Difference between revisions of "Church of Constantinople"

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[[Image:Constantinople seal.gif|right|The Church of Constantinople]]
 
The '''Church of Constantinople''' is one of the fifteen [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] churches, also referred to as the '''Ecumenical [[Patriarchate]]'''. It is headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch, who has the status of ''primus inter pares'' ("first among equals") among the world's Orthodox [[bishop]]s.  The current Ecumenical Patriarch is His All-Holiness [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople|Bartholomew I]], Archbishop of Constantinople.
 
 
The local Churches of the Ecumenical Patriarchate consist of five archdioceses, three churches, 13 metropolises ("metropolis" is preferred use over "metropolitanate" within this particular Orthodox jurisdiction), and one diocese, each of which reports directly to the Patriarch of Constantinople with no intervening authority.  In addition, three of the five archdioceses have internal metropolises (16 in all), which are part of their respective archdioceses rather than distinct administrative entities, unlike the other metropolises.
 
 
 
{{church|
 
{{church|
name= Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople|
+
name= Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople[[Image:Constantinople seal.gif|center|The Church of Constantinople]]|
 
founder= [[Apostle Andrew]]|
 
founder= [[Apostle Andrew]]|
 
independence=Traditional |
 
independence=Traditional |
Line 17: Line 12:
 
calendar=[[Revised Julian Calendar|Revised Julian]], [[Julian Calendar|Julian]]|
 
calendar=[[Revised Julian Calendar|Revised Julian]], [[Julian Calendar|Julian]]|
 
population=3,500,000|
 
population=3,500,000|
website=[http://www.patriarchate.org/ Church of Constantinople]
+
website=[http://www.ec-patr.org Church of Constantinople]
 
}}
 
}}
== Structure of the patriarchate ==
+
The '''Church of Constantinople''' is one of the fourteen or fifteen [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] churches, also referred to as the '''Ecumenical [[Patriarchate]]'''. It is headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch, who has the status of ''[[primus inter pares]]'' ("first among equals") among the world's Orthodox [[bishop]]s. The local churches of the Ecumenical Patriarchate consist of five archdioceses, three churches, thirteen metropolises, and one diocese, each of which reports directly to the Patriarch of Constantinople with no intervening authority.  In addition, three of the five archdioceses have internal metropolises (16 in all), which are part of their respective archdioceses rather than distinct administrative entities, unlike the other metropolises.
*Archdiocese of Constantinople
+
 
**Metropolis of Chalcedon
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The current Ecumenical Patriarch is His All-Holiness [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople|Bartholomew I]], Archbishop of Constantinople.
**Metropolis of Gokceada and Bozcaada (Imbros and Tenedos)
+
 
**Metropolis of the Prince's Islands
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==Metropolitanates of Constantinople==
**Metropolis of Derkos
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<small>''See Main Article'' '''[[Church of Constantinople Structure]]'''</small>
*Archdiocese of Crete
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**Metropolis of Gortyna and Arkadia
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The [[Church of Constantinople]] is headed by the [[Patriarch of Constantinople]] and is split into a number of Metropolitanates as listed below.
**Metropolis of Rethymna and Avlopotamos
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[[Image:Byzantine-Constantinople.jpg|left|thumb|Map of Byzantine Constantinople.]]
**Metropolis of Kydonia and Apokoronos
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{| width="100%" align="center" cellpadding="2" border=0
**Metropolis of Lampi, Syvritos and Sfakia
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| align="left" valign="top"|
**Metropolis of Ierapytna and Siteia
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*The '''[[Archdiocese of Constantinople]]'''
**Metropolis of Petra and Herronisos
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**[[District of Stavrodromion]]
**Metropolis of Kisamos and Selinos
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**[[District of Tatavla]]
**Metropolis of Arkalohorion, Kastelio and Vianno
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**[[District of the Bosphorous]]
*[[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America|Archdiocese of America]]
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**[[District of Hypsomatheia]]
**Metropolis of Chicago
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**[[District of the Phanar and the Keratius gulf]]
**Metropolis of New Jersey
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**Metropolis of Atlanta
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| align="left" valign="top"|
**Metropolis of Denver
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*'''Sacred Metropolitanates within Turkey:'''
**Metropolis of Pittsburgh
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**[[Metropolis of Chalcedon]]
**Metropolis of Boston
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**[[Metropolis of Derkoi]]
**Metropolis of Detroit
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**[[Metropolis of the Imbros and Tenedos|Metropolis of Gokceada and Bozcaada (Imbros and Tenedos)]]
**Metropolis of San Francisco
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**[[Metropolis of the Prince Islands]]
*[[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia|Archdiocese of Australia]]
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| align="left" valign="top"|
*[[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain|Archdiocese of Great Britain]]
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|}
*Metropolis of Rhodes
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*Metropolis of Kos
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== Places of Pilgrimage ==
*Metropolis of Karpathos and Kasos
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Some sites of pilgrimage are no longer owned by the Church nor function as orthodox centres but are historically connected and of great significance to Orthodoxy.
*Metropolis of Leros, Kalymnos and Astypalaia
 
