Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople

Establishment in 1461

The first Armenian patriarch of Constantinople was Hovakim I, who was at the time the metropolitan of Bursa. In 1461, he was brought to Constantinople by Sultan Mehmed II and established as the Armenian patriarch of Constantinople. Hovakim I was recognized as the religious and secular leader of all Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, and carried the title of milletbaşı or ethnarch as well as patriarch.