![Romanian Orthodox Church EN](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Romanian_Orthodox_Church_EN.svg)
The Metropolis of Bessarabia ( ro, Mitropolia Basarabiei), also referred to as the Bessarabian Orthodox Church, is an
autonomous
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ow ...
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
Metropolitan
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
ric of the
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches, and one of ...
, situated in Moldova. Its canonical jurisdiction is the territory of the Republic of
Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...
, and over the
Moldovan and
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
Orthodox diaspora from the former USSR.
The Metropolis of
Bessarabia
Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...
was created in 1918, as the
Archbishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
of
Chișinău
Chișinău ( , , ), also known as Kishinev (russian: Кишинёв, r=Kishinjóv ), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial center, and is located in the ...
, and organized as a
Metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big c ...
, in 1927.
Inactive during the
Soviet occupation of Bessarabia
The Soviet invasion and occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina took place from June 28 to July 3, 1940, as a result of an ultimatum by the Soviet Union to Kingdom of Romania, Romania on June 26, 1940, that threatened the use of force. Be ...
(1940–1941) and the
Soviet rule in Moldova (1944–1991), the Metropolis of Bessarabia was re-activated on 14 September 1992, and raised to the rank of
exarch
An exarch (;
from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'', meaning “leader”) was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical.
In the late Roman Empire and ea ...
ate, in 1995. The current Metropolitan of Bessarabia is
Petru (Păduraru) Petru is a given name, and may refer to:
* Petru I of Moldavia (Petru Mușat, 1375–1391), ruler of Moldavia
* Petru Aron (died 1467), ruler of Moldavia
* Petru Bălan (born 1976), Romanian rugby union footballer
* Petru Cărare (1935–2019), wri ...
.
History
In 1812, after the
annexation
Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
of
Bessarabia
Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...
by the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, the Orthodox churches were re-organized as the Eparchy of Chişinău and Hotin, from the churches and monasteries of the
Metropolis of Moldavia on that territory that no longer belonged to the
Principality of Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Central ...
, by
Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni
Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni (; 1746 – 30 March 1821) was a Romanian clergyman who served as Metropolitan of Moldavia (1792), Metropolitan of Kherson and Crimea (1793–1799), Metropolitan of Kiev and Halych (1799–1803), Exarch ...
, a popular promoter of Moldavian/Romanian language and culture, who also served as its first Archbishop. After 1821, the Russian state and church started an extended policy of
Russification
Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...
.
In 1858, after southern Bessarabia was
returned to Moldavia, which soon united with
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and so ...
to form
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, the Orthodox churches in Cahul, Bolgrad, and Ismail re-entered under the Romanian Church jurisdiction of the
Metropolis of Moldavia, which established the Diocese of the Lower Danube, in 1864. In 1878, after Russia
re-annexed southern Bessarabia, the Russian Church jurisdiction was reinstated.
In 1918, after the
Union of Bessarabia with Romania
The union of Bessarabia with Romania was proclaimed on by Sfatul Țării, the legislative body of the Moldavian Democratic Republic. This state had the same borders of the region of Bessarabia, which was annexed by the Russian Empire following t ...
, the archbishop
Anastasius Gribanovsky of the Eparchy of Chişinău was ousted after he refused to accede to Romania's demand to secede from the Russian Orthodox Church and integrate the eparchy in the Romanian one. With the advent of
Greater Romania
The term Greater Romania ( ro, România Mare) usually refers to the borders of the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period, achieved after the Great Union. It also refers to a pan-nationalist idea.
As a concept, its main goal is the creation ...
in 1918, there were three church bodies: the autocephalous
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; ro, Biserica Ortodoxă Română, ), or Patriarchate of Romania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches, and one of ...
(on the territory of ''Smaller Romania''—prior to 1918—formed in 1872 from the union of the
Metropolis of Ungrovlahia with Metropolis of Moldavia), and the non-autocephalous Metropolis of Bessarabia and
Metropolis of Transylvania
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big c ...
