This is a list of the Ecumenical Patriarchs of Constantinople.
On May 29, 1453 occurred the Fall of Constantinople, thus marking the end of the Byzantine Empire. The Ecumenical Patriarchate became subject to the Ottoman Empire.
There are different suggestions by scholars for the succession of the Patriarchs from 1462 to 1466. The main positions are the following:
According to Kiminas (2009):[2]
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According to Laurent (1968):[3]
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According to Gemanos of Sardeis (1933–38):[4]
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On July 23, 1833, the Church of Greece declared itself autocephalous. It was followed by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1864, the Bulgarian Exarchate in 1872, and the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1879, thus reducing the territorial extent of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's jurisdiction.
On July 24, 1923, the Ottoman Empire dissolved, replaced by the Republic of Turkey.
The most frequently used ecclesiastical name is John, with 1 Archbishop and 13 Patriarchs taking this name. There have also been 72 ecclesiastical names that have only been used once. The number of all patriarchs to the present is 270.
A selection of different spellings of certain names as seen on Patriarchate.org: