
Patriarchate (, ; , ''patriarcheîon'') is an
ecclesiological term in
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
, referring to the office and
jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' and 'speech' or 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, the concept of jurisdiction applies at multiple level ...
of a
patriarch.
According to Christian tradition, three patriarchates—
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
,
Antioch, and
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
—were established by the
apostles as
apostolic see
An apostolic see is an episcopal see whose foundation is attributed to one or more of the apostles of Jesus or to one of their close associates. In Catholicism, the phrase "The Apostolic See" when capitalized refers specifically to the See of ...
s in the
1st century. These were officially recognized by the
First Council of Nicaea. The
Patriarchate of Constantinople was added in the
4th century, and the
Patriarchate of Jerusalem followed in the
5th century. These five sees were later recognized collectively as the
pentarchy by the
Council of Chalcedon in 451.
Over the course of
Christian history, additional patriarchates were gradually recognized by the original ancient
episcopal see
An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...
s. However, several of these later lost jurisdiction—primarily due to the
Islamic conquests in the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
and
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
—and became titular or honorary patriarchates without real institutional authority over their historical territories.
History
As Christianity expanded throughout the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
, concentrations of believers were increasingly found in urban centers. Bishops in these cities came to hold pre-eminence in the
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
where their diocese was located, especially if the city was the provincial
capital. Over time, some bishops attained authority beyond their province, becoming recognized as
primus inter pares. The
Council of Nicea formalized this structure into
canon law
Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...
, following secular Roman administrative patterns. It also introduced the term "Metropolitan" to describe bishops who presided over multiple dioceses within a province.
By the 4th century, cities such as Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch had extended their ecclesiastical authority beyond a single province. For instance, Alexandria held jurisdiction over
Roman Egypt
Roman Egypt was an imperial province of the Roman Empire from 30 BC to AD 642. The province encompassed most of modern-day Egypt except for the Sinai. It was bordered by the provinces of Crete and Cyrenaica to the west and Judaea, ...
,
Roman Libya, and the
Pentapolis, while Rome exercised
primatial authority over surrounding provinces within 100 miles of the city.
By virtue of this multi-provincial oversight, the sees of Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch were already exercising a "supra-metropolitan" jurisdiction, later termed as Patriarchates.
By the end of the 4th century, all of Italy had come under the broader primatial jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Rome.
After the Imperial capital moved to
Byzantium in 330, the renamed city of
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
grew in prominence within the Eastern Church. It was granted archiepiscopal status before the
Council of 381, which ranked it second in honor after Rome.
Archbishop Atticus expanded the jurisdiction of the see in the early 5th century.
Following the
Council of Ephesus in 431, Bishop
Juvenal of Jerusalem sought to extend his oversight across all three provinces of
Roman Palestine, aiming to elevate Jerusalem to a
Metropolitan See
Metropolitan may refer to:
Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical)
* Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop
** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see"
* Metropolitan ...
. This move was opposed by
Cyril of Alexandria
Cyril of Alexandria (; or ⲡⲓ̀ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲕⲓⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲥ; 376–444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. He was enthroned when the city was at the height of its influence and power within the Roman Empire ...
and
Pope Leo I, who argued against separating Jerusalem from the authority of
Antioch.
Juvenal later claimed metropolitan authority over
Roman Arabia and
Phoenicia. At the
Council of Chalcedon, negotiations with Archbishop
Maximus of Antioch led to approval for Jerusalem’s oversight over all of Palestine but not beyond. The council recognized Jerusalem as a
Metropolitanate, elevating it alongside the sees of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch. Emperor
Justinian
Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...
would later recognize Jerusalem as one of the five official Patriarchates.
The
East–West Schism of 1054 separated the
Latin Church
The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...
’s
See of Rome
See or SEE may refer to:
* Visual perception
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Music:
** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals
*** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See''
** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho
* Televisio ...
from the Byzantine patriarchates of the East, resulting in the formation of the modern
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
.
Today, the four Eastern Orthodox patriarchates—Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem—alongside their Western counterpart, Rome, are regarded as "senior" (Greek: πρεσβυγενή, ''presbygenē'', "senior-born") or "ancient" (παλαίφατα, ''palèphata'', "of ancient fame") patriarchates. These are considered
apostolic see
An apostolic see is an episcopal see whose foundation is attributed to one or more of the apostles of Jesus or to one of their close associates. In Catholicism, the phrase "The Apostolic See" when capitalized refers specifically to the See of ...
s, each traditionally founded by one of the
apostles or
evangelists:
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...
,
Mark,
Peter,
James, and Peter again, respectively.
In the case of
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
, Andrew is said to have visited the earlier city of
Byzantium in 38 AD (prior to its renaming by
Constantine the Great
Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...
in 330 AD). According to tradition, he appointed
Stachys the Apostle as bishop, who remained in office until 54 AD. Therefore, the apostolic heritage of Constantinople is attributed to the original See of Byzantium.