. Therefore, in 1925, the rank of the Romanian Orthodox Church was raised to that of a Patriarchate, with the Metropolis of Bessarabia as one of its five sees.
Gurie Grosu
Gurie Grosu (; born 1 January 1877 in Nimoreni, Bessarabia Governorate, Russian Empire – died 14 November 1943 in Bucharest, Romania) was a Bessarabian priest and the first holder of the Basarabian Metropolitan Church after 100 years of R ...
was the first Metropolitan of Bessarabia, and
Efrem Enăchescu the second.
After the
Soviet occupation of Bessarabia
The Soviet invasion and occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina took place from June 28 to July 3, 1940, as a result of an ultimatum by the Soviet Union to Kingdom of Romania, Romania on June 26, 1940, that threatened the use of force. Be ...
in 1940, the church, which then was a non-autonomous Metropolis, was banned, and its property has either changed uses, or was transferred to 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 ...
, which established the ''Bishopric in Chişinău and Moldova''. In 1980s, two more bishoprics were added, and the See raised to the status of the Archdiocese, in 1990, and as the
Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova
The Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova ( ro, Mitropolia Chișinăului și a întregii Moldove; russian: Кишинёвско-Молда́вская митропо́лия), also referred to as the Moldovan Orthodox Church ( ro, Biserica Or ...
, in 1992.
After Moldova's independence in 1991, part of the clergy followed Petru Păduraru, the Bishop of
Bălţi, and re-established the Metropolis of Bessarabia. The Romanian Orthodox Church considered that, during the time, the Russian Orthodox Church jurisdiction on the former territory of Bessarabia was an ''unfair and abusive act in terms of historical reality and canon law'', and as long as it remains under the Russian Orthodox Church, the jurisdiction right of the Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova can be exercised only to the
Russian ethnics of Moldova.
The Russian Orthodox Church also refused to recognize the authority of the Bessarabian church, and the two metropolia started an uneasy co-existence. During the 1990s, the one subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church gained the protection of the country's authorities and established itself as the official church, while the Orthodox Church of Bessarabia was refused registration according to the country's new law of religions. In 2004, after years of legal hurdles and a final decision by the
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...
, the Orthodox Church of Bessarabia received official registration, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic of Moldova recognizing it as "the spiritual, canonical, historical successor of the Metropolitan See of Bessarabia which functioned till 1944, including".
[Press release]
A legitimate act for defending the Romanian identity - Explanations concerning the juridical recognition of the Metropolitan See of Bessarabia and of the suffragan eparchies
, Romanian Patriarchy, 21 February 2008. — — — About 20% of country's Orthodox churches were or changed to be under its jurisdictions; a strong desire to similar moves has been expressed in many other parishes.
This decision continues to be a major area of tension with the Russian Orthodox Church. The position of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the dispute with the Russian Orthodox Church over the territorial jurisdiction is, according to a press release, that the two Metropolitan Sees should "peacefully co-exist and brotherly cooperate (…) harmonising, with wisdom and realism, the territorial principle with the ethnic principle, as agreed in the pastoral service of the Orthodox in Diaspora."
Structure and organization
The church is currently recognized only by some other Orthodox Churches, since the Patriarchate of Moscow opposes its recognition by all of them. The current Metropolitan of Bessarabia is
Petru Păduraru (born 24 October 1946 in
Ţiganca, elected as metropolitan in 1992), and it has about one third of the orthodox community in Moldova.
["Înalt Prea Sfinţitul Vladimir vorbeşte despre unirea Mitropoliei Moldovei cu cea a Basarabiei" ("Metropolitan Vladimir about the union of the two Metropolitans in Moldova")]
''publika.md'', 30 August 2013
The Metropolis of Bessarabia consists of four
eparchies
Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the ...
