Metropolitan of Moscow

Metropolitan of Moscow
Zografos 07 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Title	Metropolitan of Moscow
Formation	1261
First	Jonah of Moscow

Metropolitan of Moscow is the senior bishopric of the Russian Orthodox Church historically centered in Moscow and later Moscow and all Rus'. The office has served as the principal ecclesiastical authority among Eastern Orthodox hierarchs in the lands of Rus', interacting with principalities, tsars, emperors, premiers, and presidents. Over centuries the metropolitanate connected institutions such as the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Patriarchate of Antioch, the Ecumenical councils, and regional sees like Kiev, Novgorod, and Vladimir.

History

The office emerged amid the fragmentation of Kievan Rus' after the Mongol invasion, tracing canonical lineage through metropolitans consecrated in Constantinople. Early holders such as Jonah of Moscow and Maximus the Greek navigated relationships with principalities including Grand Duchy of Moscow and Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal. During the 15th and 16th centuries metropolitans like Macarius of Moscow and Philip I (Metropolitan) interacted with rulers including Ivan III of Russia, Ivan IV of Russia, and dynasties like the Rurik dynasty and later the Romanov dynasty. The elevation of the Moscow see culminated in the establishment of the Patriarchate of Moscow in 1589 under figures such as Job of Moscow, influenced by diplomatic missions to Constantinople and alliances with Jerusalem and Mount Athos monastic communities. The office persisted through the Time of Troubles, the reforms of Peter the Great, the synodal period under the Holy Synod (Russian Empire), the upheavals of the Russian Revolution of 1917, the exile of hierarchs, the formation of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and the restoration of the patriarchate in the 20th century involving leaders like Tikhon of Moscow and Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow.

Role and Responsibilities

The metropolitan served as chief liturgical celebrant, canonical judge, and theological teacher for dioceses such as Novgorod Republic, Smolensk, Ryazan, and Yaroslavl. Duties included convening councils with bishops from sees like Kiev, Chernigov, Rostov, and Suzdal; supervising monasteries such as Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Solovetsky Monastery, Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery; endorsing clerical appointments; overseeing ecclesiastical courts; and safeguarding dogma expressed in councils like the Council of Florence controversies and synods addressing heresies associated with figures such as Heresy of the Judaizers proponents. The metropolitan also engaged in diplomatic relations with secular authorities including the Muscovite Tsardom, the Soviet Union, and the Russian Federation.

Appointment and Succession

Originally metropolitans were ordained by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople with candidates often drawn from monastic communities like those on Mount Athos or from hierarchs serving in Kiev and Novgorod. Political centers such as Moscow Kremlin and courts of rulers like Dmitry Donskoy influenced nominations; later, coronation rituals involved tsars such as Boris Godunov. The Petrine reforms subordinated the church to the Holy Synod (Russian Empire), altering selection mechanisms until the 1917 Council restored conciliar procedures leading to elections by the Local Council (Sobor) and confirmation by bodies including the Episcopal Assembly and the Holy Synod (Russian Orthodox Church). Contemporary succession involves synodal election, enthronement in Dormition Cathedral, Moscow, and recognition by other patriarchates like Antiochian Orthodox Church and Serbian Orthodox Church.

Relationship with the Russian State

From alliances with princes such as Yuri Dolgorukiy and monarchs like Peter the Great to confrontations with revolutionary bodies including the Bolsheviks, the metropolitan has alternately collaborated with and resisted state authorities. The office participated in state ceremonies like coronations at the Assumption Cathedral and negotiated legal frameworks with institutions such as the Imperial Duma, the Soviet government, and post-Soviet administrations including presidents Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin. Relations with ministries like the Ministry of Justice (Russia) and agencies overseeing religious affairs shaped church-state concordats, concordances reminiscent of the Fundamental Law of 1721, and agreements with international bodies including the United Nations on moral and humanitarian issues.

Notable Metropolitans

Notable holders include medieval figures such as Peter (Metropolitan of Moscow), Cyril II of Kiev and All Rus' and reformers like Metropolitan Hilarion of Kiev whose precedents influenced Moscow; early modern leaders including Philip II (Metropolitan) and Macarius (Metropolitan of Moscow); patriarchal precursors like Job of Moscow; twentieth-century leaders such as Tikhon (Bellavin), Sergei Stragorodsky (Patriarch Sergius), Alexy II of Moscow, Kirill (Gundyayev); and dissident or martyr figures connected to trials under Soviet repression like Metropolitan Benjamin (Russian bishop) and Seraphim (Sobolev). These hierarchs intersected with cultural figures like Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and composers such as Tchaikovsky who drew on liturgical traditions.

Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Structure

The metropolitanate historically presided over dioceses including Kiev Metropolitanate, Galicia-Volhynia, Belarusian Eparchy, Kazakhstani dioceses, and eparchies within Siberia and Far East (Russia). Institutional organs comprise the Holy Synod (Russian Orthodox Church), the Patriarchal Council, seminaries such as Moscow Theological Academy, and ecclesiastical courts linked to canon law codified in collections like the Nomocanon traditions. Monastic supervision extended to sketes and lavras including Kiev Pechersk Lavra, and the metropolitan interacted with autocephalous churches like the Church of Greece, Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Romanian Orthodox Church, and Georgian Orthodox Church in matters of communion and jurisdiction.

Controversies and Reforms

Controversies have ranged from jurisdictional disputes with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, schisms involving the Orthodox Church in America, and the reception of émigré groups such as the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia; to state interference exemplified by Soviet anti-religious campaigns and legislative measures like post-Soviet laws on religion debated in the State Duma. Reform movements touched canon law, liturgical language reforms affecting Church Slavonic and vernaculars used in Ukraine, Belarus, and Baltic states, and responses to social issues involving interaction with NGOs, charitable organizations like International Red Cross initiatives, and human rights debates involving bodies such as Amnesty International.

Category:Russian Orthodox Church