Metropolitanate Of Lithuania
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The Metropolis of Lithuania was a
metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...
of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is heade ...
in the
Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
. It was erected on the territory of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
between 1315 and 1317. It was disestablished in 1371. The seat (''
cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the throne of a bishop in the early Christian  basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...
'') of the metropolis was initially in
Navahrudak Novogrudok or Navahrudak (; ; , ; ) is a town in Grodno Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Novogrudok District. As of 2025, it has a population of 27,624. In the Middle Ages, the city was ruled by King Mindaugas' son ...
. It had only two
metropolitan bishop In Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), is held by the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a Metropolis (reli ...
s. The establishment took place in the aftermath of the
Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus' The Mongol Empire invaded and conquered much of Kievan Rus' in the mid-13th century, sacking numerous cities such as Principality of Ryazan, Ryazan, Principality of Yaroslavl, Yaroslavl, Principality of Pereyaslavl, Pereyaslavl and Vladimi ...
which was exploited by the rulers of Lithuania to greatly expand their territory. To help legitimize their annexations and to bind their new subjects more closely to the state, the royal powers favoured the erection of a metropolis for the inhabitants of the Grand Principality. To avert the possibility of the state going over to the
Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
, the hierarchs based in Moscow latterly supported the erection of the metropolis as the lesser of two evils. Throughout the existence of the metropolis, the metropolitans struggled for religious control of the Rus'
eparchies Eparchy ( ''eparchía'' "overlordship") is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. An eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the administrative structure ...
with the secular and religious powers in the
Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia The Principality or, from 1253, Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, also known as the Kingdom of Ruthenia, Kingdom of Rus', or Kingdom of Russia, also Halych–Volhynian Kingdom was a medieval state in Eastern Europe which existed from 1199 to 1349. I ...
, the
Principality of Tver The Principality of Tver () was a Russian principality which existed between the 13th and the 15th centuries with its capital in Tver. The principality was located approximately in the area currently occupied by Tver Oblast and the eastern part of ...
, and the
Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...
.


Background

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' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...
, sometimes they were voluntary. For example, the dukes of the
Principality of Turov The Principality of Turov, later called the Principality of Turov and Pinsk (; ; ), also known as Turovian Rus', was a medieval principality of Kievan Rus' from the 10th century on the territory of modern-day Belarus and northern Ukraine. The pri ...
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 The Rurik dynasty, also known as the Rurikid or Riurikid dynasty, as well as simply Rurikids or Riurikids, was a noble lineage allegedly founded by the Varangian prince Rurik, who, according to tradition, established himself at Novgorod in the ...
to rule
Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
, into exile. Gediminas also re-established the permanent capital of the Grand Duchy in
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
, presumably moving it from Old Trakai in 1323. The state continued to expand its territory under the reign of Grand Duke
Algirdas Algirdas (; , ;  – May 1377) was List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his brother Kęstutis (who defended the western border of the Duchy) he created an empire stretching from the pre ...
and his brother
Kęstutis Kęstutis ( – 3 or 15 August 1382) was sole Duke of Trakai from 1342 to 1382 and List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1342 to 1382, together with his brother Algirdas (until 1377), and with his nephew Jogaila (from 1377 to ...
, 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 Vytenis was Grand Duke of Lithuania from to . He became the first monarch of the Gediminid dynasty to sustain a long-lasting reign, establishing the dynasty’s continuity and long-term governance of Lithuania. In the early 14th century, his ...
and
Gediminas Gediminas ( – December 1341) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1315 or 1316 until his death in 1341. He is considered the founder of Lithuania's capital Vilnius (see: Iron Wolf legend). During his reign, he brought under his rule lands from t ...
understood the political importance of controlling the Church. Furthermore, the Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus' —
Peter of Moscow Peter of Moscow (, Peter of Kiev, Peter of Rata, , ; c. 1260 – 20 December 1326) was an Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox metropolitan bishop, bishop of Kiev, who moved his Episcopal see, see from Vladimir, Russia, Vladimir to Moscow i ...
— moved the seat of the metropolis to Moscow. The lack of a metropolitan bishop for the inhabitants of the Grand Duchy impeded the development of the idea of a single Lithuanian state that was being advanced by the ruling family. 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 The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...
. 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. 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. Consequently, the Grand Dukes of Lithuania requested the Patriarch to establish a separate diocese that was independent from Moscow. The
Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox Church. The ecumenical patriarch is regarded as ...
generally preferred a united
Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus' The Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus' (; ) was a Metropolis (religious jurisdiction), 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" ...
and was reluctant to divide its authority. Therefore, whenever possible, the patriarchs would unite the metropoles in the former territory of
Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...
. By the 1440s however, just before the
Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 55-da ...
, the
Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...
had effectively won the dispute and became the new spiritual center of the Orthodox tradition in Eastern Europe.


