The Apostolic Succession of
the Genuine Orthodox Church of America

The Church of Constantinople

The Russian Church

Period during which the Metropolitans sat at Kiev:

Period during which the Metropolitans sat at Vladimir:

Period during which the Metropolitans resided at Moscow:

The Patriarchs of Moscow:

ROCOR Chief Hierarchs:

ROAC Chief Hierarchs:

GOCA (Genuine Orthodox Church of America) Chief Hierarchs:

Notes of Interest Concerning this List

The Holy Apostle Andrew: The Apostle St. Andrew was the first to preach the Gospel of Christ in Constantinople, apointing one of the 70, St. Stachys, as her bishop. He went throughout the Black sea region and on to Russia, where he planted a cross at Kiev; however, the full scale conversion of Russia would come much later.

Elevation from Metropolitan to Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia: In 1589 Ieremias [Jeremiah] II, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (1572 – 1579, 1580 – 1584, 1586 – 1595), with the other ancient patriarchates, granted the Russian Church autocephaly and raised Iov [Job], Metropolitan of Moscow to the Patriarchal dignity. This created the Patriarchate of Moscow and all the Russias.

Vacancy of the Patriarchate: In 1700 Tsar Peter the Great took advantage of the death of Patriarch Adrian to put an end to the position of Patriarch in the the Russian Church. He – with the consent of the other Patriarchs – refused to allow the election of a new Russian Patriarch. Metropolitan Stephen was made Guardian of the Patriarchate in 1701. In 1721 the Russian Church altered its hierarchal structure so that the conciliar authority of the Holy Synod of Bishops replaced the former system.

Patriarch Tikhon: The Holy Synod, on October 19, 1897, consecrated Fr. Tikhon Bishop of Lublin, a vicariate of the Kholm – Warsaw diocese, in the Trinity cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. His consecrators were Metropolitan Palladius (Rayev) of St. Petersburg, Archbishop Arsenius (Bryantsev) of Kazan, Archbishop Anthony (Vadkovsky) of Finland, Bishop John (Kratirov) of Narva and Bishop Gurias (Burtasovsky) of Samara. On September 14, 1898, he was made Bishop of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska. In 1900 he was appointed Bishop of North America, becoming archbishop on May 19, 1905. On January 25, 1907, he was appointed Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov, and on December 22, 1913 he was transfered to the diocese of Vilnius. Since Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow had been among those removed from his see by the revolutionary Provisional government in 1917, it was necessary to elect a new metropolitan. On June 19, 1917, a congress of the clergy and laity of the diocese of Moscow met and on June23 / July 6 (according to another source, June 21 / July 4) elected Tikhon as Archbishop of Moscow and Kolomna (he became metropolitan on August 14/27). On August 15, 1917, the Local Council of the Russian Church opened in the cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow attended by 564 delegates. Metropolitan Tikhon was elected president of the Council by 407 votes to 33. The first major question before the Council was the restoration of the patriarchate, which had been abolished by Peter the Great in 1700. 200 delegates participated in the Section on the Higher Church Administrationwhich was to decide this question, and for a long time the opponents of the patriarchate, led by the future renovationist Professor Titlinov, waged a bitter struggle against its restoration. However, the Bolshevik coup on October 25 changed the mood of the Council, and on October 31, at the suggestion of Count Paul Mikhailovich Grabbe, nominations of candidates took place.

On the first secret ballot, Archbishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kharkov received 101 votes, Archbishop Arsenius of Novgorod – 27 votes, and Metropolitan Tikhon – 23 votes. On the second ballot, only the first three candidates on the first ballot were considered. Archbishop Anthony got 159 votes, Archbishop Arsenius – 148 votes, and Metropolitan Tikhon – 125 votes. These three names were then put in a blessed urn and placed before the famous wonderworking Vladimir icon of the Mother of God. On the following morning, after the Divine Liturgy and a moleben served to the Holy Hierarchs of Moscow, Elder Alexis of Zossima hermitage drew out one of the names and handed it to Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev, the future hieromartyr. Metropolitan Vladimir crossed himself and read out: “Tikhon, Metropolitan of Moscow, Axios!"And on November21 / December 4, 1917, Metropolitan Tikhon was enthroned as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in the Kremlin Dormition cathedral to the sound of gunfire from the battle of Moscow raging outside.

On January 19, 1918, he anathematized the Bolsheviks and their co – workers, saying: “I adjure all of you who are faithful children of the Orthodox Church of Christ not to commune with such outcasts of the human race in any matter whatsoever”. Addressing the pastors and archpastors, he said: “Do not hesitate for a moment in your spiritual activity, but with fiery zeal call your children to defend the rights of the Orthodox Church which are now being trampled on. Immediately organize spiritual unions, call on them to enter, not of necessity but voluntary, into the ranks of the spiritual warriors, who oppose external force with the force of their holy inspiration...” The decree ended with an appeal to defend the Church, if necessary, to the death.

