Gerontius (''Геронтий'' in Russian) (died 1489) was
Metropolitan of Moscow from 1473 until 1489. He was the fourth Metropolitan in Moscow to be appointed by the civil authority without the approval of the
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople ( Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of ...
as had been the norm.
Gerontius was the Bishop of
Kolomna
Kolomna ( rus, Колóмна, p=kɐˈlomnə) is a historical city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated at the confluence of the Moskva and Oka Rivers, (by rail) southeast of Moscow. Population:
History
Mentioned for the first time in 1177, Ko ...
. In 1473, he was appointed
Metropolitan of Moscow. In the late 1470s, he was in conflict with
Ivan III
Ivan III Vasilyevich (russian: Иван III Васильевич; 22 January 1440 – 27 October 1505), also known as Ivan the Great, was a Grand Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of all Rus'. Ivan served as the co-ruler and regent for his bl ...
over, among other things, the consecration procedures of the new churches. During the
Great standing on the Ugra river in 1480, Gerontius spoke for resisting the
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragme ...
to the very end. He adhered to a moderate position in dealing with
heresies
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
, which had already plagued Moscow and
Novgorod. In 1482, Gerontius left his post, though he would later return at the request of the
Grand Prince
Grand prince or great prince (feminine: grand princess or great princess) ( la, magnus princeps; Greek: ''megas archon''; russian: великий князь, velikiy knyaz) is a title of nobility ranked in honour below emperor, equal of king ...
. Gerontius died in
1489, and was buried in
Dormition Cathedral, Moscow
The Cathedral of the Dormition (russian: Успенский собор , translit = Uspensky sobor), also known as the Assumption Cathedral or Cathedral of the Assumption, is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotoko ...
.
1489 deaths
Metropolitans of Moscow and all Russia
Year of birth unknown
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