Philip I, Metropolitan of Moscow

Philip I (Russian: Филипп) (died 1473) was Metropolitan of Moscow from 1464 to 1473.

Information about Philip's life only begins in 1455, when he was already the Archbishop of Suzdal.^[1] In 1464, he was appointed Metropolitan of Moscow, hand-picked by Theodosius at the time of his resignation, just as Theodosius had been picked by his predecessor, Iona^[2]

In the 1470s, Philip was actively engaged in a struggle against the Polish-Lithuanian influence over Novgorod, particularly the influence of the Metropolitan of Lithuania and the fear that Novgorod would defect to him and eventually go over to Catholicism.^[3]

While he was instrumental in bringing Sophia Paleologue from Rome to Moscow in 1472, Philip was against admitting a papal legate in her entourage into Moscow, thus continuing his opposition to Catholicism or "Latinism" in his province.^[4]

That same year, Philip started reconstructing the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin. The original cathedral, built by Metropolitan Petr in 1326, was in a dilapidated state; Philipp hired inexperienced workers and soon after his death the building collapsed. It was rebuilt by Aristotile Fioravanti under Metropolitan Gerontius.^[5]

Metropolitan Philip died on 5 April 1473 and was buried in the Cathedral of the Dorimition in the Moscow Kremlin.^[6]

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