Patriarch Tikhon and the Beginning of the Catacomb Church and the ROCOR: In 1917, when Tsar Nikolai II and his family were secretly executed by the Jewish Bolsheviks, on April 5/18, 1918, the leadership of the Russian Church met to elect a new Patriarch: Metropolitan Tikhon. As Metropolitan, Tikhon had governed the Russian Church in America before being recalled to Russia. On Nov. 7/20, 1920, Patriarch Tikhon issued Ukaz #362, which ordered the bishops to organize an independent Church administration if cut off from the Higher Administration by the Soviets. The Bolsheviks imprisoned patriarch Tikhon in 1922. The Bolshevik government refused to allow an election for Tikhon’s successor when he was poisoned by the Bolsheviks in 1925, after refusing to submit the Church to the anti – chirst Soviet state. Metropolitan Peter became Tikhon’s Locum Tenens, but was also imprisoned and later would be exiled to the far north of Siberia for refusing to cooperate in any manner with the Bolsheviks. Consequently, The renovationist – sympathizer, Sergii [Stragorodsky], Metropolitan of Nizhni – Novgorod eventually was appointed by the Soviets as Locum Tenens. In July 16/29, 1927, Sergii issued his infamous “Declaration” saying, “The joys of the Soviet Union are our joys, and its woes are our woes”, and announced that the Church was to be entirely subservient to the anti – christ Soviet state. This was published in Soviet news in August. For this total subservience, which made the Church an instrument of KGB espionage and persecutors of the Catacomb Church, Sergii was made Patriarch of the MP Soviet Church in 1943, after gaining permission from Iosef Stalin to hold patriarchal elections once more. Along with many others, Metropolitan Joseph refused to sign the “Declaration” and thereby incurred condemnation and persecution as a ‘counter – revolutionary’. In December of 1927 Metropolitan Joseph blessed his Vicar Bishops to depart from Sergius; and, being himself in Rostov, on Jan. 29/ Feb. 9, he signed, together with Metropolitan Agathangel and other hierarchs of the Yaroslavl region, an epistle to Metropolitan Sergius of February 6, 1928, which declared their separation from him until he should show repentance for his errors, recognizing in the meantime no head of the Church apart from the banished Metropolitan Peter. Metropolitan Peter was executed by firing squad in 1938; however, the Catacomb Church continued throughout the Soviet anti – christian reign.

ROCOR: The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia was founded in 1920, at the end of the Russian Civil War that followed the Revolution of 1917. Accompanying the countless Russian emigres, forced to flee their country as the Bolshevik atheist government took power were priests and a number of bishops who could no longer keep in contact with the Higher Church Administration in Moscow, headed by Patriarch Tikhon. In accordance with his Ukase No. 362, of November 20, 1920, if contact with the central Higher Church Administration were to be broken, then those bishops who found themselves in such a situation were to gather together to form a Higher Church Administration of their own. The emigre bishops, led by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) formed such a Higher Church Administration to direct the life of all parishes and monasteries outside of the territories controlled by the communist regime.

Metropolitan Anthony: In 1897 at the age of 34 he was consecrated bishop, and so had to give up his rectorship. At first he was vicar bishop in Kazan, then, in 1900, he became ruling bishop of Ufa, a distant provincial see. In 1902 Bishop Anthony was transferred to the Volynia cathedral [on the western border of Russia], where he remained until 1914. In 19l4 Archbishop Anthony was transferred to Kharkov. When the Revolution did come in 1917, he was compelled by various revolutionary elements to leave Kharkov, and he went to Valaam monastery, intending to devote the rest of his days to theological writing and monastic life. But very soon he was called to take part in the All – Russian Church Council in Moscow as a representative of Russian monasticism. Here he was the leading spokesman for the restoration of the Patriarchate. Archbishop Anthony was asked to return to Kharkov, but at the end of the Council he was made Metropolitan of Kiev and Galich. When the Petlura government [left – wing Ukrainian nationalists-] came to power, he was imprisoned for eight months in a Uniate monastery. Later he was able to return to Kiev, but while he was in Novocherkassk [in the south of Russia] on church business, Kiev fell to the advancing Red Army, preventing Vladika Anthony’s return to the city.

At Novocherkassk he led the Highest Church Administration, which was composed of bishops in the south whe were cutoff from Patriarch Tikhon by the civil war. This group of hierarchs was the precursor of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. After the White Army’s evacuation of the Crimea, Metropolitan Anthony accompanied it to Constantinople. He was soon invited to Yugoslavia by Patriarch Dimitrije of Serbia. Here he spent the last 15 years of his life as leader of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

At Sremski Karlovtsi, Metropolitan Anthony was the senior hierarch of the Synod of Bishops formed in 1922.