*[[American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese]]
 
*[[Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA]]
 
*Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
 
*Metropolis of Korea
 
*Metropolis of Canada
 
*Metropolis of Argentina
 
*Metropolis of Central America
 
*Metropolis of New Zealand
 
*[[Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia|Metropolitanate of Hong Kong]]
 
*Metropolis of France
 
*Metropolis of Germany
 
*Metropolis of Austria
 
*Metropolis of Belgium
 
*Metropolis of Scandinavia
 
*Metropolis of Switzerland
 
*Metropolis of Italy
 
*[[Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America]]
 
*[[Russian Orthodox Exarchate in Western Europe]]
 
  
 +
* Church of [[Hagia Sophia (Constantinople)|Hagia Sophia ]]
 +
* [[Church of the Holy Apostles (Constantinople)]]
  
There are also two [[autonomy|autonomous]] churchs whose primates are confirmed by Constantinople, but which are not hierarchically or administratively part of the patriarchate, the [[Church of Finland]], and the [[Church of Estonia]].
+
<gallery>
 +
Image:ChristChora.JPG
 +
Image:Christ03.JPG
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
== Peculiar prerogatives of the patriarchate ==
 +
''Main article: [[Prerogatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate]]''
 +
 
 +
[[Image:Ecumenical Patriarchate.jpg|left|thumbnail|The entrance to the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the [[Phanar]] in Constantinople]]In history and in [[canons (law)|canonical literature]] (i.e. the Church's canons and traditional commentaries on them), the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been granted certain prerogatives (''[[presbeia]]'') which other autocephalous Orthodox churches do not have.  Not all of these prerogatives are today universally acknowledged, though all do have precedents in history and canonical references.  The nature of these prerogatives or even their very existence is hotly contested on [[Prerogatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate#Canonical claims|canonical grounds]] by certain other Orthodox churches, particularly the [[Church of Russia]].
 +
<br>
 +
The following is a (non-exhaustive) list of these prerogatives and their reference points:
 +
*Equal prerogatives to Old Rome (Canon 3 of the [[Second Ecumenical Council]], Canon 28 of the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council]], Canon 36 of the [[Quinisext Council]])
 +
*The right to hear appeals, if invited, regarding disputes between clergy (Canons 9 and 17 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council)
 +
*The right to ordain bishops for areas outside defined [[canonical territory|canonical boundaries]] (Canon 28 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council)
 +
*The right to establish [[stavropegial]] [[monastery|monasteries]] even in the territories of other [[patriarchate]]s (the [[Epanagoge]], commentaries of [[Matthew Blastares]] and [[Theodore Balsamon]])
 +
 
 +
==See also==
 +
*[[List of Patriarchs of Constantinople|'''Hierarchical Succession''']]
 +
*[[Holy Synod of Constantinople|'''The Holy and Sacred Synod''']], ''The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is presided over by His All-Holiness [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople|Bartholomew I]], Archbishop of Constantinople and is comprised of XX Metropolitans.''
 +
*[[Theological School of Halki|'''Theological Institutions''']]
 +
*[[Ecumenical Patriarchate in America]]
 +
*[[Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Mexico, Central America, Columbia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean Islands]]
  
 
{{churches}}
 
{{churches}}
  
== External links ==
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==External links==
* [http://www.patriarchate.org Official website of the Patriarchate of Constantinople]
+
*[http://www.ec-patr.org/default.php?lang=en/ Official website of the Patriarchate of Constantinople]
* [http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg.aspx?eccpageID=13&IndexView=toc Eastern Christian Churches: Patriarchate of Constantinople] by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar
+
*[http://www.ecupatria.org Official website of the Permanent Representation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the World Council of Churches]
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8148.asp The Origins and Authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church], by Demetrios J. Constantelos
+
 
 +
*[http://www.cnewa.org/default.aspx?ID=13&pagetypeID=9&sitecode=HQ&pageno=1 Eastern Christian Churches: Patriarchate of Constantinople] by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar
 +
*[http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8148.asp The Origins and Authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church], by [[Demetrios Constantelos|Demetrios J. Constantelos]]
 +
*[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/balsamon-cpl.html Caesaropapism?: Theodore Balsamon on the Powers of the Patriarch of Constantinople], by Paul Halsall
 +
*[http://www.svots.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=165&Itemid=116 Chalcedon Canon 28: Yesterday and Today], by Rev. [[John H. Erickson]]
 +
*[http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/milton1_6.html Constantinople and Rome: A Survey of the Relations between the Byzantine and the Roman Churches], by Milton V. Anastos
 +
*[http://www.ec-patr.gr/patrdisplay.php?lang=en&id=5 Brief Historical Note Regarding the Ecumenical Patriarchate], from the official website
 +
 
