List of heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church

The heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church and of its direct predecessors in the ancient Georgian Kingdom of Iberia (Kartli) have continuously borne the title Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia since 1010. This designation reflects both the primate’s role as the supreme spiritual leader of the entire Georgian Church and his patriarchal dignity.

The sole interruption in this nearly millennium-long tradition occurred between 1811 and 1917, when the Russian Empire, after annexing the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti and the western Georgian principalities, forcibly abolished the autocephaly of the Georgian Church and placed it under the jurisdiction of the Most Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church as part of its broader imperial policies of administrative and ecclesiastical centralization. Autocephaly and the title of Catholicos-Patriarch were restored only after the fall of the Tsarist regime in 1917.

The current style of the head of the Church is as follows:[1]

Georgian: უწმიდესი და უნეტარესი, სრულიად საქართველოს კათოლიკოს-პატრიარქი, მცხეთა-თბილისის მთავარეპისკოპოსი, ბიჭვინთისა და ცხუმ-აფხაზეთის მიტროპოლიტი, დიდი მეუფე., romanized: uts'midesi da unet'aresi, sruliad sakartvelos k'atolik'os-p'at'riarki, mtskheta-tbilisis mtavarep'isk'op'osi, bich'vintisa da tskhum-apkhazetis mit'rop'olit'i, didi meupe.

"His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, the Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, Metropolitan bishop of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, a great bishop."

Archbishops of Mtskheta (326–467)

Order Name Period
1 John I (326–363)
2 Jacob (363–375)
3 Iobi (375–390)
4 Elia I (390–400)
5 Svimeon I (400–410)
6 Mose (410–425)
7 Iona (425–429)
8 Ieremia (429–433)
9 Grigol I (433–434)
10 Vasili I (434–436)
11 Glonakor (436–448)
12 Iovel I (448–452)
13 Mikael I (452–467)

Catholicos of Iberia (467–1010)

Order Name Period
14 Petre I (467–474)
15 Samoel I (474–502)
16 Gabriel I (502–510)
17 Tavfechag I (510–516)
18 Chirmagi–Chigirmane (516–523)
19 Saba I (523–532)
20 Evlavi (532–544)
21 Samoel II (544–553)
22 Makari (553–569)
23 Svimeon II (569–575)
24 Samoel III (575–582)
25 Samoel IV (582–591)
26 Bartlome (591–595)
27 Kirion I (595–610)
28 Ioane II (610–619)
29 Babila (619–629)
30 Tabor (629–634)
31 Samoel V (634–640)
32 Evnon (640–649)
33 Tavfechag II (649–664)
34 Evlale (664–668)
35 Iovel II (668–670)
36 Samoel VI (670–677)
37 Giorgi I (677–678)
38 Kirion II (678–683)
39 Izid–Bozidi (683–685)
40 Teodore I (Teodose) (685–689)
41 Petre (Svimeoni) II (689–720)
42 Talale (720–731)
43 Mamai (731–744)
44 Ioane III (744–760)
45 Grigol II (760–767)
46 Sarmeane (767–774)
47 Mikael II (774–780)
48 Samoel VII (780–790)
49 Kirile (791–802)
50 Grigol III (802–814)
51 Samoel VIII (814–826)
52 Giorgi II (826–838)
53 Gabriel II (838–850)
54 Ilarion I (850–860)
55 Arsen I (860–887)
56 Evsuki (887–900)
57 Klementos (900–914)
58 Basili II (914–930)
59 Mikael III (930–944)
60 Davit I (944–955)
61 Arseni II (955–980)
62 Okropir (Ioane I) (980–1001)
63 Svimeon III (1001)

Catholicos-Patriarchs of Georgia (1010–1811)

