Diocese - a church territorial unit led by a bishop or archbishop. It combines all the churches, temples, monasteries, parishes, prayer rooms that are located on its territory. Each clergyman is subordinate to a particular bishop, bishops, in turn, to the metropolitans.
Gatchina Diocese
The diocese is located in the Leningrad region, in its southern part. It belongs to the St. Petersburg Metropolis. Dioceses include Luga, Tosnensky, Gatchinsky, Volosovsky, Lomonosovsky and Kingisepp districts.
In mid-March 2013, a new diocese was founded. It separated from the St. Petersburg and received the name of the Gatchina diocese. The bishop Mitrofan was appointed ruling bishop.
There are two monasteries on the territory of the Gatchina Diocese: Makaryevskaya Desert and Cheremenets Monastery.
Cheremenets Monastery was built in the 15th century. There is a legend according to which one of the serfs appeared the holy image of John the Theologian. After such a miraculous appearance, Prince of Moscow John ordered a monastery to be built on the same spot.
The construction of the monastery on the Makaryevskaya desert dates back to the 16th century. Its founder is Macarius the Roman.
Currently, restoration work is underway on the territory of the Gatchina Diocese of the female Pyatogorsky Bogoroditsky monastery in the Volosovsky district in the village of Kurkovitsy.
Bishop Mitrofan
On November 19, 1972, in the city of Rostov-on-Don, a boy was born into the family of a priest, who later became Bishop Mitrofan. He graduated from high school and entered the construction college. And in 1990 - to the Minsk Theological Academy. Already in 1992 he received the position of deacon. A year later, he was ordained a priest and assigned to work in the Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Rostov.
Education continued at the Moscow Theological Seminary in the correspondence department. In 1994, Mitrofan took tonsure, and a year later he graduated from the Moscow Seminary.
In 1998, he was ordained an abbot. After which the training continued. In 2007, Abbot Mitrofan graduated from the Theological Academy in St. Petersburg.
Since 2009, Abbot Mitrofan was appointed to the post of chairman of the restoration commission at the St. Petersburg Diocese. Here he worked until 2013.
On March 12, 2013 he was appointed bishop of Gatchina and Luga. This decision was made by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Deaneries included in the diocese
Deanery is part of a diocese that combines several parishes. The Gatchina Diocese includes the following:
- Gatchina District Deanery;
- Gatchina city deanery;
- Volosovsky;
- Tosnenskoe;
- Slantsy deanery;
- Sosnovy Bor;
- Luga;
- Kingisepp District Deanery.
Cathedral of St. Paul
The Cathedral of St. Paul the Apostle is the center of Gatchina City Deanery. The rector of the church is Archpriest Vladimir Feer. The construction of the temple began in 1846, and was completed in 1852. After the construction was completed, he underwent several reconstructions. It is a beautiful and magnificent temple. Its interior decoration enthralls the parishioners. Residents of the Gatchina district love and value the Pavlovsky Cathedral in Gatchina.
Pilgrimage trips
The Gatchina Diocese is famous for its pilgrimage trips. You can find out information about upcoming pilgrimage tours on the official website of the service.
The head of the pilgrimage service is Priest Fyodor Lavrentyev. All questions regarding upcoming trips can be asked for him. The Gatchina Diocese accepts offers from rectors of other monasteries, leaders of pilgrimage organizations, and others who are interested in these trips.
Departure is carried out directly from the parishes of the diocese. To attract pilgrims, the leadership not only posts information about future trips on the site, but also sends offers to churches and monasteries of other dioceses.
Saints of the Gatchina Diocese
Centuries earlier, the following Saints lived on the territory of the current diocese:
- Rev. Seraphim Vyritsky;
- Rev. Martyr Tryphon Gorodetsky;
- Holy Martyrs Dmitry Chistoserdov and Alexander Volkov;
- Rev. Macarius the Roman;
- Rev. Martyr Maria Gatchinskaya.
The Gatchina Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church is an association of certain parishes, temples, churches and monasteries. This is a fairly young diocese. It was founded in 2013. The head of the Gatchina diocese is Bishop Mitrofan.