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[[Image:Constantinople seal.gif|right|The Church of Constantinople]]
The '''Church of Constantinople''' is one of the fifteen [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] churches, also referred to as the '''Ecumenical [[Patriarchate]]'''. It is headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch, who has the status of ''[[first among equals|primus inter pares]]'' ("first among equals") among the world's Orthodox [[bishop]]s. The current Ecumenical Patriarch is His All-Holiness [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople|Bartholomew I]], Archbishop of Constantinople.
The local churches of the Ecumenical Patriarchate consist of five archdioceses, three churches, 13 metropolises ("metropolis" is preferred use over "metropolitanate" within this particular Orthodox jurisdiction), 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.
==Peculiar prerogatives of the patriarchate==
:''Main article: [[Prerogatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate]]''
In history and in [[canons|canonical literature]] (i.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 following is a (non-exhaustive) list of these prerogatives and their reference points:
*Equal prerogatives to Old Rome (Canon 3 of the [[Second Ecumenical Council]], Canon 28 of the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council]], Canon 36 of the [[Quinisext Council]])
*The right to hear appeals, if invited, regarding disputes between clergy (Canons 9 and 17 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council)
*The right to ordain bishops for areas outside defined canonical boundaries (Canon 28 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council)
*The right to establish [[stavropegial]] [[monastery|monasteries]] even in the territories of other [[patriarchate]]s (the [[Epanagoge]], commentaries of [[Matthew Blastares]] and [[Theodore Balsamon]])
There are also two [[autonomy|autonomous]] churchs whose primates are confirmed by Constantinople, but which are not hierarchically or administratively part of the patriarchate, the [[Church of Finland]], and the [[Church of Estonia]].
→External links: Fixed broken link to CNEWA website.
{{church|
name= Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople[[Image:Constantinople seal.gif|center|The Church of Constantinople]]|
founder= [[Apostle Andrew]]|
independence=Traditional |
calendar=[[Revised Julian Calendar|Revised Julian]], [[Julian Calendar|Julian]]|
population=3,500,000|
website=[http://www.patriarchateec-patr.org/ Church of Constantinople]
}}
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 current Ecumenical Patriarch is His All-Holiness [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople|Bartholomew I]], Archbishop of Constantinople.
==Metropolitanates of Constantinople==
<small>''See Main Article'' '''[[Church of 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="center" cellpadding="2" border=0
| align="left" valign="top"|
*The '''[[Archdiocese of Constantinople]]'''
**[[District of Stavrodromion]]
**[[District of Tatavla]]
**[[District of the Bosphorous]]
**[[District of Hypsomatheia]]
**[[District of the Phanar and the Keratius gulf]]
| align="left" valign= Structure of the patriarchate =="top"|*Archdiocese of Constantinople**Metropolis of Chalcedon**Metropolis of Gokceada and Bozcaada (Imbros and Tenedos)**Metropolis of the Prince's Islands**Metropolis of Derkos*Archdiocese of Crete**Metropolis of Gortyna and Arkadia**Metropolis of Rethymna and Avlopotamos**Metropolis of Kydonia and Apokoronos''Sacred Metropolitanates within Turkey:'''**Metropolis of Lampi, Syvritos and Sfakia**Metropolis of Ierapytna and Siteia**Metropolis of Petra and Herronisos**Metropolis of Kisamos and Selinos**Metropolis of Arkalohorion, Kastelio and Vianno*[[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Metropolis of America|Archdiocese of AmericaChalcedon]]**Metropolis of Chicago**Metropolis of New Jersey**Metropolis of Atlanta**Metropolis of Denver**Metropolis of Pittsburgh**Metropolis of Boston**Metropolis of Detroit**Metropolis of San Francisco*[[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Metropolis of Australia|Archdiocese of AustraliaDerkoi]]**[[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Metropolis of Thyateira the Imbros and Great BritainTenedos|Archdiocese of Great Britain]]*Metropolis of Rhodes*Metropolis of Kos*Metropolis of Karpathos Gokceada and Kasos*Metropolis of Leros, Kalymnos Bozcaada (Imbros and Astypalaia*[[American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox DioceseTenedos)]]*[[Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA]]*[[Ukrainian Orthodox Church Metropolis of Canadathe Prince Islands]]*Metropolis of Korea*Metropolis of Canada| align="left" valign="top"|*Metropolis of Buenos Aires*Metropolis of Mexico*Metropolis of New Zealand*[[Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia|Metropolitanate of Hong Kong]]*Metropolis of France*Metropolis of Germany*Metropolis of Austria*Metropolis of Belgium*Metropolis of Scandinavia*Metropolis of Switzerland*Metropolis of Italy*Metropolis of Spain*[[Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America]]*[[Russian Orthodox Exarchate in Western Europe]]}
== Places of Pilgrimage ==
Some sites of pilgrimage are no longer owned by the Church nor function as orthodox centres but are historically connected and of great significance to Orthodoxy.