Order Name Period Notes
64 St. Melkisedek I 1001–1030
65 Okropir (Ioane) II 1031–1039
66 Melkisedek I 1039–1045 restored
67 Okropir (Ioane) II 1045–1049 restored
68 Ekvtime I 1049–1055
69 Giorgi III (Taoeli) 1055–1065
70 Gabriel III (Safareli) 1065–1080
71 Dimitri 1080–1090
72 Basili III (Karichisdze) 1090–1100
73 Ioane IV (Sapareli) 1100–1142
74 Svimeon IV (Gulaberisdze) 1142–1146
75 Saba II 1146–1150
76 Nikoloz I (Gulaberidze) 1150–1178
77 Michael IV 1178–1186
78 Theodore II 1186–1206
79 Basil IV 1206–1208
80 John VII 1208–1210
81 Epiphane 1210–1220
82 Ekvtime II 1220–1222
83 Arseni III 1222–1225
84 Giorgi IV 1225–1230
85 Arseni IV (Bulmaisisdze) 1230–1240
86 Nikoloz II 1240–1280
87 Abraam I 1280–1310
88 Ekvtime III 1310–1325
89 Mikel V 1325–1330
90 Basil V 1330–1350
91 Doroteoz I 1350–1356
92 Shio I 1356–1364
93 Nikoloz III 1364–1380
94 Giorgi V 1380–1399
95 Elioz (Gobirakhisdze) 1399–1411
96 Mikel VI 1411–1426
97 David II 1426–1428
98 Teodore III 1428–1435
99 David III 1435–1439
100 Shio II 1439–1443/47
101 David IV 1443/47–1459
102 Markoz 1460–1466
103 Davit IV 1466–1479
104 Evagre 1480–1492
105 Abraam II (Abalaki) 1492–1497
106 Efrem I 1497–1500
107 Evagre 1500–1503 restored
108 Doroteoz II 1503–1510
109 Dionise 1510–1511
110 Doroteoz II 1511–1516 restored
111 Basil VI 1517–1528
112 Malachia 1528–1538
113 Melkisedek II (Bagrationi) 1538–1541
114 Germene 1541–1547
115 Svimeon V 1547–1550
116 Zebede I 1550–1557
117 Domenti I 1557–1562
118 Nikoloz IV (Baratashvili) 1562–1584
119 St. Nikoloz V 1584–1591
120 Doriteoz III 1592–1599
121 Domenti II 1599–1603
122 Zebede II 1603–1610
123 Ioane VI (Avalishvili) 1610–1613
124 Kristefore I 1613–1622
125 Zachary 1623–1630
126 St. Evdemoz I (Diasamidze) 1630–1638
127 Kristefore II (Amilakhvari) 1638–1660
128 Domenti III 1660–1675
129 Nikoloz VI (Magaladze) 1675–1676
130 Nikoloz VII (Amilakhvari) 1676–1687
131 Ioan VII (Diasamidze) 1687–1691
132 Nikoloz VII (Amilakhvari) 1691–1695 restored
133 Ioan VII (Diasamidze) 1696–1700 restored
134 Evdemoz II (Diasamidze) 1700–1703
135 Domenti IV 1704–1725
136 Besarion (Orbeliani) 1725–1737
137 Kirile 1737–1739
138 Domenti IV 1739–1741 restored
139 Nikoloz VIII (Kherkheulidze) 1742–1744
140 Anton I 1744–1755
141 Ioseb (Jandieri) 1755–1764
142 Anton I 1764–1788 restored
143 St. Anton II 1788–1811

Exarchs of Georgia (1811–1917)

Autocephalous status abolished and administration placed under the Russian Orthodox Church, 1811–1917

