Russian Orthodox Diocese of Chersonesus
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The Diocese of Chersonesus (russian: Корсунская епархия, french: Diocèse de Chersonèse, also called Diocese of Korsun) is a diocese 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 ...
which covers the territory of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...
and
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
. This diocese is part of the Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe since 28 December 2018. The current primate of the Diocese of Chersonesus is Metropolitan
Anthony (Sevryuk) Metropolitan Anthony (russian: Митрополит Антоний, secular name Anton Yuryevich Sevryuk, russian: Антон Юрьевич Севрюк; born 12 October 1984), is the primate of the Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe of the ...
since 30 May 2019. The primate of the diocese of Chersonesus is also the primate of the PEWE.


History

The diocese with its headquarter in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, was established on January 5, 1960, as part of the Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate in Western Europe, when Archbishop of Clichy received the title of "Metropolitan of Chersonesus". The diocese was named after
Chersonesus Chersonesus ( grc, Χερσόνησος, Khersónēsos; la, Chersonesus; modern Russian and Ukrainian: Херсоне́с, ''Khersones''; also rendered as ''Chersonese'', ''Chersonesos'', contracted in medieval Greek to Cherson Χερσών; ...
, called ''Korsun'' in Russian (russian: Корсунь from
Old East Slavic Old East Slavic (traditionally also Old Russian; be, старажытнаруская мова; russian: древнерусский язык; uk, давньоруська мова) was a language used during the 9th–15th centuries by East ...
), an ancient city in
Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, founded as a colony by the Greeks. According to a legend, it was there that Prince Vladimir of Kiev decided to become a Christian, opening a new page in the history of Russia. From 1979 to 1990, the Diocese of Chersonesus did not have a
ruling Bishop An ordinary (from Latin ''ordinarius'') is an officer of a church or civic authority who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute laws. Such officers are found in hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ...
, because the clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate from the
USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
were considered by the French authorities to be Soviet agents, and obtaining a visa for them was very difficult. In addition, the financial situation of the priests of the
Exarchate An exarchate is any territorial jurisdiction, either secular or ecclesiastical, whose ruler is called an exarch. The term originates from the Greek word ''arkhos'', meaning a leader, ruler, or chief. Byzantine Emperor Justinian I created the firs ...
of the Moscow Patriarchate was quite difficult. By the decision of the Council of Bishops of the ROC on January 30–31, 1990, the Western European Exarchate was abolished, and its dioceses, including the Chersonesus one, were subordinated directly to 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 ...
and the
Patriarch of Moscow The Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' (russian: Патриарх Московский и всея Руси, translit=Patriarkh Moskovskij i vseja Rusi), also known as the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, is the official title of the Bishop of Mo ...
. Only after the fall of the
Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...
did this situation change. New emigrants from the
former USSR The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (russian: links=no, ближнее зарубежье, blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that wer ...
rushed to the countries under the jurisdiction of the Diocese, which made it possible to replenish the already existing parishes and create new ones. In addition, some parishes of the diocese were established in Spain and Portugal, where there were no parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate previously. The
2000s File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty during the 9/11 attacks in 2001; the euro enters into European currency in 2002; a statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled durin ...
were characterized by an increase in the number of parishes and parishioners — primarily due to migrants from the countries of the former USSR, the aggravation of the relations with the Western European Exarchate of Russian parishes and the normalization of relations with the of the
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of 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). On December 27, 2007, by the decision 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 ...
, the patriarcal parishes in Italy were separated from the diocese of Chersonesus and "subordinated to the canonical jurisdiction of the Bishop who bears the ". On April 15, 2008, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church ordered to open an Orthodox Seminary in France near Paris. Bishop of Chersonesus was appointed Chancellor of the Seminary. On December 25, 2013, after numerous approvals, a project was approved for the construction of an Orthodox Cathedral and a Russian spiritual and cultural center in Paris. The official opening of the spiritual and cultural center took place on October 19, 2016, and on December 4 of the same year Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia led the consecration of the Holy Trinity church in Paris. On December 28, 2018, the
Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church ( rus, Священный синод Русской православной церкви, Svyashchennyy sinod Russkoy pravoslavnoy tserkvi) serves by Church statute as the supreme administrative go ...
formed the Spanish-Portuguese diocese which consists of Spain, Portugal and Andorra. At the same time, the diocese of Chersonesus and the newly created Spanish-Portuguese diocese became part of the newly established Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe (PEWE), and
John (Roshchin) Metropolitan John (secular name Georgy Yevgenyevich Roshchin, russian: Георгий Евгеньевич Рощин; 22 October 1974, Moscow) is a retired Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church. During 2014-2018 he served as the US-based ...
was appointed as primate of the PEWE and of the diocese of Chersonesus. Before that, the Diocese of Chersonesus took charge of the Orthodox communities of the
Moscow Patriarchate , 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 France, Switzerland, Portugal and Spain. On 30 May 2019, the
Holy Synod of the ROC The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church ( rus, Священный синод Русской православной церкви, Svyashchennyy sinod Russkoy pravoslavnoy tserkvi) serves by Church statute as the supreme administrative go ...
decided to appoint archbishop
Anthony (Sevryuk) Metropolitan Anthony (russian: Митрополит Антоний, secular name Anton Yuryevich Sevryuk, russian: Антон Юрьевич Севрюк; born 12 October 1984), is the primate of the Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe of the ...
of Vienna and Budapest as primate of the PEWE and of the diocese of Chersonesus. At the same time,
John (Roshchin) Metropolitan John (secular name Georgy Yevgenyevich Roshchin, russian: Георгий Евгеньевич Рощин; 22 October 1974, Moscow) is a retired Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church. During 2014-2018 he served as the US-based ...
, who was until then the primate of the PEWE and of the diocese of Chersonesus, was appointed as primate of the ROC diocese of Vienna and Budapest to replace archbishop Anthony. On 31 May 2019, archbishop Anthony was consecrated metropolitan because of his appointment as exarch of the PEWE.


