Ioann IV
- Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus' (1164-1166)
- Succession and Controversies
- Arrival in Kyiv and Resistance
- Innovations and Legacy
- Demise
Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus' (1164-1166)
John IV was the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus' from 1164 to 1166. Notably, he was one of the first to bear the title "Metropolitan of All Rus'." After overcoming a church schism, John IV became the second metropolitan after Theodore to extend his jurisdiction to "all Rus" in practice.
Succession and Controversies
Upon Theodore's death in June 1163, Kliment's reappointment was considered as a potential successor. Kyivan Prince Rostislav I sent an embassy to Constantinople in 1164 to persuade Emperor Manuel I Komnenos to support this proposal. However, news of Kliment's intended reinstatement reached Constantinople earlier. Consequently, John IV was promptly consecrated as metropolitan and dispatched to Rus' with an imperial embassy.
Arrival in Kyiv and Resistance
An unexpected meeting of both embassies occurred at Oleshye, near the mouth of the Dnieper River, after which they proceeded to Kyiv together. Though John IV arrived in Kyiv in 1164, Grand Prince Rostislav I Mstyslavich initially ordered him to return. Only after persistent persuasion from the Byzantine emperor was John IV accepted.
Innovations and Legacy
In 1165, John IV elevated the Bishop of Novgorod, John, to the rank of archbishop, a title that subsequent Novgorod bishops would retain. He was renowned for his erudition and wisdom. John IV corresponded with Pope Alexander III, urging him to return to ancient piety and reunite with the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Demise
John IV passed away in 1166, leaving a lasting legacy as a significant figure in the history of the Kievan Rus' and the Russian Orthodox Church.
