The Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus' () was a metropolis of the Eastern Orthodox Church that was erected on the territory of Kievan Rus'. It existed between 988 AD and 1590s AD. The long lasting "tug of war" between bishops from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and bishops of the Principality of Moscow resulted in reorganization of the metropolis as the bishops from Moscow refused to recognize decisions of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Canonically, it was under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The metropolitan seat (cathedra) was located in the city of Kiev until it was moved to Vladimir-na-Klyazme in 1299 and then Moscow in 1325.
The metropolis was later revived in the territory of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1620 AD to 1686 AD as an exarchate of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Again, to reflect its exclusion from the Tsardom of Russia, this episcopal title was renamed the "Metropolis of Kiev, Galicia and all Rus'". The fate of the metropolis after that date is a matter of dispute: according to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the metropolis was uncanonically annexed or was in abeyance until it received the tomos of autocephaly"Constantinople still continues to consider Ukraine its canonical territory" from the Ecumenical Patriarch; on the other hand, the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) maintains that it was absorbed by the Patriarchate of Moscow and all Rus' and is currently an exarchate of the ROC that styles itself on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) (UOC-MP).
History to the Union of Florence
Christianization of Kievan Rus'
The history of the Orthodox Church in the region of Kievan Rus' is usually traced to the Baptism of Rus' at Kiev. While the date of this event is commonly given as 988, the evidence is contested. In that year, the Grand Prince of Kiev—Vladimir the Great—together with his people, were baptised in the river Dniper by clergy of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. There is a legendary account that the first bishop might have been dispatched to Kiev in 864 by the Patriarch Photios I.Lencyk, W. Christianization of Ukraine. Encyclopedia of Ukraine If true, it would have occurred after Kiev had been captured by the Varangians in 860. It is possible that a Prince of Kiev—Askold—might have been baptized due to the existence of the church of Saint Nicholas at Askold's Grave. During the reign of Prince Igor of Kiev, in Kiev existed the Saint Elijah Church, while during signing the 944 treaty with the Greeks some Ruthenians took an oath on the Bible. From its foundation, the metropolis was subordinate to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople:
Establishment of the metropolitan see It is not known for certain when the Metropolis of Kiev was established. The earliest recorded metropolitan bishop is Michael of Kiev (988–992). He was appointed by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople—Nicholas II of Constantinople. He was given the title of Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus'. The cathedra was located in the city of Kiev (or possibly Tmutarakan).
In 1037, Prince Yaroslav the Wise built a new cathedral – St. Sophia – and moved the metropolitan seat there. In 1051, Yaroslav the Wise contrived to have a Ruthenian candidate elected as metropolitan—Hilarion of Kiev. He reorganized the church hierarchy and improved the structure of the metropolis.
A delegation of the metropolis, blessed by Metropolitan Ivan III, took part in the Council of Bari (1089) that was convened by Pope Urban II to heal the Great Schism. Members of this mission were in Bari to consecrate the transferred tomb of St. Nicholas of Myra. After that time came the rise of the cult of Saint Nicholas in Rus'.
During the pre-Mongol period, there were 22 metropolitans. Most were Greeks sent by the patriarchs of Constantinople. The natives of the lands of Rus' were Hilarion of Kiev (1051–1062), Ephraim of Pereyaslavl (1089–1097), Kliment Smoliatich, and Kirill II of Kiev (1233–1236). It is unknown whether he was approved by the Ecumenical Patriarch
On the eve of the Mongol-Tatar invasion, there were 16 dioceses in the metropolis: Kyiv (988), Chernihiv (991), Belgorod (991), Vladimir (992), Novgorod (992), Rostov (992), Polatsk (992), Turiv (1005), Przemyśl (1026), Pereiaslav (1036), Yurii (1036), Galician (1134), Smolensk (1137), Riazan (1198), Suzdal (1213).
Fragmentation of Kievan Rus' By the late 12th century, Kievan Rus' was beginning to fragment into a number of principalities. One of the most influential of these was the Grand Duchy of Vladimir under the Rurik dynasty. Grand Duke Vladimir II Monomakh founded the eponymous city of Vladimir which is located east of Moscow. In 1113 he was popularly acclaimed as the supreme ruler of the Kievan Rus. Mstislav I of Kiev, who reigned from 20 May 1125 to 15 April 1132, was the last undisputed ruler of all Kievan Rus'. After his death, the throne of Kiev became an object of struggle between various territorial associations of Rurikid princes.
The younger son of Vladimir II, called Yuri Dolgorukiy (George), was the Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal. Under his rule, the principality gained military strength. In the Suzdal-Ryazan war of 1146, it conquered the Ryazan Principality. Later in the 1150s, George twice occupied Kiev and seized the throne. He last ruled Kiev from August 1150 to the winter of 1151. His rule marked the effective end of the Rus' as a unified entity. From that time onwards, the lands of the northeastern Rus' played an important role in the politics of Kievan Rus'.