Roman Catholic Church
Within the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, six patriarchs lead the
Eastern Catholic Churches ''
sui iuris''. These include the heads of the
Coptic Catholic Church (
Patriarchate of Alexandria), the
Maronite Church, the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church, the
Syriac Catholic Church (each using the title
Patriarch of Antioch
The Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (, , from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian community, the position has ...
), the
Chaldean Catholic Church (Patriarchate of Baghdad), and the
Armenian Catholic Church (
Patriarchate of Cilicia).
The Pope, as Bishop of Rome and Supreme Pontiff, leads the Latin Church and holds supreme authority over the entire Catholic Church. While Pope Francis reinstated the historical title "Patriarch of the West" in 2024, it had been officially dropped by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 and is not commonly used to describe the Pope’s role within the Latin Church.
There are also four
Major Archbishops, each heading an Eastern Catholic Church ''sui iuris'' without a patriarchal title. These include the
Ukrainian Greek Catholic,
Syro-Malabar,
Syro-Malankara, and
Romanian Greek Catholic Churches. Though they rank just below patriarchs in precedence, Major Archbishops hold similar authority within their Churches. A key procedural difference is that patriarchs request ''ecclesiastica communio'' (ecclesiastical communion) from the Pope following their election and enthronement, while a Major Archbishop’s election requires papal confirmation before enthronement.
In the Latin Church, there are four titular patriarchates—historical archdioceses where the archbishop holds the honorary title of patriarch. This title grants ceremonial precedence but no jurisdiction beyond the archdiocese (except in the case of Jerusalem, which retains territorial jurisdiction). These are the
Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the
Patriarchate of Lisbon, the
Patriarchate of Venice, and the
Patriarchate of the East Indies.
It is not uncommon for multiple Eastern Catholic Patriarchates—and the Latin Church—to have overlapping jurisdictions, particularly in the Middle East and diaspora regions. For example, among the three Patriarchates of Antioch, the Melkite Patriarch is based in Damascus, Syria; the Maronite Patriarch resides in Bkerké, Lebanon; and the Syriac Catholic Patriarch is based in Beirut, Lebanon.
Eastern Orthodox Church
Nine of the current autocephalous
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
es—among them the four ancient churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem—are organized as patriarchates. In chronological order of establishment, the other five patriarchates are the
Bulgarian Patriarchate (the first to be founded after the
Pentarchy), the
Georgian Patriarchate, the
Serbian Patriarchate, the
Moscow Patriarchate, and the
Romanian Patriarchate.
The
Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch relocated its headquarters to
Damascus
Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
in the 13th century, during the period of
Mamluk rule over
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
. Although a Christian community had existed in Damascus since
apostolic times (
Acts 9), the see continues to be known as the Patriarchate of Antioch.
In certain legal jurisdictions, a patriarchate is considered to have
legal personality
Legal capacity is a quality denoting either the legal aptitude of a person to have rights and liabilities (in this sense also called transaction capacity), or the personhood itself in regard to an entity other than a natural person (in this sen ...
, meaning it is recognized similarly to a corporation. For example, in 1999, the
Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem filed a lawsuit in
New York against Christie's Auction House, disputing the ownership of the
Archimedes Palimpsest.
Oriental Orthodoxy
Several patriarchates exist within the
Oriental Orthodox Churches
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 50 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches adhere to the Nicene Christian tradition. Oriental Orthodoxy is ...
. These include four ancient sees: the
Coptic Orthodox Church (Alexandria), the
Syriac Orthodox Church (Antioch), and two Armenian patriarchates—one based in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
(
Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem) and the other in
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
(
Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople).
In addition to these, two modern patriarchates have been established: the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the
Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
There are also several autocephalous churches that function similarly to patriarchates, even though they do not use the patriarchal title. These include the
Indian Orthodox Church, the
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin (Armenian Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin), and the
Holy See of Cilicia (Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia).
Church of the East
Patriarch of the Church of the East
The patriarch of the Church of the East (also known as patriarch of the East, patriarch of Babylon, the catholicose of the East or the grand metropolitan of the East) is the patriarch, or leader and head bishop (sometimes referred to as Cath ...
is the head of the
Church of the East. Today, there are three rival patriarchs:
*
Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East
*Catholicos Patriarch of the
Ancient Church of the East
*
Chaldean Catholic patriarch of Baghdad (of the Catholic church)
Protestantism
The head of the
Czechoslovak Hussite Church is also called a Patriarch.
Patriarcha
Czechoslovak Hussite Church
Apostolic Catholic Church
The Patriarch of the Apostolic Catholic Church is called a Patriarch.
See also
* Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
* Patriarch of Alexandria
The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope" (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot").
The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major epi ...
* Patriarch of Antioch
The Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (, , from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian community, the position has ...
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
{{Particular churches sui iuris footer