The Kostroma Diocese (russian: Костромская и Галичская епархия, tr. ''Kostromskaja i Galichskaja eparhija'') is an

eparchy 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 ...

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 ...

in Russia. It combines parishes and monasteries within the

Kostroma Oblast Kostroma Oblast (russian: Костромска́я о́бласть, ''Kostromskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kostroma and its population as of the 2021 Census is 580,97 ...

while the eparchial center lies in

Kostroma Kostroma ( rus, Кострома́, p=kəstrɐˈma) is a historic types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russia, Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is lo ...

. The former eparchy's cathedral was the Assumption Cathedral in Kostroma while the current cathedrals include the Cathedrals of the Epiphany, St. Anastasia Monastery in Kostroma, and Galich Vvedensky.

History

On June 18, 1744, the Synod sent a Humble Report to Empress Elizabeth, asking the Churches of the Saints for better governance and institutions within church decorum to be established in Vlidimir, Kostroma, Pereslavl and Tambov. On July 16, 1744, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna signed a decree establishing the four noble cities at the Kostroma episcopal. Simon Todorsky was appointed Bishop. As a member of the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...

, it was necessary for him to stay in the capital as he awaited transfer on August 18, 1745, to the Department of Pskov. According to the Synod's Report of June 18, 1744, the provinces of Kostroma and Galich had 786 churches, 27 monasteries and 8 nunneries. With the transfer of Bishop Simon to Kostroma, Archimandrite Sylvester (Kulyabko) was appointed as the rector of the Kiev Theological Academy and consecrated Bishop of Kostroma and Galich in St. Petersburg on November 10, 1745. The new Bishop came under fire at the end of January 1746 and chose to settle in the Cathedral of Holy Trinity Ipatiev Monastery, which until 1918 was the official residence of the

Bishops.

References

{{Russian Orthodox Church Eparchies of the Russian Orthodox Church