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The '''Church of Constantinople''' is one of the fourteen or fifteen [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] churches, also referred to as the '''Ecumenical [[Patriarchate]]'''. It is headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch, who has the status of ''[[primus inter pares]]'' ("first among equals") among the world's Orthodox [[bishop]]s. The local churches of the Ecumenical Patriarchate consist of five archdioceses, three churches, thirteen metropolises, and one diocese, each of which reports directly to the Patriarch of Constantinople with no intervening authority. In addition, three of the five archdioceses have internal metropolises (16 in all), which are part of their respective archdioceses rather than distinct administrative entities, unlike the other metropolises.

The local churches of the current Ecumenical Patriarchate consist Patriarch is His All-Holiness [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of five archdiocesesConstantinople|Bartholomew I]], three churches, thirteen metropolises, and one diocese, each of which reports directly to the Patriarch Archbishop of Constantinople with no intervening authority. In addition, three  ==Metropolitanates of the five archdioceses have internal metropolises (16 in all), which are part Constantinople==<small>''See Main Article'' '''[[Church of their respective archdioceses rather than distinct administrative entities, unlike the other metropolises.Constantinople Structure]]'''</small>

The [[Church of Constantinople]] is headed by the [[Patriarch of Constantinople]] and is split into a number of Metropolitanates as listed below.[[Image:Byzantine-Constantinople.jpg|left|thumb|Map of Byzantine Constantinople.]]{| width="100%" align= Structure of the Patriarchate "center" cellpadding="2" border=0| align="left" valign="top"|:<small> *The '''See article on the </small> [[Church Archdiocese of Constantinople Structure]]'''**[[District of Stavrodromion]]**[[District of Tatavla]]**[[District of the Bosphorous]]**[[District of Hypsomatheia]]**[[District of the Phanar and the Keratius gulf]]

| align="left" valign= Hierarchical Succession =="top"|*'''Sacred Metropolitanates within Turkey:'''**[[Metropolis of Chalcedon]]**[[Metropolis of Derkoi]]The current Ecumenical Patriarch is His All-Holiness **[[Bartholomew I Metropolis of the Imbros and Tenedos|Metropolis of Gokceada and Bozcaada (ArchontonisImbros and Tenedos) ]]**[[Metropolis of Constantinople|Bartholomew Ithe Prince Islands]], Archbishop of Constantinople.| align="left" valign="top"||}

:<small>''See also:</small> [[List == Places of Patriarchs Pilgrimage ==Some sites of Constantinople]]''pilgrimage are no longer owned by the Church nor function as orthodox centres but are historically connected and of great significance to Orthodoxy.

==Peculiar prerogatives * Church of the patriarchate==[[Hagia Sophia (Constantinople)|Hagia Sophia ]]:''Main article: * [[Prerogatives Church of the Ecumenical PatriarchateHoly Apostles (Constantinople)]]''

In history and in [[canons (law)|canonical literature]] (i<gallery>Image:ChristChora.e. the Church's canons and traditional commentaries on them), the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been granted certain prerogatives (''[[presbeia]]'') which other autocephalous Orthodox churches do not have. Not all of these prerogatives are today universally acknowledged, though all do have precedents in history and canonical references. The nature of these prerogatives or even their very existence is hotly contested on [[Prerogatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate#Canonical claims|canonical grounds]] by certain other Orthodox churches, particularly the [[Church of Russia]]JPGImage:Christ03.JPG</gallery>

== Peculiar prerogatives of the patriarchate ==''Main article: [[Image:Ecumenical Patriarchate.jpg|left|frame|The entrance to the headquarters Prerogatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the [[Phanar]] in Constantinople]]''

== External links ==* [http://www.ec-patr.gr org/default.php?lang=en/ Official website of the Patriarchate of Constantinople]* [http://www.ecupatria.org Official website of the Permanent Representation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the World Council of Churches] * [http://www.cnewa.org/ecc-bodypg-us.aspx?eccpageID=13&IndexView=toc Eastern Christian Churches: Patriarchate of Constantinople] by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar*[http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8148.asp The Origins and Authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church], by [[Demetrios Constantelos|Demetrios J. Constantelos]]

 *Prof. Thomas Mathews. [http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/fineart/html/Byzantine/ The Byzantine Churches of Constantinople]. New York University (Institute of fine Arts).*[http://www.byzantium1200.com/ Byzantium 1200] (Byzantium 1200 is a project aimed at creating computer reconstructions of the Byzantine Monuments located in Istanbul, TURKEY as of year 1200 AD). * [http://www.patriarchate.org/ecumenical_patriarchate/timeline.swf Timeline]* [http://www.patriarchate.org/media/vrtour_patriarchate.php Virtual tour]* [http://www.archons.patriarchate.org/patriarchate/ History]* [http://realserver.goarch.org/ram/en/lightstillbright.ram History - video]* [http://orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/ea_patriarch.aspx Articles Critical of Actions of Positions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate]*[http://www.ortodoksi.net/index.php/The_Legal_Status_of_the_Ecumenical_Patriarchate The Legal Status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate] by Jaakko Husa, Professor of Constitutional Law and General Jurisprudence at the University of Joensuu (Finland) / Ortodoksi.net 

[[ar:بطريركية القسطنطينية]][[el:Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο]]