Diocese of Rostov

The Diocese of Rostov and Novocherkassk (Russian: Ростовская и Новочеркасская епархия) is an eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is a part of the Don Archdiocese, founded in 2011 and is comprised of parishes and monasteries in Southwestern Rostov.

History

Although the diocese's earliest roots extend back to the 13th century with the formation of the Ramsar eparchy[1], its official history began on April 5, 1829, when Emperor Nicholas I established the "Don and the Caucasus" eparchy. The territory of this new eparchy included the Black Sea and the Caucasus region; its bishops were granted the titles of Novocherkassk and St. George. In 1842, with the establishment of a separate Diocese of the Caucasus, the bishops at Novocherkassk received the titles of Don and Novocherkassk.

Clergy proposed the creation of a Rostov and Taganrog district as an independent department in the center of Rostov-on-Don. In response to this project, Ekaterinoslavskogo-Don Bishopric clergy sent a petition to the Synod to "open Vikariystvo at Don arch-priest." The Synod did not approve these applications.

During the Russian Civil War, the Stavropol Council (convened May 19 - 24, 1919), called for temporary administration for parts of the Orthodox Church located in territory occupied by General Denikin's troops. On May 24, the Council established the Diocese of Rostov and Taganrog, per approval of the Provisional Supreme Church Authority of Southeast Russia [1]. This newly allocated diocese was separated from the Katerynoslavs'ka diocese.

In the early 1920s, after the establishment of the Don Diocese, Soviet authorities began a systematic crackdown on the Orthodox Church. A commission was established to enforce the Decree "On the separation of church and state and school and church." This group's activities were particularly focused on closing holy sites. By 1923, seven churches were closed in Rostov alone.

The 1930s were witness to mass church closures, including the destruction and desecration of places of worship. In 1937, Rostov Cathedral itself was closed. It reopened during the Nazi occupation of 1942, and continues to remain active. The Rostov Diocese resumed full operations in 1943, and by this point it included the territory of the former Don Diocese.

July 27, 2011 marked the formation of the Diocese of Rostov, Shakhty and Volgodonsk.[2] On October 6, 2011, the Rostov, Shakhty and Volgodonsk Diocese was incorporated into the newly formed Don Metropolis.[3]

References

  1. "Официальный сайт Ростовской и Новочеркасской епархии.". rostoveparhia.ru. Retrieved 2016-02-08.


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