Order Name Period
1 Metropolitan Barlaam (Eristavi) 1811–1817
2 Metropolitan Theophilact (Rusanov) 1817–1821
3 Metropolitan Jonah (Vasilevsky) 1821–1832
4 Archbishop Moses (Bogdanov-Platonov) 1832–1834
5 Archbishop Eugene (Baganov) 1834–1844
6 Archbishop Isidore (Nikolsky) 1844–1858
7 Archbishop Ebsebius (Ilinsky) 1858–1877
8 Archbishop Joannicius (Rudnev) 1877–1882
9 Archbishop Paul (Lebedev) 1882–1887
10 Archbishop Palladius (Rayev) 1887–1892
11 Archbishop Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) 1892–1898
12 Archbishop Flavian (Gorodetsky) 1898–1901
13 Archbishop Alexis I (Opotsky) 1901–1905
14 Archbishop Nicholas (Nalimov) 1905–1906
15 Archbishop Nikon (Sofiisky) 1906–1908
16 Archbishop Innocent (Beliaev) 1909–1913
17 Archbishop Alexis II (Molchanov) 1913–1914
18 Archbishop Piterim (Oknov) 1914–1915
19 Archbishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky) 1915–1917

Catholicos-Patriarchs of All Georgia (1917–present)

Order Portrait Name Period Notes
144 St. Kyrion II
კირიონ II 		1 October 1917 26 June 1918 8 months and 25 days Assassinated (found murdered in the patriarchal residence at Martkopi Monastery on 27 June 1918) under mysterious circumstances. Canonized as Hieromartyr by the Holy Synod of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church on 17 October 2002.[2]
145 Leonid
ლეონიდე 		28 November 1918 11 June 1921 2 years, 6 months and 14 days Elected during the short-lived Georgian Democratic Republic; led the Church through the Bolshevik Red Army invasion of 1921 that ended Georgian independence;[3] died amid the onset of Soviet occupation and a cholera epidemic.[4]
146 St. Ambrosius
ამბროსი 		14 October 1921 29 March 1927 5 years, 5 months and 15 days Strongly opposed Soviet rule. In 1922 he sent a formal memorandum to the Genoa Conference protesting the Bolshevik occupation of Georgia and calling for international intervention. Arrested by Soviet authorities, imprisoned, released in 1926.[5] Canonized as a Georgian Orthodox saint in 1995.[6]
147 Christophorus III
ქრისტეფორე III 		4 June 1927 10 January 1932 4 years, 7 months and 6 days Led the Church under harsh Soviet anti-religious pressure and repression.[7] Notable for his fierce resistance to Russification policies, specifically fighting to restore the Georgian language to liturgy and education.[8]
148 St. Callistratus
კალისტრატე 		21 June 1932 3 February 1952 19 years, 7 months and 13 days Led the Church through the most repressive Stalin-era anti-religious campaigns yet managed limited reopenings and cultural initiatives, including the Russian Orthodox Church’s formal recognition of Georgian autocephaly in 1943, despite facing three years of imprisonment.[9][10] Canonized as a Georgian Orthodox saint in 2016.[11]
149 Melchizedek III
მელქისედეკ III 		5 April 1952 10 January 1960 7 years, 9 months and 5 days Despite constant Soviet anti-religious pressure, successfully reopened churches, consecrated new bishops and achieved limited expansion of church activities.[12]
150 Ephraim II
ეფრემ II 		20 February 1960 7 April 1972 12 years, 1 month and 18 days Avoided direct confrontation with Soviet authorities while delivering patriotic sermons that boosted his popularity; admitted the Georgian Church to the World Council of Churches in 1962.[13]
151 David V
დავით V 		1 July 1972 9 November 1977 5 years, 4 months and 8 days Ascension followed serious irregularities, including the alleged destruction of predecessor Ephraim II’s will (which reportedly favored another candidate) and a rigged Holy Synod vote; widely viewed by Georgian dissidents and samizdat writers as overly aligned with Soviet authorities.[14]
152 Ilia II
ილია II 		23 December 1977 17 March 2026 48 years, 2 months and 22 days Died at the age of 93, after 48 years of service (the longest tenure in the Church’s over-millennia-long history); widely regarded as a pivotal figure who guided the Georgian Church and nation through the late Soviet era, the transition to independence, and a period of spiritual and national revival.[15][16]
153 Shio III
შიო III 		11 May 2026 Incumbent 1 month and 10 days The first patriarch elected since the 1991 restoration of independence.[17][18] Widely regarded as a radical conservative; admired by conservative and pro-government circles for his emphasis on Christianity in national identity, yet viewed by others with suspicion over potential Russian ecclesiastical influence and a shift toward ultraconservatism.[19][20][21]

Timeline

This is a graphical timeline of the catholicos-patriarchs of All Georgia. They are listed in order of first assuming office.

