The Diocese of Great Britain and Western Europe (russian: Лондонская и Западно-Европейская епархия) is a diocese of the

Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (russian: Ру́сская Правосла́вная Це́рковь Заграни́цей, lit=Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, translit=Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov' Zagranitsey), also called Ru ...

(ROCOR), encompassing all of western Europe (from Italy to Ireland) but with communities primarily on territories of the United Kingdom, Switzerland and France. The diocese currently comprises the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God and the Holy Royal Martyrs, in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

W4; and around thirty parishes, several mission parishes and chapels, and one monastic house. The diocesan bishop is Bishop Irenei (Steenberg) of London and Western Europe; Bishop Alexander (Ecchevaria) of Vevey serves as Vicar Bishop of the diocese, assisting in the administration of its parishes and pastoral life, especially in the Francophone regions of Europe. the diocese had 32 priests and 11 deacons, and a number of minor clergy.

History

The origins of the Western Europe Diocese stretch back to the founding of the first Russian Orthodox parishes in Switzerland which led to the construction of the Geneva Cathedral in 1863. Founded as the Archdiocese of Paris and Western Europe, it has had a varied history, being reorganised several times, with its headquarters moving to Brussels, to Geneva and, most recently, to London. In particular the Archdiocese was split in 1962: one diocese centered around Great Britain (Diocese of Richmond and Great Britain, then renamed Diocese of Great Britain, then renamed Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland), and another centered around

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

(the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Geneva and Western Europe, then renamed Brussels and Western Europe, then back to Russian Orthodox Diocese of Geneva and Western Europe). The two dioceses were reunited in 2018. The last bishop of the united archdiocese, previous to the current ruling bishop (Irenei) was

St John the Wonderworker Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco (russian: Иоанн Шанхайский и Сан Францисский, Ioann Shankhayskiyi i San Frantsiskyi; secular name Mikhail Borisovich Maximovitch, russian: Михаил Борисович Ма ...

, who served in Western Europe from 1951 to 1962.

History of the Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland

The Diocese of Great Britain was founded in 1929 under Bishop Nicholas (Karpoff) of London, as part of the Archdiocese of Paris and Western Europe. In 1962 Bishop Nikodem (Nagaieff) was elevated to become Archbishop with the episcopal seat of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

. However, following the retirement of Bishop Constantine (Essensky) of Richmond in 1985, the diocese was without a resident bishop. The diocese was placed under the

omophorion In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic liturgical tradition, the ''omophorion'' ( grc-gre, ὠμοφόριον, meaning " omethingborne on the shoulders"; Slavonic: омофоръ, ''omofor'') is the distinguishing vestment of a bishop an ...

of Metropolitan

Mark (Arndt) Metropolitan Mark (secular name: Michael Arndt; born 29 January 1941, Chemnitz, Saxony) is the Metropolitan of Berlin and Germany of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and Overseer of the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jeru ...

of Berlin and Germany until his retirement as ruling bishop of the Diocese of Great Britain in December, 2016. Subsequently the diocese was placed directly under Metropolitan

Hilarion (Kapral) Metropolitan Hilarion (born Igor Alexeyevich Kapral, russian: Игорь Алексеевич Капра́л; 6 January 1948 – 16 May 2022) was a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), Metropolitan of Eastern America ...

of New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Outside of Russia and administered by Bishop Irenei of Sacramento, vicar bishop of the Western American Diocese. At a meeting of the ROCOR Synod of Bishops on 20 September 2018, the British Diocese was reunited with that of Western Europe with Bishop Irenei appointed as ruling bishop.

