# Moscow, the Third Rome (1523)

URL: https://history-russia.com/timeline/1523-moscow-the-third-rome
Categories: main-event

In letters of the 1520s the monk Philotheus of Pskov declared that 'two Romes have fallen, the third stands, and a fourth there shall not be', presenting Moscow as the last guardian of true Christianity. The idea's political importance has often been exaggerated, but it became influential later. The Third Rome concept became a lasting motif in Russian religious and political thought.

## Why it matters
The Third Rome concept became a lasting motif in Russian religious and political thought.

Ruler at the time: [Vasily III](https://history-russia.com/rulers/vasily-iii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Moscow, Third Rome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow,_Third_Rome)
- [Wikipedia — Philotheus of Pskov](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philotheus_of_Pskov)
- [Wikipedia — Grand Principality of Moscow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Principality_of_Moscow)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Moscow, the Third Rome](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Moscow%2C+the+Third+Rome)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Russian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_history)