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Crimean Orthodox Eparchy

The Crimean Orthodox Eparchy (historically encompassing the church structures of Crimea) has deep historical roots dating back to apostolic times and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Over the centuries, the Orthodox Church on the peninsula evolved from five independent Byzantine eparchies to the forced resettlement of its flock and inclusion into the synodal structure of the russian Orthodox Church.

Overview

The spread of Christianity in Crimea began as early as the first century. As early as the year 96, when Pope Clement of Rome was exiled to Chersonesus, the local Christian community numbered around two thousand people. From the 4th to the 8th centuries, five eparchies of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople were formed on the peninsula: Bosporus, Chersonesus, Phulla, Surozh, and Gothia.

Later, the Eparchy of Gothia united the remaining eparchies of the peninsula and existed until 1778, when, on the initiative of St. Ignatius of Gothia, the resettlement of Crimea's Orthodox population to the russian empire took place, leading to the de facto liquidation of the ancient church structure. After russia annexed Crimea in 1783, its territories were subordinated to the Eparchy of Slaviansk and Kherson (with its see in Poltava). A separate Crimean Eparchy within the ROC was restored only in 1859 during the synodal period. At the same time, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople never officially transferred Crimean territories to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Ancient Byzantine Eparchies (4th–8th centuries):
  • Bosporus and Chersonesus Eparchies: existed on the peninsula as early as the beginning of the 4th century.
  • Phulla Eparchy: founded by the end of the 4th century.
  • Surozh and Gothia Eparchies: emerged in the 8th century. All five eparchies were directly subordinate to Constantinople.
  • Eparchy of Gothia: United the Surozh and Chersonesus eparchies and existed until 1778. Its history ended with the departure of Orthodox communities led by Metropolitan Ignatius of Gothia.
  • Canonical Status and the Moscow Patriarchate: In 1686, the Metropolis of Kyiv was transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate in violation of canonical rules (recognized by Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory VII in 1924). However, the Crimean Eparchy was never transferred by Constantinople to Moscow.
  • Southern Ukrainian Metropolises of the Ecumenical Patriarchate: In the 17th–18th centuries, alongside the Crimean Metropolis of Gothia and Caffa, the Metropolis of Brăila (Proilavia) (under whose omophorion Khanate Ukraine and the Oleshky Sich were located) and the Metropolis of Kamianets (1681–1690) operated in the Ottoman-ruled territories of Southern Ukraine.
  • russian Synodal Period (from 1783):
  • After 1783, Crimea belonged to the Eparchy of Slaviansk and Kherson centered in Poltava.
  • In 1859, a separate ROC eparchy was created. During this time, russia had no patriarch, and the church was governed by the Synod through a secular Ober-Procurator appointed by the tsar (the so-called "Saint Petersburg Ober-Procuratorate"), which contradicted traditional canons.