Previous Patriarchs

       He worked with great enthusiasm for the spread of the Gospel message on the Africa n continent. He concerned himself mainly with the administrative reorganization of the Church of Alexandria, compiled the “Patriarchal Order of 16^th September 2002” regarding the election of the Patriarch by the Holy Synod exclusively. He began the reno vation works for the Patriarchal Palace , the Holy Monastery of St Savvas in Alexandria , the Patriarchal Vicariate in Cairo , and the Monastery of St George in Old Cairo. He established the Dioceses of Nigeria, Madagascar , Ghana , Bukoba and Zambia . He reinstated the canonical order of the person of St Nektarios, Metropolitan of Pentapolis. He died suddenly on 11^th September 2004, in an aviation accident. 

   He was distinguished for his theological knowledge and his manifold activity in the Ecumenical Movement and the Theological Dialogues, defined as the Patriarch of Dialogues. He served as President of the World Council of Churches. He worked tirelessly for the spread of Orthodox Mission especially in Uganda , where he established the Metropolis of Kampala, and in Kenya . He fell asleep suddenly on 23^rd July 1996.

     He came face to face with the enormous problem of the diminishing of the Greek flock of the Patriarchate in Egypt . He transferred the patriarchal See from the Holy Monastery of St Savv to the building of the Tositsas School in Alexandria , reorganized the Archdiocese of Alexandria and improved the infrastructure of the ecclesiastical institutions. He established the Metropolises of Good Hope ( Cape T ow n ) and Zimbabwe . He ordained the first three Africa n Orthodox Bishops. He fell asleep on 10^th July 1986 in Russia , during an official visit.

 He was a respected and compassionate man of the church, a lover and admirer of the tradition of the fathers and the Canons of the Church. During his tenure as Patriarch the missionary activities on the African continent began. He staffed the Church with able priests from Egypt , showing great concern for their spiritual development. He established the Metropolises of Irinopolis ( Tanzania ), Central Africa ( Congo ) and Accra ( Cameroon ).

 He worked very hard on the internal reorganization of the philanthropic institutions of the Church and the harmonious operation of the educational institutes.

         An eminent and highly experienced man of the church. He served as Metropolitan of Kition in Cyprus (1910-1918), Metropolitan of Athens (1918-1921) and Ecumenical Patriarch (1921-1923). In 1926 he was elected as Patriarch of Alexandria. He compiled the “Standing Law of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria”, the “Organization of the Courts of the Patriarchal Throne of Alexandria and its existing Legal Procedures” and the “Order for Marriage and Divorce”. During his tenure as Patriarchate, by special Order “of the Formulae for Metropolises”, the nine Ecclesiastical Provinces of the Throne were determined. He was the first to be given the title of Patriarch of All Africa.

 He was born on the island of Tinos as Photios Peroglou and was elected as Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1883, even though the Sultan refused to accept the choice and was named as Metropolitan of Nazareth. In 1900 he was elected Patriarch of Alexandria. He divided the entire administration of the Patriarchate into seven ecclesiastical Provinces. He re-established the Metropolis of Ptolemais, reno vated from scratch the Holy Monastery of St George in Old Cairo and founded the Patriarchal Printing Press, publishing the two periodicals “Pantainos” and “Ecclesiastikos Pharos”. He fell asleep on 4^th September 1925 in Zurich .

    He served as Ecumenical Patriarch during the period of 1863-1866. On 30^th May 1870 he was elected Patriarch of Alexandria. In 1888 he established the Holy Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour in Port Said . His tenure as Patriarch was tainted by the unfair expulsion of the Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo, Metropolitan Nektarios Kephalas of Pentapolis, whom the Chu rch elevated to Sainthood following his death.

   He was a respected man of the Church, who during his short tenure as Patriarch who was harassed by the astonishing election of Archimandrite Evgenios as “his caretaker and successor”. This fact caused serious internal clashes in the Church of Alexandria . He resigned from the Patriarchal Throne on 19^th March 1869.

     His election at first caused objections on the part of the Hellenic Community of Alexandria, because he tried to play a part in the internal affairs of the Community.  In 1862 he retracted all the decisions made by his predecessors regarding the Sinaitic issue.

   He participated in the National Assemblies of Constantinople in the years 1858-1860. He tried unsuccessfully to bring about unity with the Coptic Church. He resigned from the Patriarchal Throne on 24^th May 1861.

    In 1847 he established and inaugurated in 1856 the beautiful Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Alexandria . He also founded the Hellenic Girls’ School in the city. He took care of the spiritual development of the clergy. He participated in various Synods for the solution of ecclesiastical issues among which was the Synod of Constantinople in 1850 which granted canonical autocephaly to the Church of Greece .

      He was a respected and very experienced man. He was elected Patriarch of Alexandria by the Ecumenical Patriarchate despite the objections of the Hellenic Community of Alexandria, he proposed Archimandrite Ierotheos for the Patriarchal Throne. The period following his election was one of internal upheaval in the Church of Alexandria , because neither clergy nor people accepted Artemios as Patriarch, which led him to resign on 30^th January 1847.

   He renovated the Holy Monastery of St Savvas in Alexandria , the Holy Church of St Nicholas in Cairo and established a guest house to host the poor. In 1842 he established the Hellenic-Arabic School of Cairo. He ransomed and freed many Christian captives from the Arabs.

    He too was from Patmos , a nephew of Patriarch Parthenios II, whom he succeeded to the Patriarchal Throne of Alexandria. He supported the immigration of Greeks to Egypt with the parallel goodwill of the reformer of the country, Mohammed Ali. In 1818 he became ill and went to Patmos to recuperate, where he was initiated into the Filiki Eteria. With the onset of the Greek Revolution, Theophilos again returned to Patmos and remained there throughout the Nation’s struggle. On 14^th October 1825 the Ecumenical Patriarch, Chrysanthos, under pressure from the Ottoman Government, convened a Synod in Constantinople and suspended Theophilos from his duties because of his lengthy absence from his Patriarchal See. Theophilos remained on the island on which he was born until his falling asleep on 24^th January 1833.

        He was born n Patmos . His general church activities are not known. He renovated the ancient Holy Monastery of St George in Old Cairo and re-organized the Patriarchal Library. Following the French conquest of Egypt under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte, Patriarch Parthenios II withstood enormous persecution by the Arabs and was forced to seek refuge first in Rahitio and then in Rhodes where he fell asleep on 9^th September 1805.

       An erudite man of the Church and an experienced interpreter of the Holy Scriptures. He was most concerned with education.

 A virtuous man of the Church about whom very few facts are known. He re-instituted the Hellenic School of Cairo and concerned himself mainly with the solution to the Sinaitic issue.

   He was born on the island of Andros He served as Metropolitan of Libya and Hegumen (Abbot) of the Zlatari Monastery of Vlachia. He was elected Patriarch of Alexandria on 18^th August 1746. Despite the lack of funds of the Patriarchate he went ahead with renovations of the buildings, institutions and Churches of Alexandria, Cairo , Pylousion, Rahition and Libya . He took care of the spiritual grounding of the Clergy. He fought against the Latin propaganda which went against the Orthodox Christians of Egypt. He tried unsuccessfully to respond to the request of Negu Jesu II, the King of Ethiopia to unite the Ethiopian Church with the Orthodox. He went through many persecutions at the hands of the Governors of Egypt. He resigned from the Patriarchal Throne on 9^th June 1766 and went to stay on Mount Athos where he fell asleep.

         He was a highly educated man of the Church. He served as Metropolitan of Pisidia and was elected Patriarch of Alexandria by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.