Archbishop of Tyre

The Archbishop of Tyre was one of the major suffragans of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem during the Crusades and was established to serve the Roman Catholic members of the diocese.

Tyre was one of the most ancient dioceses in Christianity. The original Diocese of Tyre was part of the Province of Antioch and was subject to the Patriarch of Antioch. Following the schism between Rome and Constantinople in 1054, the congregation followed the Eastern Orthodox rite. However, when the Crusaders conquered Tyre, arguments over who had the right to appoint the suffragan fell in favor of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox bishop fled to Constantinople.

Tyre was made part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, rather than the separate Principality of Antioch further to the north, and it was claimed by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, against the claim of the Latin Patriarch of Antioch. The diocese was also raised to an archdiocese. Traditionally, the Patriarch of Jerusalem would have first served as the archbishop of Tyre, or of Caesarea. The most notable archbishop of Tyre was the historian William of Tyre, who served from 1175 to 1185.

After the recapture of Tyre by the Crusaders, the Christian community grew and the city experienced an economic resurgence. In 1187, Tyre was the only city remaining in crusader hands after Saladin's invasion, and the city was at one point considered as the new capital of the Kingdom when the Crusaders were unable to recapture Jerusalem. Despite losing that appellation to Acre, the city remained the site of the coronation of the king, and the archbishop was given the responsibility of officiating and sanctifying the coronation. However, starting with Sultan Baibars in 1254, the Islamic chieftains declared jihad on the Crusaders and slowly started exterminating the remaining Christian communities on the coastlands. The last archbishops, John and Bonacourt, devoted their rule to forestalling the Mamluk conquest, attempting to obtain the freedom of enslaved Christians, caring for refugees, and preparing for the coming assault.

After a long siege, the city was captured by the Mamluks in 1291. The city was mostly evacuated by the time the Mamluks arrived, but the remaining population, including the archbishop, was killed or enslaved. The cathedrals and churches were torn down, and the archdiocese became titular; only in the 18th and 19th centuries was a new archbishop appointed to protect the newly-restored pilgrim routes.