In March 1169, a coalition of native princes led by the Grand Prince of Vladimir-Suzdal—Andrey Bogolyubsky—sacked Kiev and forced the ruling prince—Mstislav II of Kiev—to flee to Volhynia. Andrei appointed his brother—Gleb of Kiev—as Prince of Kiev while Andrei himself continued to rule his realm from Vladimir on Klyazma. From that time onwards, north-eastern Rus', which was centered on the city of Vladimir, became one of the most influential Rus' lands. Following the Mongol invasions, three powerful states remained as the successors of Kievan Rus': the Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal in the north-east—which would evolve into the Principality of Muscovy; the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia in the south-west; and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to the north.
Kievan Rus' under the Mongols
Following the Mongol invasion and the sack of Kiev in 1240, communications between Kiev and Constantinople deteriorated. Shortly after Kirill II of Kiev (1250–1281) was appointed as metropolitan, the founder of the Golden Horde—Batu Khan—demanded that he transfer the cathedra from Kiev to the city of Vladimir. The transfer did not occur until 1299 under Kirill's successor, Maximos. The hierarchs continued to be styled "Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus"; they were supposed to be responsible for all Orthodox Christians in Rus, including those in Galicia, which became a kingdom in 1253, and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania which had gained control of the former Principality of Polotsk". In 1324, his successor—Peter of Moscow—again transferred the cathedra, this time to Moscow.
The Princes of the Grand Duchy of Vladimir effectively controlled the metropolitan see with the permission of the Khan of the Golden Horde. The most important Rus prince (usually the Prince of Moscow, but sometimes a Tver or another principality) continued to be styled the "Grand Prince of Vladimir". The Grand Princes were originally crowned in Vladimir's Cathedral of the Assumption. After the Mongol destruction, Vladimir never fully recovered. By the 14th Century, Moscow had superseded Vladimir as the seat of the Grand Prince. The title had become an honorific symbol of majesty. The princes chose to be crowned in the Cathedral of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin. This cathedral was a loose copy by the Italian architect Aristotele Fioravanti of the original in Vladimir.
Establishment of new metropolitan areas Metropolis of Lithuania Having escaped the brunt of the Mongol invasions, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania expanded into neighbouring areas that had been weakened by internal strife and by the Mongol predations. While these expansions were usually at the expense of slavic principalities of the former Kievan Rus', sometimes they were voluntary. For example, the dukes of the Principality of Turov began to cooperate more and more with the Grand Duchy and by the early 14th century the Principality non-violently joined the Grand Duchy. In 1320, most of the principalities of western Rus' were either made into vassals or were directly annexed by Lithuania. In 1321, Gediminas captured Kiev, sending Stanislav, the last Rurikid to rule Kiev, into exile. Gediminas also re-established the permanent capital of the Grand Duchy in Vilnius, presumably moving it from Old Trakai in 1323. The state continued to expand its territory under the reign of Grand Duke Algirdas and his brother Kęstutis, who both ruled the state in harmony.
At the time, religious allegiance played an important role in politics. While adhering to the pagan faith, Grand Dukes Vytenis and Gediminas understood the political importance of controlling the Church. Furthermore, the Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus'—Peter of Moscow—moved the seat of the metropolis to Moscow. The lack of a metropolitan bishop for the inhabitants of the Grand Principality impeded the development of the idea of a single Lithuanian state that was being advanced by the ruling family.Z. Ivinskis, "Lietuvos valstybės galybės kūrėjas didysis Gediminas," Aidai, 125 (December, 1959), p. 425. At the same time, the religious leaders in Rus' realised that the lack of a separate metropolis would leave the Lithuanian state susceptible to the influence of the Latin Church. In attempting to preserve the continued cultural and religious unity of Rus', the Orthodox leaders realised that they might ultimately drive the people into the arms of Rome.E. Vinter, "Rossiia v politike rimskoi kurii v XIV v." Voprosi Istorii Religii i Ateizma, VI (1958), p. 299; Constantine R. Jurgla, History of the Lithuanian Nation (New York, 1948), p. 98; W. H. Frère, Some Links in the Chain of Russian Church History (London, 1918), p. 299; W. Regel, Analecta Byzantinorussica (Sankt-peterburg, 1891), pp. XXVIII – XXVIII. By the mid-1350's, the senior clergy of the Rus' in Lithuania were agreed that a separate Lithuanian metropolis was the lesser of two evils. The question was raised in their letters to patriarchate in Constantinople between 1328 and 1347.E. Vinter, "Rossiia v politike rimskoi kurii v XIV v." Voprosi Istorii Religii i Ateizma, VI (1958), p. 299; Constantine R. Jurgla, History of the Lithuanian Nation (New York, 1948), p. 98; W. H. Frère, Some Links in the Chain of Russian Church History (London, 1918), p. 297. Consequently, the Grand Dukes of Lithuania requested the Patriarch to establish a separate diocese that was independent from Moscow.