Metropolitan Theophilus (1317–1329)

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
Andronikos II Palaiologos Andronikos II Palaiologos (; 25 March 1259 – 13 February 1332), Latinization of names, Latinized as Andronicus II Palaeologus, reigned as Byzantine emperor from 1282 to 1328. His reign marked the beginning of the recently restored em ...
established the metropolis while Patriarch John XIII of Constantinople
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
the prelate - Theophilus — who was of
Rus' Rus or RUS may refer to: People * East Slavic historical peoples (). See Names of Rus', Russia and Ruthenia ** Rus' people, the people of Rus' ** Rus, a legendary eponymous ancestor, see Lech, Czech and Rus * Rus (surname), a surname found in Ro ...
origin. A surviving list of his property shows that Theophilus traveled extensively around the Rus' principalities and presented expensive gifts to prominent rulers of the region, perhaps as part of a campaign to become the Metropolitan of Kiev. The
episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...
of the metropolis was in
Navahrudak Novogrudok or Navahrudak (; ; , ; ) is a town in Grodno Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Novogrudok District. As of 2025, it has a population of 27,624. In the Middle Ages, the city was ruled by King Mindaugas' son ...
. It had two
suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...
dioceses in Turov and
Polatsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Western Dvina, Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it ...
. From 1303 to 1347, a new metropolis also existed on the southern borders of the Lithuanian lands - the
Metropolis of Halych The Metropolis of Halych was a metropolis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was erected on the territory of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia in 1303 by Patriarch Athanasius I of Constantinople. The ...
. There were long periods of time when this metropolitan seat lay vacant. From 1317 to 1329 Grand Duke
Gediminas Gediminas ( – December 1341) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1315 or 1316 until his death in 1341. He is considered the founder of Lithuania's capital Vilnius (see: Iron Wolf legend). During his reign, he brought under his rule lands from t ...
flirted with Roman Catholicism and wrote to
Pope John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Papacy, Avignon Pope, elected by ...
. The pope replied in 1324 and an active attempt to bring Lithuania into the Latin camp was made. Envoys were dispatched to Vilna, but when they arrived the situation had changed. Gediminas claimed that he had never said in his letters that he was ready to be baptized and that his scribes, the Franciscan brothers Henry and Berthold apparently had written things which he had never told them. The papal legates reported to the pope that the magnates of
Samogitia Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian language, Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see Samogitia#Etymology and alternative names, below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five ...
made threats against the life of the Grand Duke and his family and that there were also external Russian threats should he accept the Roman rite:
"It is for this that the king renounced the faith to the point that he no longer dared to utter a word about baptism."
Following the death of Peter of Moscow in 1326, Theophilus and a candidate presented by Moscow were rejected by Constantinople as too political for the Metropolis of Kiev. Instead, the patriarch appointed an independent person - Theognostus - as the new Metropolitan.


''Sede vacante'' (1329–1355)

When Theophilus died in 1329, Theognostus succeeded in restoring unity in the Rus' by claiming that there were too few Christians in pagan Lithuania. The seat of the metropolis was left vacant. In the meantime, Theognostus had authority over all Rus' and Lithuania until his own death in 1353. For two years, the see was again vacant.


Metropolitan Roman (1355–1362)

