1. The bishopric of Patara

Patara was a bishopric see subjugated to the metropolis of Myra of the province of Lycia and to the patriarchate of Constantinople. It is one of the most ancient bishoprics of southern Asia Minor, which had also played an important role during the persecutions against Christians in late 3^rd- early 4^th century. The ecclesiastic see of Patara, also known as the bishopric of Patrata, was represented in three Ecumenical Councils: in the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 381, in the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451 and in the Seventh Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 787, as well as in the council that restored the Patriarch Photios (858-867, 877-886), in 879.

The bishopric of Patara is documented up until the 12^th century, although the town appears to have survived until the 14^th century. It is worth noting, however, that notwithstanding the importance of the city as the birthplace of St Nicolas of Myra, but also as a merchant centre, the bishopric ranked in a relatively low position among the bishoprics of Lycia in the Byzantine ecclesiastic notitiae. It is indicative that during the 7^th century it barely ranked thirty-first among thirty-six bishoprics, whereas it never surpassed the twentieth position.¹

2. Bishops of Patara

The first known bishop of Patara is Methodios, who was martyred in 312 and to whom the so-called Revelation of (Pseudo) Methodios, a 7^th-c. text, was erroneously attributed. In 359 an Arian bishop of Patara is recorded, however the remaining six bishops were all Orthodox.