Ruling bishops

* (5 January 1960 - 14 January 1963) *
Anthony (Bloom) Anthony of Sourozh (russian: Митрополит Антоний Сурожский, secular name Andrei Borisovich Bloom, russian: Андрей Борисович Блум and commonly known as Anthony Bloom; 19 June 1914 – 4 August 2003) ...
(14 January 1963 - 12 September 1968), administrator, Meropolitan of Sourozh *
Peter (L'Huillier) Paul L'Huillier (December 3, 1926, Paris, France – November 19, 2007, Bronxville, New York) was a prominent scholar and the archbishop of the Orthodox Church in America's Diocese of New York and New Jersey. Biography Paul L'Huillier convert ...
(12 September 1968 - 16 November 1979) *
Philaret (Vakhromeyev) Metropolitan Bishop, Metropolitan Philaret (russian: Митрополит Филарет, be, Мітрапаліт Філарэт, born Kirill Varfolomeyevich Vakhromeev, russian: Кирилл Варфоломеевич Вахромеев; 21 Mar ...
(16 November 1979 - 28 March 1984), administrator, Metropolitan of Minsk *
Vladimir (Sabodan) Metropolitan Vladimir (Volodymyr; secular name Viktor Markianovich Sabodan, russian: Виктор Маркианович Сабодан, uk, Віктор Маркіянович Сабодан, November 23, 1935 – July 5, 2014) was the hea ...
(28 March 1984 - 20 February 1990), administrator, Metropolitan of Rostov *
Kirill (Gundyaev) Kirill or Cyril (russian: link=Russian, Кирилл, chu, , secular name Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, russian: link=no, Владимир Михайлович Гундяев; born 20 November 1946) is a Russian Orthodox bishop. He became ...
(20 February - 27 October 1990), administrator, Archbishop of Smolensk * (27 October 1990 - 18 February 1992) * (14 January 1993 - 31 March 1999) *
Kirill (Gundyaev) Kirill or Cyril (russian: link=Russian, Кирилл, chu, , secular name Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, russian: link=no, Владимир Михайлович Гундяев; born 20 November 1946) is a Russian Orthodox bishop. He became ...
(31 March - 6 October 1999), administrator Metropolitan of Smolensk * (6 October 1999 - 24 December 2010) * Nestor (Sirotenko) (24 December 2010 - 28 December 2018) *
John (Roshchin) Metropolitan John (secular name Georgy Yevgenyevich Roshchin, russian: Георгий Евгеньевич Рощин; 22 October 1974, Moscow) is a retired Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church. During 2014-2018 he served as the US-based ...
(28 December 2018 - 30 May 2019) *
Anthony (Sevryuk) Metropolitan Anthony (russian: Митрополит Антоний, secular name Anton Yuryevich Sevryuk, russian: Антон Юрьевич Севрюк; born 12 October 1984), is the primate of the Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe of the ...
(30 May 2019-)


References


External links


Information about the Diocese of Chersonesus on the official website of the ROC
{{Christianity in Switzerland 1960 establishments in France Eastern Orthodoxy in France Eastern Orthodoxy in Switzerland Eparchies of the Russian Orthodox Church Christian organizations established in 1960