Metropolis of Kiev (Patriarchate of Moscow)

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Metropolis of Kiev (Patriarchate of Moscow) – a concise overview

The Metropolis of Kiev was an important Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction in what is now Ukraine. For centuries it was part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. In the 17th century, Moscow grew powerful and pressed to bring Kiev under its own church authority.

Transfer to Moscow and its consequences
- In 1685–1686, the Ecumenical Patriarchate transferred the Kiev Metropolis to the Moscow Patriarchate. The move was controversial: Constantinople’s terms were disputed, and many argued Moscow used pressure and financial influence to secure the transfer.
- After the transfer, the metropolitan’s title in practice referred to Kyiv, Galicia, and all Little Rus, but Moscow controlled the major church offices. Some lands of the old metropolis remained in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- Over time, Moscow’s control tightened. In 1721 the Metropolis of Kiev was downgraded to a diocese within the Moscow Patriarchate, marking the loss of its autonomy.

Downgrades, reforms, and secularization
- In the 18th century, the metropolitan title was reduced further. The office was effectively an honorary one, while real church power lay with Moscow. The title was officially shortened (for example, “Little Rus” was dropped from the main title in the late 18th century).
- Catherine the Great pursued centralization and secularization. In 1786 she ordered the secularization of church lands, and by the late 18th century many Ukrainian dioceses shifted under tighter Moscow control. The Kyiv see lost much of its independent authority, and Kiev itself became the center of a diocese rather than an autonomous metropolis.
- Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Russification policies increased. Ukrainian-language religious and educational life were restricted, Ukrainian church institutions were weakened, and Russian control over church affairs grew stronger. Kyiv’s old religious and educational centers, like the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, saw changes under these policies.

Twentieth century and post-Soviet status
- After the Russian Revolution and the rise of the Soviet state, the Kyiv Metropolis continued to be part of the Russian Orthodox Church, with its status shaped by the broader church-state relationship in Russia.
- Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine saw changes in church life and new movements toward Ukrainian church autonomy. In particular, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) remained the Moscow-aligned body operating in Ukraine, while other churches within Ukraine moved toward greater autonomy or independence.

Recent developments and modern questions of status
- In 2018, the Ecumenical Patriarchate revoked the historic 1686 transfer (the Synodal Letter), arguing that the Kiev Metropolis should not have been transferred to Moscow.
- In 2019, Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople signed a Tomos recognizing the autocephaly (independence) of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). This created a new, independent Ukrainian church structure and shifted many parishes away from the Moscow-aligned church.
- The status of the UOC-MP remains disputed. The Moscow Patriarchate (ROC) and many in the UOC-MP view the OCU as uncanonical, while Constantinople and the OCU consider the Ukrainian church independent. Many Ukrainian parishes have joined or aligned with the OCU, while others remain under the Moscow Patriarchate.

In brief
The Metropolis of Kiev was once under Constantinople but was transferred to Moscow in the late 17th century, a move that changed its leadership and autonomy. Over the centuries, the Kiev church’s power waned under Moscow’s influence, and drastic political and religious changes in the 20th and 21st centuries have left Ukraine with competing Orthodox authorities, including the Moscow Patriarchate and the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine.