The Diocese of Rostov and Novocherkassk (russian: Ростовская и Новочеркасская епархия) is an eparchy of the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

. It is a part of the Don Archdiocese, founded in 2011 and consists of various parishes and monasteries in Southwestern

Rostov Oblast Rostov Oblast ( rus, Росто́вская о́бласть, r=Rostovskaya oblast, p=rɐˈstofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Southern Federal District. The oblast has an area of and a populati ...

History

Although the Diocese's roots extend to the 13th century with the formation of the Ramsar eparchy, its official history began on April 5, 1829, when Emperor Nicholas I established the "Don and the Caucasus" eparchy. The territory of this new eparchy included the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

region. Its bishops were granted the titles of

Novocherkassk Novocherkassk (russian: Новочерка́сск, lit. ''New Cherkassk'') is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don River. Novocherkassk is best known as t ...

and St. George. In 1842, with the establishment of a separate Diocese of the Caucasus, the bishops at Novocherkassk received the titles of Don and

. Clergy proposed the creation of a Rostov and Taganrog district as an independent department in the center of Rostov-on-Don. In response to this proposal, the Ekaterinoslavskogo-Don Bishopric clergy sent a petition to the Holy Synod to "open Vikariystvo at Don arch-priest." The Synod did not approve this application. During the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

, the Stavropol Council (convened May 19–24, 1919), called for the temporary administration of Orthodox sites located in territory occupied by General Denikin's troops. On May 24, the council established the Diocese of Rostov and Taganrog, per approval of the Provisional Supreme Church Authority of Southeast Russia. This diocese was separated from the Katerynoslavs'ka diocese. In the early 1920s, after the establishment of the Don Diocese, Soviet authorities began a systematic crackdown on the

Orthodox Church Orthodox Church may refer to: * Eastern Orthodox Church * Oriental Orthodox Churches * Orthodox Presbyterian Church * Orthodox Presbyterian Church of New Zealand * State church of the Roman Empire * True Orthodox church See also * Orthodox (dis ...

. A commission was established to enforce the Decree "On the separation of church and state and school and church." This group's activities focused on closing holy sites. By 1923, seven churches were closed in Rostov alone. In the 1930s mass church closures continued, as well as the destruction and desecration of places of worship. In 1937, Rostov Cathedral was closed. It reopened during the Nazi occupation of 1942, and remains active. The Rostov Diocese resumed full operations in 1943. It then included the territory of the former Don Diocese. On July 27, 2011 the Diocese of Rostov, Shakhty and

Volgodonsk Volgodonsk ( rus, Волгодонск, p=vəlgɐˈdonsk) is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located in the east of the oblast on the west bank of the Tsimlyansk Reservoir. Population: 28,000 (1970). History Volgodonsk was founded in 1950 as ...

was formed. On October 6, 2011, the Diocese was incorporated into the newly formed Don Metropolis.

References

{{Russian Orthodox Church Rostov and Novocherkassk Culture of Rostov Oblast