Following a civil war,
Algirdas Algirdas (; , ;  – May 1377) was List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his brother Kęstutis (who defended the western border of the Duchy) he created an empire stretching from the pre ...
was acknowledged as the new Grand Duke of Lithuania. Having increased the territorial extent of the state in the south, he was in a stronger position to advocate for the restoration of metropolis. In 1360, he deposed Theodore who was the last ethnic Rus' prince of Kiev. In his place, he placed his own son,
Vladimir Vladimir (, , pre-1918 orthography: ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, widespread throughout all Slavic nations in different forms and spellings. The earliest record of a person with the name is Vladimir of Bulgaria (). Etymology ...
, on the throne. After the death of Theognostus in 1353, Algirdas did not at first attempt to revive the Metropolitanate of Lithuania. Instead, he promoted his own candidate - Teodoryt - to the see of Kiev and All Rus'. When Teodoryt failed to gain support in the Ecumenical Patriarchate, he turned to the schismatic
Bulgarian Orthodox Church The Bulgarian Orthodox Church (), legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria (), is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction based in Bulgaria. It is the first medieval recognised patriarchate outside the Pentarchy and t ...
and received ordination there. Such actions may indicate that Algirdas envisioned an
autocephalous Autocephaly (; ) is the status of a hierarchical Christian church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. The term is primarily used in Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches. The status has been compared with t ...
church of his own. In any case, Theognostus' favoured candidate —
Alexius Alexius is the Latinized form of the given name Alexios (, polytonic , "defender", cf. Alexander), especially common in the Byzantine Empire. The female form is Alexia () and its variants such as Alessia (the masculine form of which is Alessio) ...
— was consecrated as Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus' in 1354. Algirdas now changed his support from Teodoryt to Roman. Roman was a monk from Tver and a relative of Algirdas' wife Uliana. Algirdas agreed to cease his support for Teodoryt on the grounds that his ordination was uncanonical, on condition that Roman was also appointed as Metropolitan of All Rus'. Algirdas even promised to convert to Orthodoxy in exchange for the ordination of Roman. In Constantinople, Patriarch Callistus I was deposed and was succeeded by Patriarch Philotheus I of Constantinople (November 1353 – 1354). In 1355, after diplomatic struggles, a restored Patriarch
Callistus I of Constantinople Callistus I of Constantinople (; died August 1363) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for two periods from June 1350 to 1353 and from 1354 to 1363. Callistus I was an Athonite monk and supporter of Gregory Palamas. He died in Consta ...
, in agreement with Philotheus, united the
Metropolis of Halych The Metropolis of Halych was a metropolis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was erected on the territory of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia in 1303 by Patriarch Athanasius I of Constantinople. The ...
with the Metropolis of Lithuania under the leadership of Metropolitan Roman. Callistus also confirmed that
Alexius Alexius is the Latinized form of the given name Alexios (, polytonic , "defender", cf. Alexander), especially common in the Byzantine Empire. The female form is Alexia () and its variants such as Alessia (the masculine form of which is Alessio) ...
remained in possession of the "Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus'". All eparchies of the Halych metropolis were transferred to the jurisdiction of a united metropolis, which was also known as the "Metropolis of Lithuania-Volhynia". There were now two metropolitans in Rus' lands. While Roman won over some bishops, he failed to secure the support of the Bishop of Tver. The ecclesiastical authorities of Constantinople did not take any measures to delineate the powers of the two metropolitans; neither did they assign any particular diocese of the old Rus' metropolis to the new metropolis of Lithuania-Volhynia. As a result, Roman began to claim that he ruled not only the dioceses of Lithuania-Volhynia, but also those of the entire Rus' metropolis. The ensuing struggle between the two metropolitans continued until Roman's death in 1362. Both Metropolitans travelled to Constantinople to make their appeals in person. In 1356, their cases were heard by a Patriarchal Synod. The Holy Synod confirmed that Alexis was the Metropolitan of Kiev while Roman was also confirmed in his see at Novogorodek. In 1361, the two sees were formally divided. Shortly afterwards, in the winter of 1361/62, Roman died. From 1362 to 1371, the vacant see of Lithuania–Halych was administered by Alexius. By that point, the Lithuanian metropolis was effectively dissolved.


