Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia

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Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia სრულიად საქართველოს კათოლიკოს-პატრიარქი Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan bishop of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia

Archbishopric
Eastern Orthodox


Coat of Arms of Georgian Orthodox Church
Incumbent: Ilia II since 25 December 1977
Style	His Holiness and Beatitude
Location
Country	Georgia
Information
First holder	Melkisedek I
Website
www.patriarchate.ge

Catholicos-Patriarch has been the title of the heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1010. The first Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia was Melkisedek I (1010–1033). In the 15th century the Georgian Orthodox Church was divided into the East and the West parts and accordingly they were ruled by the Catholicos-Patriarch of East Georgia and the Catholicos-Patriarch of West Georgia.

In 1801, the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti (Eastern Georgia) was occupied and annexed by the Tsarist Russian Empire. In 1811, the autocephalous status (independence) of the Georgian Church was abolished by Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church took over its administration.

In 1917, the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church was restored. The first Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia since the restoration of autocephaly was Kyrion II Sadzaglishvili (1917–1918).

To this date there have been 82 Catholicos-Patriarchs, of this 7 have been formally glorified by the Georgian Orthodox Church.

The incumbent Catholicos-Patriarch of the church is Patriarch Ilia II since 1977.

Traditional ecclesiastical jurisdictions of primates in Christianity, sorted according to earliest apostolic legacy and branched where multiple denominational claimants:
bold blue = Catholic Church, light blue = Eastern Orthodox Church, bold/light green = Oriental Orthodoxy, italic blue = Nestorianism

Early
Christianity
(Antiquity)
(30–325/476)

Pentarchy
(five
apostolic
sees)

Patriarch of Rome (1st cent.)	Holy See (since 1st cent.)
Patriarch of Constantinople (451)	Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (since 330) Latin Patriarchate of Constantinople (1204–1964) Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople (since 1461)
Patriarch of Antioch (1st cent.)	Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch (since 518) Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia (since 1058) Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch (since 519) Maronite Patriarchate (since 685) Syriac Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch (since 1668) Melkite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch (since 1724) Latin Patriarchate of Antioch (1099–1964) Armenian Catholic Church (since 1740)
Patriarch of Alexandria (1st cent.)	Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria (since 451) Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria (since 451) Latin Patriarchate of Alexandria (1219–1964) Coptic Catholic Patriarchate of Alexandria (since 1824)
Patriarch of Jerusalem (451)	Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem (since 451) Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem (since 638) Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (since 1099)

Other

Patriarch of Carthage (2nd cent.–1076)	Latin Catholic titular episcopate (1518–1964) Archbishop of Tunis (since 1884)
Patriarch of Seleucia-Ctesiphon (280–1552)	Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate of Baghdad (since 1553) Assyrian Church of the East Patriarchate of Seleucia-Ctesiphon (since 1830) Ancient Church of the East Patriarchate of Seleucia-Ctesiphon (since 1968)
Patriarch of Armenia (301)	Catholicos of All Armenians (Patriarch of Etchmiadzin) (since 301) Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia (since 1058) Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem (since 638) Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople (since 1461) Patriarchate of Cilicia (since 1742)