* Church of [[Hagia Sophia (Constantinople)|Hagia Sophia ]]
* [[Church of the Holy Apostles (Constantinople)]]
<gallery>
Image:ChristChora.JPG
Image:Christ03.JPG
</gallery>
== Peculiar prerogatives of the patriarchate ==
''Main article: [[Prerogatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate]]''
[[Image:Ecumenical Patriarchate.jpg|left|thumbnail|The entrance to the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the [[Phanar]] in Constantinople]]In history and in [[canons (law)|canonical literature]] (i.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]].
<br>
The following is a (non-exhaustive) list of these prerogatives and their reference points:
*Equal prerogatives to Old Rome (Canon 3 of the [[Second Ecumenical Council]], Canon 28 of the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council]], Canon 36 of the [[Quinisext Council]])
*The right to hear appeals, if invited, regarding disputes between clergy (Canons 9 and 17 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council)
*The right to ordain bishops for areas outside defined [[canonical territory|canonical boundaries]] (Canon 28 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council)
*The right to establish [[stavropegial]] [[monastery|monasteries]] even in the territories of other [[patriarchate]]s (the [[Epanagoge]], commentaries of [[Matthew Blastares]] and [[Theodore Balsamon]])
==See also==
*[[List of Patriarchs of Constantinople|'''Hierarchical Succession''']]*[[Holy Synod of Constantinople|'''The Holy and Sacred Synod''']], ''The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is presided over by His All-Holiness [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople|Bartholomew I]], Archbishop of Constantinople and is comprised of XX Metropolitans.''*[[Theological School of Halki|'''Theological Institutions''']]*[[Ecumenical Patriarchate in America]]*[[Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Mexico, Central America, Columbia, Venezuela, and the Caribbean Islands]]
{{churches}}
== External links ==* [http://www.patriarchateec-patr.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-bodypgdefault.aspx?eccpageIDID=13&IndexViewpagetypeID=toc 9&sitecode=HQ&pageno=1 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]]
*[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/balsamon-cpl.html Caesaropapism?: Theodore Balsamon on the Powers of the Patriarch of Constantinople], by Paul Halsall
*[http://www.svots.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=165&Itemid=116 Chalcedon Canon 28: Yesterday and Today], by Rev. [[John H. Erickson]]
*[http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/milton1_6.html Constantinople and Rome: A Survey of the Relations between the Byzantine and the Roman Churches], by Milton V. Anastos
*[http://www.ec-patr.gr/patrdisplay.php?lang=en&id=5 Brief Historical Note Regarding the Ecumenical Patriarchate], from the official website
*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
[[Category:Jurisdictions|Constantinople]]
[[ar:بطريركية القسطنطينية]]
[[el:Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο]]
[[es:Iglesia Ortodoxa de Constantinopla]]
[[fr:Église de Constantinople]]
[[ro:Biserica Ortodoxă a Constantinopolului]]
[[ru:Константинопольская православная церковь]]