Disestablishment of the metropolis

Following the disestablishment of Roman’s see, the territory of Lithuania was officially lowered to the rank of a bishopric. It was placed under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus'. While the senior clergy of the Orthodox Church in Moscow asserted that the territory of the Grand Duchy was within their canonical scope, they made little attempt to evangelise the territory. No Orthodox missionaries were sent to work among the Lithuanians. The common folk were unwilling to embrace Christianity. Given the support of paganism among the nobility, the royal family was unwilling to alienate them by granting approval for Orthodox missionaries to operate in the state. In any case, following the predations of the Mongol invasion, large parts of the countryside were underpopulated and Kiev itself was uninhabitable for a considerable period of time. This explains why the metropolitan see moved to Vladimir. Monks and other clergy also moved to the north to escape the intrusions of the Mongol overlords. No notable monastery was located in lands controlled by the Lithuanians. Algirdas interpreted the dissolution as an insult to himself and to the Lithuanian state. In 1371, he again attempted to erect a separate Lithuanian metropolis. He wrote to the Patriarch strongly condemning Alexius of neglecting his flock in Lithuanian areas. He also accused Alexius of being more interested in politics than in religion:Josef Pfitzner, Didysis Lietuvos kunigaikštis Vytautas kaip politikas, trans, from the German by J. Talmantas (Kaunas, 1930), p. 54
"Such metropolitans we did not have in the days of our forefathers. He blesses the Muscovites to slaughter, but never comes to us. And to Kiev he does not come . . .the metropolitan should bless the Muscovites that they help us as we are fighting for them against the Germans. We invite him, but he never comes. Give us another metropolitan for Kiev, Smolensk, Tver, Little Russia, Novoselsk, and Nizhni Novgorod."
Constantinople replied with an ironic reference to Algirdas' being the king of "fire-worshippers" (i.e. still a pagan). Nevertheless, the point was carried, and Algirdas' intervention was successful in raising his own candidate —
Cyprian Cyprian (; ; to 14 September 258 AD''The Liturgy of the Hours according to the Roman Rite: Vol. IV.'' New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1975. p. 1406.) was a bishop of Carthage and an early Christian writer of Berbers, Berber descent, ...
— to the throne.


Temporary metropolis

On 2 December 1375, at the Holy Council in Constantinople, Philotheus, who had been restored to the patriarchy, ordained Cyprian as "Metropolitan of Kiev, Rus' and Lithuania", but with the condition that after the death of the elderly Metropolitan Alexius, he would become the metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus' and unite the entire metropolis under his authority.Shabuldo, F.
Cyprian (КИПРІЯН)
'. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. 2007
On 12 February 1376, Alexius died; by the terms of the agreement with the patriarch, Cyprian was entitled to rule the religious affairs of all Rus'. On 6 June 1376, Cyprian arrived at his residence in Kiev. He attempted, but failed, to get recognition of his rights in the whole metropolitan diocese from the Grand Duke of Moscow
Dmitri Donskoi Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy (; 12 October 1350 – 19 May 1389) was Prince of Moscow from 1359 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1363 until his death. He was the heir of Ivan II. He was the first prince of Moscow to openly challenge Mongol a ...
, Novgorod, and Pskov. However, in the same year, there was a palace mutiny in Constantinople in which power was usurped by Andronikos IV. The new emperor deposed Patriarch Philotheus and installed
Macarius Macarius is a Latinization (literature), Latinized form of the old Greek given name Makários (Μακάριος), meaning "happy, fortunate, blessed"; compare the Latin Beatus (disambiguation), ''beatus'' and Felix (name) , ''felix''. Ancient Gree ...
in his stead. Macarius assured Dmitriy of Moscow in writing that he denied Cyprian's claims to the Church of Great Rus. He also offered to send the Grand Duke's nominee — Mitya — to Constantinople for his consecration as metropolitan.John Meyendorff, ''Byzantium and The Rise of Russia'' (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary, 1989). Mitya, however, died (1379) within sight of Constantinople. Mitya was accompanied by Pimen. The succeeding Patriarch — Nilus — may have been tricked by Pimen using forged letters into consecrating Pimen in Mitya's place in June 1380. As a result, Cyprian's rights to the united metropolis was disputed by Pimen (1380–1382). Dmitry, upon hearing the news of Pimen's consecration, angrily swore not to accept Pimen upon his return. Thus Pimen's metropolitanate was contested from the start, and he accomplished little as a result. Cyprian's rights were also disputed by
Dionysius The name Dionysius (; ''Dionysios'', "of Dionysus"; ) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name of the Greek god, Dionysus, parallel ...
(1384–1385). Dionysius died in detention in Kiev on 15 October 15, 1385. After this, Cyprian enjoyed undisputed leadership of the Church throughout the Rus' and Lithuanian lands. He died in 1406.


References


Sources

* * *
Lithuanian metropoly
at the
Encyclopedia of Ukraine The ''Encyclopedia of Ukraine'' (), published from 1984 to 2001, is a fundamental work of Ukrainian Studies. Development The work was created under the auspices of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Europe (Sarcelles, near Paris). As the ...
{{Authority control 1310s establishments in Europe 1371 disestablishments in Europe 14th century in Lithuania Metropolises Eastern Orthodoxy in Lithuania Eastern Orthodoxy in Belarus History of Christianity in Ukraine Defunct dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople History of Christianity in Lithuania