Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East | |
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Coat of arms Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all East
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Founder | Apostles Peter and Paul |
Independence | Apostolic Era |
Recognition | Orthodox |
Primate | John X Yazigi Patriarch of Antioch and all the East (Dec 17, 2012) |
Headquarters |
Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus, Damascus, Syria Traditionally: Antioch, Byzantine Empire |
Territory | Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, parts of Turkey, formerly Cyprus, formerly Georgia (country) and parts of the Central Caucasus area, United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, European Union |
Possessions | Partial custody of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre |
Language | Koine Greek, Turkish, Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish |
Members | Estimated 1.5 million |
Website | www.antiochpatriarchate.org |
The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, also known as the Antiochian Orthodox Church (Greek: Πατριαρχεῖον Ἀντιοχείας, Patriarcheîon Antiocheías; Arabic: بطريركية أنطاكية وسائر المشرق للروم الأرثوذكس, Baṭriyarkiyya Anṭākiya wa-Sāʾir al-Mashriq li'l-Rūm al-Urthūdhuks; Turkish: Antakya ve Tüm Şark'ın Rum Ortodoks Patrikliği "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East"), is an Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Headed by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, it considers itself the successor to the Christian community founded in Antioch by the Apostles Peter and Paul.
The seat of the patriarchate was formerly Antioch, in what is now Turkey. However, in the 14th century, it was moved to Damascus, modern-day Syria, following the Ottoman invasion of Antioch. Its traditional territory includes Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Arab countries of the Persian Gulf and also parts of Turkey. Its territory formerly included the Church of Cyprus until the latter became in 431. Both the Orthodox Churches of Antioch and Cyprus are members of the Middle East Council of Churches.