Patriarchate (/ˈpeɪtriɑːrkɪt,-keɪt/,UK also/ˈpætri-/;[1]Ancient Greek:πατριαρχεῖον,patriarcheîon) is anecclesiological term inChristianity, referring to the office andjurisdiction of apatriarch.
According to Christian tradition, three patriarchates—Rome,Antioch, andAlexandria—were established by theapostles asapostolic sees in the1st century. These were officially recognized by theFirst Council of Nicaea.[2] ThePatriarchate of Constantinople was added in the4th century, and thePatriarchate of Jerusalem followed in the5th century. These five sees were later recognized collectively as thepentarchy by theCouncil of Chalcedon in 451.
Over the course ofChristian history, additional patriarchates were gradually recognized by the original ancientepiscopal sees. However, several of these later lost jurisdiction—primarily due to theIslamic conquests in theMiddle East andNorth Africa—and became titular or honorary patriarchates without real institutional authority over their historical territories.
As Christianity expanded throughout theRoman Empire, concentrations of believers were increasingly found in urban centers. Bishops in these cities came to hold pre-eminence in theprovince where their diocese was located, especially if the city was the provincialcapital. Over time, some bishops attained authority beyond their province, becoming recognized asprimus inter pares. TheCouncil of Nicea formalized this structure intocanon law, 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 overRoman Egypt,Roman Libya, and thePentapolis, while Rome exercisedprimatial authority over surrounding provinces within 100 miles of the city.[3] 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.[3] By the end of the 4th century, all of Italy had come under the broader primatial jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Rome.[4]
After the Imperial capital moved toByzantium in 330, the renamed city ofConstantinople grew in prominence within the Eastern Church. It was granted archiepiscopal status before theCouncil of 381, which ranked it second in honor after Rome.Archbishop Atticus expanded the jurisdiction of the see in the early 5th century.[5]
Following theCouncil of Ephesus in 431, BishopJuvenal of Jerusalem sought to extend his oversight across all three provinces ofRoman Palestine, aiming to elevate Jerusalem to aMetropolitan See. This move was opposed byCyril of Alexandria andPope Leo I, who argued against separating Jerusalem from the authority ofAntioch.[6] Juvenal later claimed metropolitan authority overRoman Arabia andPhoenicia. At theCouncil of Chalcedon, negotiations with ArchbishopMaximus of Antioch led to approval for Jerusalem’s oversight over all of Palestine but not beyond. The council recognized Jerusalem as aMetropolitanate, elevating it alongside the sees of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch.[7] EmperorJustinian would later recognize Jerusalem as one of the five official Patriarchates.
TheEast–West Schism of 1054 separated theLatin Church’sSee of Rome from the Byzantine patriarchates of the East, resulting in the formation of the modernCatholic Church andEastern Orthodox Church.[citation needed]
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 consideredapostolic sees, each traditionally founded by one of theapostles orevangelists:Andrew,Mark,Peter,James, and Peter again, respectively.
In the case ofConstantinople, Andrew is said to have visited the earlier city ofByzantium in 38 AD (prior to its renaming byConstantine the Great in 330 AD). According to tradition, he appointedStachys 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.[citation needed]
Within theCatholic Church, six patriarchs lead theEastern Catholic Churchessui iuris.[8] These include the heads of theCoptic Catholic Church (Patriarchate of Alexandria), theMaronite Church, theMelkite Greek Catholic Church, theSyriac Catholic Church (each using the titlePatriarch of Antioch), theChaldean Catholic Church (Patriarchate of Baghdad), and theArmenian 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 fourMajor Archbishops, each heading an Eastern Catholic Churchsui iuris without a patriarchal title. These include theUkrainian Greek Catholic,Syro-Malabar,Syro-Malankara, andRomanian 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 requestecclesiastica 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 theLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, thePatriarchate of Lisbon, thePatriarchate of Venice, and thePatriarchate 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.[9]
Nine of the current autocephalousEastern Orthodox Churches—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 theBulgarian Patriarchate (the first to be founded after thePentarchy), theGeorgian Patriarchate, theSerbian Patriarchate, theMoscow Patriarchate, and theRomanian Patriarchate.[10]
TheEastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch relocated its headquarters toDamascus in the 13th century, during the period ofMamluk rule overSyria. Although a Christian community had existed in Damascus sinceapostolic times (Acts 9), the see continues to be known as the Patriarchate of Antioch.[11]
In certain legal jurisdictions, a patriarchate is considered to havelegal personality, meaning it is recognized similarly to a corporation. For example, in 1999, theEastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem filed a lawsuit inNew York against Christie's Auction House, disputing the ownership of theArchimedes Palimpsest.[12]
Several patriarchates exist within theOriental Orthodox Churches. These include four ancient sees: theCoptic Orthodox Church (Alexandria), theSyriac Orthodox Church (Antioch), and two Armenian patriarchates—one based inJerusalem (Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem) and the other inConstantinople (Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople).
In addition to these, two modern patriarchates have been established: theEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and theEritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church.[13]
There are also several autocephalous churches that function similarly to patriarchates, even though they do not use the patriarchal title. These include theMalankara Orthodox Syrian Church, theMother See of Holy Etchmiadzin (Armenian Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin), and theHoly See of Cilicia (Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia).[14]
Patriarch of the Church of the East is the head of theChurch of the East. Today, there are three rival patriarchs:
The head of theCzechoslovak Hussite Church is also called a Patriarch.[15][16]
The Patriarch of theApostolic Catholic Church is called a Patriarch.
see - II.THE THREE PATRIARCHS
| Patriarchal churches |
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| Major archiepiscopal churches | ||||||
| Metropolitan churches | ||||||
| Othersui iuris churches | ||||||
