The Patriarchate of Cilicia () is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction and the only

patriarchate Patriarchate (, ; , ''patriarcheîon'') is an ecclesiological term in Christianity, referring to the office and jurisdiction of a patriarch. According to Christian tradition, three patriarchates—Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria—were establi ...

of the

Armenian Catholic Church The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church. It accepts the papal supremacy, leadership of the bishop of Rome, and is therefore in full communion with ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. The territorial jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Cilicia is the Archeparchy of Beirut, over which the Patriarch of Cilicia holds

ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (album) (2011), by Every Little Thing * "Ordinary" (Alex Warren song) (2025) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016 ...

authority. The St. Elie and St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Catholic Cathedral in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, is the

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 Patriarchate. The Patriarchate is headed by Patriarch

Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, I.C.P.B. (; born 24 November 1946) is a Lebanese-born armenian hierarch who serves as the 21st patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church. He previously served as ordinary of the Ordinariate for Catholi ...

elected in September 2021.

History

While the

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...

dates back to 294, it was promoted to a patriarchate in 1742. In 1866, the seat of the patriarchate was moved to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

(now

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

), and in 1928 to Beirut, Lebanon, where it remains today.

Ordinaries

Patriarchs

* Abraham Petros I Ardzivian (1740–1749) * Hagop Petros II Hovsepian (1749–1753) *

Michael Petros III Kasparian Michael Petros III Kasbarian (in Armenian Միքայէլ Պետրոս Գ. Գասպարեան ) was a member of the Order of St. Antoine, from Aleppo, Syria. During his time at Bzommar there was not a church. All the big events took place at th ...

(1753–1780) *

Parsegh Petros IV Avkadian Basile Petros IV Avkadian (in Armenian Բարսեղ Պետրոս Դ. Աւգատեան ) was an Armenian Catholic Patriarch from Aleppo, Syria from 1780 until 1788. It was said of him that ''" never took off his monachal garment when he was bish ...

(1780–1788) * (1788–1812) * (1815–1841) * (1841–1843) * (1844–1866) *

Anthony Petros IX Hassun Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the ''Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants ...

(1866–1881), ''elevated to cardinal'' ''in 1880 Pope Leo referenced Bessarion in his address to the consistory.'' * (1881–1899) * (1899–1904) * (1904–1910) * (1910–1931) * (1931–1937) * Gregory Petros XV Agagianian (1937–1962), ''elevated to cardinal'' ''in 1946'' *

Ignatius Petros XVI Batanian Ignatius Bedros XVI Batanian (in Armenian Իգնատիոս Պետրոս ԺԶ Պաթանեան French Ignace Pierre XVI Batanian; 15 February 1899 in Mardin, Ottoman Empire – 9 October 1979, in Lebanon) was Armenian Catholic Catholicos- Patriarc ...

(1962–1976) *

Hemaiag Petros XVII Ghedighian Hemaiag Bedros XVII Ghedighian (in Armenian Հմայեակ Պետրոս ԺԷ. Կէտիկեան) (2 October 1905, in Partizak, Armenia – 28 November 1998, in Lebanon) was the Armenian Catholic Catholicos- Patriarch of Cilicia from July 1976 until ...

(1976–1982) * John Petros XVIII Kasparian (1982–1999) * Nerses Petros XIX Tarmouni (1999–2015) *

Krikor Petros XX Gabroyan Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan, I.P.C.B. () also known in English as Gregory Peter XX Gabroyan and in French as Grégoire Pierre XX Ghabroyan (14 November 1934 – 25 May 2021) was the Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenian Catholic Church ...

(2015–2021) *

(2021–)

Auxiliary bishops

* (2024–)

References

External links