The Ulyanovsk region has always stood out for its craving for Orthodoxy and a high level of spiritual life. Indeed, on its territory there are many temples and churches, which are visited daily by a large number of parishioners.
There are also many male and female monasteries, in the walls of which hundreds of novices live and pray. One of the steps aimed at increasing the level of spirituality in the region was the creation of the Simbirsk Metropolis. It immediately included three dioceses.
Purpose of creation
The Simbirsk Metropolis was formed by the decision of the Holy Synod in July 2012. It included the Melekess, Simbirsk and Barysh dioceses. The new metropolis of the Russian Orthodox Church is located in the Ulyanovsk Region.
It was created to implement the decision adopted in 2011 by the Council of Bishops. It lies in the fact that spiritual life should be actively developed not only in large, but also in small settlements. Currently, there are more than 200 parishes in the newly created Simbirsk Metropolis, and, as statistics show, their number will only grow.
For this reason, the bishop is physically incapable of visiting and thoroughly understanding the life of every temple or church. To fix this, the Simbirsk Metropolis was formed, which includes three dioceses. All of them are located in the Ulyanovsk region.
Barysh diocese
The composition of the Barysh diocese included, in addition to the eponymous eparchy, the Nikolaev, Bazarnosyzgan, Inzensky, Pavlovsky, Starokulatsky, Radishchevsky districts. Hegumen Filaret, who headed the Zhadovsky Monastery, was elected bishop. The center of the new formation was the city of Barysh.
Melekess Diocese
Another diocese of the Simbirsk Metropolis is Melekess. In addition to the same name, it also included Novomalyklinsky, Dimitrovogradsky, Staromaynsky, Sengileevsky, Cherdaklinsky, Terengulsky districts.
The city of Dimitrovograd was chosen as the center of the new diocese. It is in it that the bishop who leads it is located.
Simbirsk diocese
The third diocese of the metropolis is Simbirsk. It consists of the regional center - the city of Ulyanovsk, as well as the Sur, Veshkaim, Kuzovat, Karsun, Main, Tsilninsky, Novospassky districts.
All of the above dioceses form the Simbirsk Metropolis. Its structure includes the entire Ulyanovsk region. The first head of the Simbirsk Metropolitanate was Archbishop Proclus. At the same time, he acts as the head of the Melekess diocese.
Activities
The Simbirsk Metropolis pays great attention to the development of spirituality among residents of the Ulyanovsk region. For this, all kinds of educational events are held, in which clergy and the leadership of the dioceses take part.
Much attention is paid to work among young people. The priests are doing everything possible to instill in them faith in God, bring them closer to Orthodoxy, and increase their spirituality. For this, meetings are regularly held with students of schools, universities, colleges, etc.
With many churches, temples and monasteries, Sunday schools operate, in which not only children, but also adults, study. Guided tours to places where the saints of the Simbirsk Metropolis lived, such as Gabriel Melekessky. To cover the activities of dioceses, newspapers are published monthly.
They spend a lot of time in the metropolis on activities in military units and colonies located in the region. The clergy of the dioceses regularly go to them to conduct divine services there. Thanks to this, not only does the spirituality of people increase, but their lifestyle changes for the better. They are becoming kinder, trying to keep all the commandments. In many colonies and military units there are chapels in which the priest is always located.
In the Simbirsk Metropolis, a religious procession is held every year for all major Orthodox holidays. It is attended not only by clergy and parishioners of the dioceses, but also by many residents of the region. During the processions, icons and various church relics are brought out, many of which are with the relics of saints.
Scandal
Despite the fact that the Simbirsk Metropolis was established relatively recently, a scandal has already erupted in it. He was associated with the appointment of a new Metropolitan. It so happened that Anastasia numerous parishioners standing near the temple, met with angry cries. Because of this, he quickly went into the church, covering his face with an icon and being guarded by Cossacks who did not allow parishioners to come to him.
This attitude is due to the fact that when he headed the Kazan Metropolitanate, he was implicated in a high-profile scandal related to accusations of priests for sexual harassment. Against this background, they also recalled the many old testimonies that directly indicated that Anastasius was homosexual. The whole Simbirsk Metropolis reacted negatively to this. The scandal is not going to calm down yet. In addition, it became known that Anastasius has been living with a young guy for a long time.
Despite the fact that such accusations are not supported by accurate evidence, this casts a shadow of suspicion on Anastasia. Simbirsk parishioners are not happy with his appointment.
Nevertheless, it is expected that after the creation of a new metropolis, spiritual life in the Ulyanovsk region will become significantly more active. To this end, much is being done by the clergy with the full support of local authorities.