 +
*Prof. Thomas Mathews. [http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/fineart/html/Byzantine/ The Byzantine Churches of Constantinople]. New York University (Institute of fine Arts).
 +
*[http://www.byzantium1200.com/ Byzantium 1200] (Byzantium 1200 is a project aimed at creating computer reconstructions of the Byzantine Monuments located in Istanbul, TURKEY as of year 1200 AD).
 +
 
 +
*[http://www.patriarchate.org/ecumenical_patriarchate/timeline.swf Timeline]
 +
*[http://www.patriarchate.org/media/vrtour_patriarchate.php Virtual tour]
 +
*[http://www.archons.patriarchate.org/patriarchate/ History]
 +
*[http://realserver.goarch.org/ram/en/lightstillbright.ram History - video]
 +
*[http://orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/ea_patriarch.aspx Articles Critical of Actions of Positions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate]
 +
*[http://www.ortodoksi.net/index.php/The_Legal_Status_of_the_Ecumenical_Patriarchate The Legal Status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate] by Jaakko Husa, Professor of Constitutional Law and General Jurisprudence at the University of Joensuu (Finland) / Ortodoksi.net
 +
 
  
 
[[Category:Jurisdictions|Constantinople]]
 
[[Category:Jurisdictions|Constantinople]]
 +
 +
[[ar:بطريركية القسطنطينية]]
 +
[[el:Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο]]
 +
[[es:Iglesia Ortodoxa de Constantinopla]]
 +
[[fr:Église de Constantinople]]
 +
[[ro:Biserica Ortodoxă a Constantinopolului]]
 +
[[ru:Константинопольская православная церковь]]

Latest revision as of 13:05, February 22, 2015

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
The Church of Constantinople
Founder(s) Apostle Andrew
Autocephaly/Autonomy declared Traditional
Autocephaly/Autonomy recognized Traditional
Current primate Patriarch Bartholomew I
Headquarters Istanbul, Turkey
Primary territory Constantinople, most of Turkey, Mount Athos, Crete, parts of Northern Greece, the Dodecanese
Possessions abroad United States, Canada, Great Britain, Western Europe, South America, Central America, Australia, Southeast Asia
Liturgical language(s) Greek, English
Musical tradition Byzantine Chant
Calendar Revised Julian, Julian
Population estimate 3,500,000
Official website Church of Constantinople

The Church of Constantinople is one of the fourteen or fifteen autocephalous churches, also referred to as the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It is headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch, who has the status of primus inter pares ("first among equals") among the world's Orthodox bishops. The local churches of the Ecumenical Patriarchate consist of five archdioceses, three churches, thirteen metropolises, and one diocese, each of which reports directly to the Patriarch of Constantinople with no intervening authority. In addition, three of the five archdioceses have internal metropolises (16 in all), which are part of their respective archdioceses rather than distinct administrative entities, unlike the other metropolises.

The current Ecumenical Patriarch is His All-Holiness Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople.

Metropolitanates of Constantinople

See Main Article Church of Constantinople Structure

The Church of Constantinople is headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople and is split into a number of Metropolitanates as listed below.

Map of Byzantine Constantinople.

Places of Pilgrimage

Some sites of pilgrimage are no longer owned by the Church nor function as orthodox centres but are historically connected and of great significance to Orthodoxy.

Peculiar prerogatives of the patriarchate

Main article: Prerogatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

The entrance to the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Phanar in Constantinople
In history and in canonical literature (i.e. the Church's canons and traditional commentaries on them), the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been granted certain prerogatives (presbeia) which other autocephalous Orthodox churches do not have. Not all of these prerogatives are today universally acknowledged, though all do have precedents in history and canonical references. The nature of these prerogatives or even their very existence is hotly contested on canonical grounds by certain other Orthodox churches, particularly the Church of Russia.


The following is a (non-exhaustive) list of these prerogatives and their reference points:

See also


Autocephalous and Autonomous Churches of Orthodoxy
Autocephalous Churches
Four Ancient Patriarchates: Constantinople · Alexandria · Antioch · Jerusalem
Russia · Serbia · Romania · Bulgaria · Georgia · Cyprus · Greece · Poland · Albania · Czech Lands and Slovakia · OCA* · Ukraine*
Autonomous Churches
Sinai · Finland · Estonia* · Japan* · China* · Ukraine*
The * designates a church whose autocephaly or autonomy is not universally recognized.


External links

  • Prof. Thomas Mathews. The Byzantine Churches of Constantinople. New York University (Institute of fine Arts).
  • Byzantium 1200 (Byzantium 1200 is a project aimed at creating computer reconstructions of the Byzantine Monuments located in Istanbul, TURKEY as of year 1200 AD).