Metropolitan Antastassy: Metropolitan Anastassy was consecrated to the Episcopacy in Russia in 1906, served as Metropolitan of the ROCA until his death in 1965. Elected in 1936 to be first hierarch, successor to Metropolitan Anthony.

Metropolitan St. Philaret the Confessor: Consecrated Bishop of Brisbane, Vicar of the Australian diocese. From 1964, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York. First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, 1964 – 85.

Metropolitan Vitaly: Consecrated Bishop of Montevideo, Vicar of the Brazil diocese. From 1954, Bishop of Edmonton & Western Canada. From 1957, Archbishop of Montreal and Canada. From 1986, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York. First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. In the year 1994, Metropolitan Vitaly, with his Synod, announced that they were accepting the ecclesiology and theology of the deposed ecumenist, Cyprian of Fili and therefore entered into communion with him. After this, they announced (1997) that they were also in communion with the ecumenist Jerusalem Patriarchate and then (1999) with the Serbian Patriarchate. Then, in the year 2000, they sought the mediation of the Patriarch of Serbia to help them unite with the Moscow Patriarchate. Thus be traced since 1994 the fall of the traditionally confessing Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and the abandonment of its true Orthodoxy, as handed down by its illustrios leaders, Metropolitans Anthony, Anastassy, and St. Philaret. This apostasy also caused the separation from the Russian Church Abroad of the hierarchs in Russia who continued to hold the Faith.

Metropolitan Valentine of Vladimir and Sudzal: On February 10, 1991, in the church of St. Job the Much – Suffering in Brussels, which was a memorial to the Holy Royal Martyrs, Archimandrite Valentine was consecrated Bishop of Suzdal and Vladimir. The consecration was carried out by four bishops of the Russian Church Abroad (ROCA), among them Bishop Gregory Grabbe, who had for many years assisted the great first – hierarchs of the ROCA and who rendered priceless assistance in the formation of the Russian [Rossijskoj] Church. In March, 1994, due to the great disorders in the Russian Church Abroad, the Higher Church Administration of the Russian Orthodox Church (as stipulated by the order number 362 of Patriarch Tikhon of All Russia) was organized, under the leadership of Archbishop Valentine. On March 2/15, 2001, the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church decreed that its head should hold the rank of Metropolitan. On December 2/19, 2001 Archimandrite Gregory of Dormition Skete, having been elected unanimously by the ROAC Synod of Bishops, was ordained Bishop of Denver and Vicar of the ROAC in America by Metropolitan Valentine, Archbishop Theodore, and Catacomb Bishop Anthony of Yaransk in the St. Constantine Cathedral, Suzdal, Russia.

Archbishop Gregory of Denver and Colorado: On May 17/30, 2004, Bishop Gregory was elevated to the rank of Archbishop by the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church #47 on March 7/20. The elevation was granted to him because of his missionary activities.

In the summer of 2004, the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church in America (ROAC) suffered a destructive schism due to the criminal behavior of Metropolitan Valentine. After surviving a five bypass heart surgery in Colorado, he acted in a fashion that is unacceptable for a bishop of the Orthodox Church.

Metropolitan Valentine attacked his benefactor, Archbishop Gregory, and has adopted papal ideas, whereby he believes he has supreme authority to enter any monastery and any diocese of any country and usurp any bishop, steal any monk or priest, and ordain any person, without the permission from the ruling bishop! In doing thus, he falls under the condemnation of the Ecumenical Synods and their canons, which he disregards saying that they are applicable only to Greek bishops!

Metropolitan Valentine has maliciously slandered Archbishop Gregory publicly and in writing, and has again condemned himself to be liable to deposition by his undisciplined actions. All his uncanonical actions were put in a formal complaint to the Holy Synod which alone has the authority to punish any bishop, even a Metropolitan, who breaks the holy Canons. Regrettably all this took place in Russia, and the accused became the judge. The judge then threw out the accusation against himself and accused the accuser and sat in judgement over his own accusations! The only response from this unlawful court was e-mail messages supposedly from the Synod in Russia, stating that the Synod was no longer in communion with Archbishop Gregory. This caused a schism and those responsible in Russia will be held accountable before the dread throne of Christ.

The outcome of all this is that the only true representative and bishop of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church (ROAC) in America is Archbishop Gregory of Denver and Colorado. All those interested in joining the church which is also known as the Genuine Orthodox Church of America are invited to contact us here at Dormition Skete. The desire for true Orthodoxy under a confessing bishop should be the only criteria for joining the Church. If anybody wishes to join the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church under Archbishop Gregory only for the reason of preserving Russianness, he need not apply. The love of the truth is the only criteria for belonging to the Church.