The following chart lists the catholicos-patriarchs by lifespan, with the years outside of their tenure in blue.

References

  1. ^ საქართველოს ახალი პატრიარქი ჰყავს Imedi TV
  2. ^ "Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia". www.oca.org. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
  3. ^ "ლეონიდე". georgianencyclopedia.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 2026-04-13.
  4. ^ "აგვისტო, 1921: საბჭოთა საქართველოში ქოლერის ეპიდემია მძვინვარებს". Civil Georgia (in Georgian). Retrieved 2026-04-22.
  5. ^ "CATHOLICOS-PATRIARCH AMBROSIUS (KHELAIA)". atinati.com. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
  6. ^ "Mikheil Saakashvili – Georgia will not kneel, or lick the conqueror's boots". InterPressNews. 26 October 2013. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  7. ^ "ქრისტეფორე III (1873-1932)". www.nplg.gov.ge. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  8. ^ "საქართველოს საპატრიარქო † სრულიად საქართველოს კათოლიკოს-პატრიარქი უწმიდესი და უნეტარესი ქრისტეფორე III (1927-1932)". patriarchate.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 2026-04-13.
  9. ^ "კალისტრატე ცინცაძე: "ნურავის დააჩაგვრინებთ საქართველოს ეკლესიას, ვინაიდან მისი დაჩაგვრა შეიძლება წინამორბედი გახდეს თვით საქართველოს შეიწროებისა"". კვირის პალიტრა (in Georgian). 2024-07-06. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
  10. ^ "კალისტრატე - პატრიარქი ათეისტურ ეპოქაში". რადიო თავისუფლება (in Georgian). 2022-02-03. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  11. ^ "წმინდა სინოდმა წმინდანებად ორი მეფე - ბაგრატ მესამე და სოლომონ პირველი, ასევე, კათოლიკოს-პატრიარქი კალისტრატე ცინცაძე". Georgian Times. 22 December 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2016.
  12. ^ "მელქისედეკ III (1872-1960)". www.nplg.gov.ge. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
  13. ^ "The Church - a Political Tool for the Soviet Union". archive.ge. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
  14. ^ Jones, S. F. (1989). "Soviet religious policy and the Georgian Orthodox apostolic Church: From Khrushchev to Gorbachev". Religion in Communist Lands. 17 (4): 292–312. doi:10.1080/09637498908431439. ISSN 0307-5974.
  15. ^ "Ilia II, patriarch who led Georgian Church out of the Soviet Union, dies at 93". Reuters. March 18, 2026.
  16. ^ Nechepurenko, Ivan (2026-03-19). "Patriarch Ilia II, a Spiritual Symbol of Stability in Georgia, Dies at 93". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
  17. ^ "Georgian Orthodox Church elects new patriarch". Anadolu Agency. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  18. ^ "Metropolitan Shio elected Georgia's new Catholicos-Patriarch". Georgia Today. 11 May 2026. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  19. ^ Kintsurashvili, Shota (2026-04-24). "Metropolitan Shio Mujiri: Between Expectation, Authority, and Uncertainty". Public Orthodoxy. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  20. ^ "After Ilia II: What Will a New Patriarch Mean for Georgia?". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 2026-03-26. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  21. ^ "The Battle for Political Influence in the Georgian Orthodox Church - Jamestown". The Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
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