From the diocese to the metropolis - such a glorious path for 166 years has passed the Samara diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. The history of the emergence, bishops and modern diocesan administration will be discussed in this article.
Briefly about creating
The history of the diocese is mixed and full of interesting dates and events.
The Diocese of Samara was separated from Simbirsk at the end of 1850. And then it was approved by the Synod. And already on 01.01.1851 the king signed the Highest Decree on the establishment of this diocese. The original name (at the time of formation) was as follows: Samara and Stavropol diocese. Under this name, she existed from 1850 to 1935.
When Samara was renamed Kuybyshev in 1935, the name changed accordingly. Now it was the Kuibyshev and Syzran diocese. Under this name, it lasted from 1935 to 1991.
In 1990, the original name Samara was returned to the city of Kuibyshev. And he became a regional center. Therefore, from January 31, 1991, the diocese became known as Samara and Syzran.
Ruling bishops
The diocese is a church administrative unit that is governed by a bishop. During its existence, the Diocese of Samara was ruled by 28 bishops. Recall some of them.
The first ruling bishop from 1850 to 1856 was Eusebius (E.P. Orlinsky). He devoted a lot of time to missionary work, especially among the Molokans. Known for the fact that he donated at least 300 books (about 700 volumes) for the library of the theological school, transferred from Stavropol to Samara. At that time it was a fortune.
No less famous were the following bishops:
- Guri, in the world S.V. Burtasovsky: ruled 12 years - from 1892 to 1904.
- Konstantin, in the world K. I. Bulychev: he ruled for 7 years - from 1904 to 1911
It was during their rule that the Samara diocese had the largest number of church buildings. At that time it was:
- monasteries (18 units);
- chapels (86 units);
- churches (1112 units).
For the spiritual satisfaction of the parishioners, there were parish schools (1141 units), theological schools (4 units, one for women), a male seminary and 933 scribes (reading room).
In the Soviet period, the most famous bishop was John (I. M. Snychev). He ruled the Samara diocese for 25 years - from 1965 to 1990.
Currently, the ruling bishop since 1993 is Sergius (in the world V.M. Poletkin). He is also the head of the Samara Metropolis.
Nowadays
What is the diocese of Samara today?
After the disaggregation in 2012 and the separation of the two dioceses, Kinelskaya and Otradnenskaya, in its management remained:
- 189 temples;
- 10 monasteries;
- 23 deanery districts;
- 400 clergymen.
There are also 9 miraculous sources and 4 miraculous icons.
For spiritual education, the diocese established the Cyrillic Center, the Samara Orthodox Theological Seminary, and the Diocesan Children's Educational Center in Samara. And in the city of Togliatti, it has the Volga Orthodox Institute.
At the same time (the decision of the Holy Synod of March 15, 2012), the Samara Metropolis was established, which included three dioceses, including the Samara.
Diocese Management
The Diocesan Administration is located in Samara at the address: ul. Vilonovskaya, house 22. Administration - the executive and administrative body of the diocese, which, together with the existing 7 diocesan departments (missionary, youth affairs, prison ministry, etc.) helps the ruling bishop to exercise church authority and interact with state government bodies.
The territorial diocese of Samara is divided into 23 deanery districts. In the city of Samara there are nine of them - Industrial, Krasnoglinskoe, Central, Zheleznodorozhny, etc. In the city of Tolyatti there are four such districts. There are deaneries in certain cities: Syzran, Zhigulevsk, Novokuybyshevsk, Oktyabrsk, etc. There is a separate monastery deanery district, which unites all the monasteries.