Cathedrals and places of importance

The Cathedral Parish, now served by the Diocesan Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God (formerly Dormition of the Mother of God) was the mother parish of the diocese, having grown out of the original Russian Orthodox parish in London which met initially in the Church of the Dormition in Welbeck Street, London W1 and then for many years at Emperor's Gate, London SW7. The property in Emperor's Gate was owned by the Church of England which in 1989 evicted the Russian Orthodox parish. In 1990 the parish purchased land in Gunnersbury, Chiswick, London, W4 and plans were drawn up for a new cathedral to be built in the Pskov style. On 21 September 2018 the cathedral was consecrated, having been frescoed throughout. The parish has an active sisterhood and a parish school. The Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Cross in Geneva is also part of the diocese, having been founded in 1863 on the site of the former monastery of St Victor which had been destroyed in 1536. It served as the diocesan cathedral of Western Europe from 1950 to 2017, and has been at the heart of the diocese since its founding. The Brotherhood of St Edward at Brookwood, Surrey, was founded in 1982 to house the relics of St Edward the Martyr and served as an important spiritual centre for the Diocese. The Brotherhood refused to accept the restoration of canonical relations between the ROCOR and the Moscow Patriarchate and departed in January 2007 for the

Old Calendarists Old Calendarists (Greek: ''palaioimerologitai'' or ''palaioimerologites''), also known as Old Feasters (''palaioeortologitai''), Genuine Orthodox Christians or True Orthodox Christians (GOC; ), are traditionalist groups of Eastern Orthodox Chri ...

Greek Orthodox Synod in Resistance, along with the Holy Annunciation Convent in Willesden, London NW6 which had been founded by St John the Wonderworker.Th
February 2007
edition of ''The Shepherd'' magazine.

Bishops of Western Europe (former)

Paris and Western Europe * Metropolitan Evlogy (Georgievsky) * Metropolitan Seraphim (Lukianov) Brussels and Western Europe * Archbishop Nathaniel (Lvov) (1946-1950) * Archbishop

(1950-1962) Geneva and Western Europe * Archbishop Anthony (Bartochevitch) (1962-1993 eposed Brussels and Western Europe * Archbishop Seraphim (Dulgov) (1993-2002) Geneva and Western Europe * Bishop

Ambrose (Cantacuzène) Bishop Ambrose (french: link=no, Evêque Аmbroіse, secular name Pierre Cantacuzène or Pyotr Petrovich Kantakuzen, russian: link=no, Пётр Петрович Кантакузен; 16 September 1947, Vevey, Switzerland – 20 July 2009, Vevey, ...

(2002-2006) * Archbishop Michael (Donskoff) (2006-2017)

Bishops of Great Britain (former)

Diocese of London * Bishop Nicholas (Karpov) (30 June 1929 – 11 October 1932) * ''

Locum tenens A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...

'', Archimandrite

Vitaly (Ustinov) Metropolitan Vitaly (russian: Митрополит Виталий, secular name Rostislav Petrovich Ustinov, russian: Ростислав Петрович Устинов; 18 March 1910, St Petersburg – 25 September 2006, Magog, Quebec, Canada) wa ...

(1947-1951) * Archbishop Nathaniel (Lvov) (1951) * Bishop Nikodem (Nagaieff) (18 July 1952 – 1962) Diocese of Richmond and Great Britain * Archbishop Nikodem (Nagaieff) (1962 – 17 October 1976) * Bishop Constantine (Essensky) (1981 - January 1986) Diocese of Great Britain * Archbishop

of Berlin, Germany and Great Britain (January 1986 - 8 December 2016) Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland * Metropolitan

, ''locum tenens'' (December 2016 - 20 September 2018)

Bishops of Great Britain and Western Europe

Diocese of London, Great Britain and Western Europe * Bishop Irenei (Steinberg) (September 2018-current)

References

External links

The Diocese of Great Britain and Western EuropeThe Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God and the holy Royal MartyrsThe Parish of St Elisabeth the New-Martyr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russian Orthodox Diocese Of Great Britain And Ireland Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia Eastern Orthodox dioceses in the United Kingdom Eastern Orthodox dioceses in Ireland Eastern Orthodox dioceses in France Eastern Orthodoxy in Switzerland Eastern Orthodox dioceses in Europe