exiled42St. Maximianus25 October 431 – 12 April 434(2 years, 5 months and 18 days)43St. Proclus13 April 434 – 12 July 446(12 years and 3 months)44St. FlavianJuly 446 – 11 August 449(3 years and 1 month)
450–800 During the 16th session of the Council of Chalcedon (October–November 451), also known as the Fourth Ecumenical Council, a resolution was passed elevating the See of Constantinople to a status equal to Rome in ecclesiastical matters, granting it second place after Rome."Pope Saint Leo I and Council of Chalcedon", Papal Encyclicals Online, https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/ecum04.htm. Accessed 23 January 2025. The resolution was formally rejected by the Pope Leo I and the Western church; however, it was largely accepted in the East, becoming known as Canon 28. This canon would later become the foundation of the Pentarchy of patriarchates. #NameTenureNotes45St. AnatoliusNovember 449 – 3 July 458(8 years and 8 months)46St. GennadiusAugust 458 – 20 November 471(13 years and 3 months)47AcaciusFebruary 472 – 26 November 489(17 years and 9 months)After subscribing to the Henoticon and fallinginto heresy, anathemized by Pope Felix III48FravittaDecember 488 – March 489(3 months)After subscribing to the Henoticon and fallinginto heresy, anathemized by Pope Felix III49Euphemius April 490 – June 496(6 years and ~2 months)Deposed and exiled; died 51550St. Macedonius IIJuly 496 – 11 August 511(15 years and 1 month)Deposed and exiled; died 51651Timothy IOctober 511 – 5 April 518(6 years and 6 months)52St. John of Cappadocia17 April 518 – February 520(1 year and 10 months)53Epiphanius25 February 520 – 5 June 535(15 years, 3 months and 10 days)54Anthimus I June 535 – March 536(9 months)Deposed, died in 54855St. Menas13 March 536 – 25 August 552(16 years, 5 months and 11 days)56St. EutychiusAugust 552 – 22/31 January 565(2 years and 5 months)Deposed57St. John Scholasticus31 January 565 – 31 August 577(12 years and 7 months)(56)Eutychius3 October 577 – 5 April 582(4 years, 6 months and 2 days)Restored58St. John IVNesteutes12 April 582 – 2 September 595(13 years, 4 months and 10 days)First to use the title "Ecumenical"59St. Cyriacus II February 596 – 29 October 606(10 years and 8 months)60St. Thomas I23 January 607 – 21 March 610(3 years, 3 months less 2 days)61Sergius I18 April 610 – 9 December 638(28 years, 7 months and 21 days)Monothelite; posthumously condemned.62Pyrrhus 20 December 638 – 29 September 641(2 years, 9 months and 9 days)Monothelite; deposed63Paul II1 October 641 – 27 December 653(12 years, 2 months and 26 days)(62)Pyrrhus9 January – 1 June 654(4 months and 23 days)Second term64Peter9 June 654 – 12 October 666(12 years, 4 months and 3 days)65St. Thomas II17 April 667 – 15 November 669(2 years, 7 months less 2 days)66St. John VNovember 669 – August 675(5 years and 9 months)67St. Constantine I2 September 675 – 9 August 677(1 year, 11 months and 7 days)68St. Theodore I August 677 – November 679(2 years and 3 months)Deposed; died in 68769St. George I November 679 – January 686(6 years and 2 months)Perhaps deposed(68)Theodore I January 686 – 28 December 687(1 year and 11 months)70St. Paul IIIJanuary 688 – 20 August 693(5 years and 7 months)71St. Callinicus IAugust 693 – August 705(12 years)Exiled to Rome; died in November 71172St. KyrosSeptember 705 – December 711(6 years and 3 months)Deposed73John VIDecember 712 – July 715(15 years and 7 months)Monothelite74St. Germanus I11 August 715 – 17 January 730(2 years, 5 months and 6 days)Resigned; died in 74275Anastasius22 January 730 – January 754(14 years)Iconoclast(see Byzantine Iconoclasm)76Constantine II8 August 754 – 30 August 766(12 years and 22 days)Iconoclast; deposed,died on 7 October 76777Nicetas I16 November 766 – 6 February 780(13 years, 3 months and 20 days)Iconoclast78St. Paul IVthe New20 February 780 – 31 August 784(4 years, 6 months and 11 days)79St. Tarasios25 December 784 – 18 February 806(21 years, 2 months and 24 days)
800–1060 +#PortraitNameTenureNotes80St. Nicephorus I12 April 806 – 13 March 815(8 years, 11 months and 1 day)Exiled; died in 828,also an historian81Theodotus IMelissenos Kassiteras1 April 815 – January 821(5 years and 9 months)Iconoclast82Antony IKassymatas January 821 – January 837(16 years)Iconoclast 83John VIIMorocharzaniosGrammaticus21 January 836 – 4 March 843(7 years, 1 month, 14 days)Iconoclast; deposed84St. Methodius I11 March 843 – 14 June 847(4 years, 3 months and 3 days)85St. Ignatius4 July 847 – 23 October 858(11 years, 3 months and 20 days)Son of Emperor Michael I Rangabe;deposed86St. Photius Ithe Great25 December 858 – 23 September 867(8 years, 9 months less 2 days)Maternal nephew of Patriarch John VII andgreat-grandnephew of Patriarch Tarasios;deposed(85)Ignatius23 November 867 – 23 October 877(9 years and 11 months)Restored(86)Photius I26 October 877 – 29/30 September 886(8 years, 11 months and 4 days)Deposed; died c. 89387St. Stephen Ithe Macedonian18 December 886 – 18 May 893(7 years and 5 months)Son of Emperor Basil I;deposed88St. Antony IIKauleasAugust 893 – 12 February 901(7 years and 6 months)89St. Nicholas IMystikos1 March 901 – 1 February 907(5 years and 11 months)Deposed90St. Euthymius ISyncellusFebruary 907 – 15 May 912(5 years and 3 months)(89)Nicholas I15 May 912 – 15 May 925(13 years)Restored;died at the age of 7391St. Stephen II29 June 925 – 18 July 927(2 years and 19 days)92St. Tryphon14 December 927 – August 931(3 years and 8 months)Deposed93TheophylactLekapenos2 February 933 – 27 February 956(23 years and 25 days)Son of Emperor Romanos I94St. Polyeuctus3 April 956 – 5 February 970(13 years, 10 months and 2 days)95Basil ISkamandrenos13 February 970 – October 973(3 years and 8 months)Exiled96Antony IIIStouditesDecember 973 – June 978(4 years and 6 months)Resigned; died in 98397St. Nicholas IIChrysobergesApril 980 – 16 December 991(11 years and 8 months)98Sisinnius II12 April 996 – 24 August 998(2 years, 4 months and 12 days)99St. Sergius II June/July 1001 – July 1019(18 years)Relative of Patriarch Photius I;elected after a 3-year interregnum100St. EustathiusJuly 1019 – November 1025(6 years and 4 months)101AlexiusStoudites15 December 1025 – 20 February 1043(17 years, 2 months and 5 days)102Michael ICerularius25 March 1043 – 2 November 1058(15 years, 7 months and 8 days)Exiled;died on 21 January 1069
In 1054, the Eastern Orthodox Church cut ties to the Roman Catholic Church as a result of the Great East–West Schism.
1060–1204