1. The see - the name
The inhabitants of Pessinus were converted to Christianity during the second half of the 3rd century.1 Pessinus was the most important town of the province Galatia Secunda/Saloutaris and the see of the metropolis of the ecclesiastical province of Galatia, under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. From a miracle account in the Life of Saint Theodore of Sykeon,2 which is considered to have taken place in this town at the end of the 6th or the beginnings of the 7th century, we are informed that the metropolitan church of Pessinus was consecrated to Hagia Sophia, as well as that outside the walls of the town laid the church of Myriangeloi. In the notitia episcopatuum (no. 4) dated to the 9th century, we find the see under the name metropolis of Justinianopolis.3 The town was given this name since the last decade of the 6th century and for a time it was attested parallelly to the names “metropolis of Pisinountes” or “of Pisinous”, of which the last one prevailed. The name "Pessinus" is rarely met in relation to the metropolitan see.
2. Ecclesiastical administration
Up until the 12th century the metropolis of Pessinus was recorded in the notitiae episcopatuum between the 18th and the 20th place, with the exception of the notitia episcopatuum no. 14, dated to the end of the 12th century, where the metropolis is reduced to the 22th place that thereafter holds firmly. It had seven bishoprics under its jurisdiction. From these Amorion and Germia were raised to the rank of autocephalous archbishoprics and later to metropolises.4 Other bishoprics that were at times subjected to the jurisdiction of the metropolis of Pessinus are Eudoxias, Germokoloneia, Trokandes, Myrikion, Orcistus, Pitanissos, Spalia and Synodia. The last reference to this metropolis is in the notitia episcopatuum no. 17, dated to the 14th century.
3. Metropolitans of Pisinountes
On the whole, we know of fourteen metropolitans (they are usually referred to as “those of Pisinountes”) from their signatures in synodical acts, their seals, their correspondence or from references in hagiological texts. The first known metropolitan of Pessinus is Demetrios, consecrated by the patriarch of Constantinople John (Chrysostom) in 403. In 431 he participated in the Third Ecumenical Council the metropolitan Pios, whereas the metropolitan Theoktistos took part in the so-called Robber Council of Ephesus (449) and in the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451. From references in the hagiographical texts5 and from the correspondence6 we know the names of some other metropolitans. Metropolitan John partook of the Sixth Ecumenical Council at Constantinople (680-681), whereas Constantine signed the acts of the Pentekte (Quinisext) Ecumenical Council on September of 691. In 754 the metropolitan of Pessinus Gregory took part in the iconoclastic Council of Hieria, but in 787 he joined the ranks of iconolaters and signed the acts of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. The last metropolitan of Pessinus ever mentioned in the sources (specifically on a 13th-century seal) was named Demetrios.
1. Lambrechts, P. – Bogaert, R., “Nouvelles donneés sur l'histoire du Christianisme à Pessinonte”, in Stiehl, R. – Stier, H. E. (ed.), Beiträge zur alten Geschichte und deren Nachleben. Festschrift für Franz Altheim zum 6.10.1968, 1 (Studia Historica Gandensia 97, Berlin 1969), pp. 552-586. Pessinous was the center of the cult of Attis and Cybele during the Antiquity. It is handed down that when Julian the Apostate visited the town in 362, he was disappointed because of the Christian beliefs of the inhabitants.
2. A. J. Festugière (ed.), Vie de Théodore de Sykeôn (Subsidia Hagiographica 48, Brussels 1970), §101.
3. For the notitia episcopatuum no. 4 see Darrouzès, J. (ed.), Notitiae episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae (Paris 1981), pp. 255-262.
4. In the 9th century the metropolis of Amorion was raised to the rank of metropolis and Klaneos was ascribed to this metropolis as a suffragan bishopric. Germia were not given any bishoprics in the 11th century. These two metropolises have been autocephalous archbishoprics since the 8th and the 7th century respectively.
5. George (late 6th / beginnings of the 7th century) is known from the life of Saint Theodore of Sykeon and Eustratios (second half of the 9th century) from his signature in the acts of the council of 879 and from the Life of Saint Blasios.
6. Eusebius (mid-10th century) is familiar to us through the letter that Andrew, metropolitan of Nicaea, sent to him. Earlier the patriarch of Constantinople Nikolaos Mystikos (919-925) had addressed a letter to an unknown metropolitan of Pessinous.