The modern metropolitan see is relatively recent, having emerged from the former Bishopric of Paramythia by an act of the
Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1895. The Bishopric of Paramythia itself existed since the 15th century, and was the successor to the ancient Bishopric of
Buthrotum.[2]
The area has a rich ecclesiastical tradition, and has hosted several other bishoprics in the past:[2]
the Bishopric of
Euroea, attested in the 4th–8th centuries
the Bishopric of
Photice, attested since the 5th century, became the Bishopric of Paramythia in the 18th century
the Bishopric of Buthrotum, attested since the 5th century, but transferred to Paramythia in the 15th century; the title "Bishop of Buthrotum" remained current until the 18th century
the Bishopric of
Elaea, attested only in antiquity
the Bishopric of
Giromeri, founded in 1800, and merged with the Bishopric of Paramythia in 1895 to form the modern metropolitan see
the Metropolis of Filiates and Giromeri, established briefly in 1924–1928
Metropolitans
Since its establishment in 1895, there have been 15 Metropolitans:[3]
Leontios Eleftheriadis (1895-1896)
Konstantinos Mikroulis (1896-1897)
Vasileios Papachristou (1897-1900)
Kallinikos Palaiokrasas (1900-1906)
Ierotheos Anthoulidis (1906-1909)
Neofytos Kotzamanidis (1909-1924)
Ioakeim Martinianos (1924-1925)
Athenagoras Eleftheriou (1925-1932)
Georgios Misailidis (1932-1942)
Kyrillos Karbaliotis (1942-1943)
Dorotheos Naskaris (1943-1952)
Dorotheos Vasilas (1952-1957)
Titos Matthaiakis (1957-1968)
Pavlos Karvelis (1968-1974)
Titos Papanakos (1974-)
Notes
^"Codified in the 1928 Patriarchal and Synodical Act, the "
New Lands" were entrusted to the temporary stewardship of the Church of Greece, provided that the Church respected the terms of the Act. The Act subsequently has been incorporated into several pieces of Greek legislation (Laws 3615/1928, 5438/1932, 599/1977, and Article 3, paragraph 1 of the current
Greek Constitution), thereby recognizing the ecclesiastical agreement between the two sides."[1]
References
^Victor Roudometof. Greek Orthodoxy, Territoriality, and Globality: Religious Responses and Institutional Disputes. Report.Sociology of Religion. Vol. 69 No. 1. 22 March 2008. Pg. 67(25).
ISSN1069-4404.