:
*Archdiocese of
Chișinău
Chișinău ( , , ), also known as Kishinev (russian: Кишинёв, r=Kishinjóv ), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial center, and is located in the ...
*Diocese of
Bălți
Bălți (; russian: Бельцы, , uk, Бєльці, , yi, בעלץ ) is a city in Moldova. It is the second largest city in terms of population, area and economic importance, after Chișinău. The city is one of the five Moldovan municipalit ...
*Diocese of Southern Bessarabia
*Diocese of
Dubăsari
Dubăsari ( ro, Dubăsari , Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet: Дубэсарь) or Dubossary (russian: Дубоссары; yi, דובאסאר; uk, Дубоcсари) is a city in Transnistria, with a population of 23,650. Claimed by both the Republic ...
and
Transnistria
Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...
See also
*
History of the Orthodox Church in Moldova
The Eastern Orthodox Church in Moldova is organized by the Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova, commonly referred to as the ''Moldovan Orthodox Church'', a self-governing church body under the Russian Orthodox Church, and by the Metropolis of ...
*
Religion in Moldova
Religion in Moldova is predominantly Orthodox Christian. The Constitution of the Republic of Moldova provides for freedom of religion, and the national government generally respects this right in practice.
Although Eastern Orthodoxy has a numeri ...
*
*
Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina
The Metropolis of Moldavia and Bucovina, in Iași, Romania, is a metropolis of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
History
The Metropolis of Moldavia was set up in 1386, and recognized in 1401, by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It th ...
*
St. Teodora de la Sihla Church
The St. Teodora de la Sihla Church ( ro, Biserica Sfânta Teodora de la Sihla) is a cathedral in Central Chișinău, Moldova.
Overview
Formerly the chapel of a girls gymnasium, the church of St. Teodora de la Sihla is an architectural master ...
*
Luminătorul
''Luminătorul'' ( en, The Illuminator) is a periodical of the Metropolis of Bessarabia in Chişinău.
History
The first edition was printed in January 1908. The first editor in chief was Gurie Grosu. From 1908 on, Grigore D. Constantines ...
*
Misionarul
''Misionarul'' ( en, The Missionary) is a newspaper issued by the Metropolis of Bessarabia in Chişinău.
History
The first edition was printed on October 6, 1929. The first editor in chief was Vladimir Burjacovschi (May 23, 1891, Sănă ...
Gallery
File:Stamp of Moldova 128.gif, Gurie Grosu
Gurie Grosu (; born 1 January 1877 in Nimoreni, Bessarabia Governorate, Russian Empire – died 14 November 1943 in Bucharest, Romania) was a Bessarabian priest and the first holder of the Basarabian Metropolitan Church after 100 years of R ...
References
External links
Official websiteWebsite*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110311032948/http://assembly.coe.int/mainf.asp?Link=%2Fdocuments%2Fworkingdocs%2Fdoc98%2Fedoc7946.htm WRITTEN DECLARATION No. 265 on the decision of the Court of Appeal of the Republic of Moldova on the legitimacy and freedom of the Metropolis of Bessarabia]
Droit de l'Eglise métropolitaine de Bessarabie à sa propre succession juridique*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110311032953/http://assembly.coe.int/mainf.asp?Link=%2Fdocuments%2Fworkingdocs%2Fdoc98%2Ffdoc8156.htm Complicité de la Patriarchie de Moscou et de toute la Russie avec le régime illégale et sécessioniste installé à l'Est de la République de Moldova]
Complicity of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia with the illegal and secessionist regime installed in the east of the Moldovan RepublicStatement concerning the arguments of the representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church justifying the decision to establish dioceses of the Metropolia of BessarabiaTerritorial Jurisdiction According to Orthodox Canon Law. The Phenomenon of Ethnophyletism in Recent Years a paper read at the International Congress of Canon Law, 2001, (Ecumenical Patriarchate website)
{{Authority control
Eastern Orthodoxy in Moldova
Christian organizations established in 1918