Eparchy of Nizhny Novgorod

The Metropolia of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas is an Ecclesiastical Province of the Church of Russia located in the area of northern European Russia around the confluence of the Volga and Oka Rivers. It was formerly the Eparchy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas that was elevated to a Metropolia by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in March 2012.

History

The eparchy was established in 1672 and included, in addition to the city of Nizhny Novgorod, the towns of Alatyr, Kurmysh, and Yadrin. The first hierarch of the eparchy was Archimandrite Philaret, who had been abbot of Pechersky Ascension Monastery in Nizhny Novgorod. He was metropolitan from 1672 to 1682. The ruling hierarchs initially received the title of Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod and Alatyr. In 1719, the title for the ruling hierarch was changed to Bishop and remained so until 2001 when his title returned to that of Metropolitan.

In 1799, the title of the hierarch became '...of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas', and the territory of the Eparchy of Nizhny Novgorod coincided with the Nizhny Novgorod province. In 1866, vicar diocese of Balakhna was established. In 1912, just prior to the start of World War I, the Eparchy of Nizhny Novgorod included over 1,600,000 Orthodox people, 1131 churches, 28 monasteries and convents, a Theological Seminary, a Theological College each for males and females, 65 archpriests, 1023 priests, 412 deacons, and 1002 Psalm readers.

On March 15, 2012, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church established the Ecclesiastical Province (metropolia) of Nizhny Novgorod, that included the dioceses of Vyksa, Gorodets, Lyskovo and Nizhny Novgorod. On March 18, 2012, Archbishop Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas was consecrated Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas metropolia by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow at Christ the Savior Cathedral.

Ruling hierarchs

• Metropolitan Philaret 1672-1686
• Metropolitan Paul I 1686-1696
• Metropolitan Trifily (Inikhov) 1696-1699
• Metropolitan Isaiah 1699-1707
• Metropolitan Sylvester (Volynsky) 1707-1719
• Archbishop Pitirim 1719-1738
• Bishop John I (Dubinsky) 1739-1742
• Bishop Dimitry (Sechenov) 1742-1748
• Bishop Benjamin I (Putsek-Grigorovich) 1748-1753
• Bishop Theophan (Charnutsky) 1753-1773
• Bishop Anthony (Zybelin) 1773-1782
• Bishop Josaph (Zabolotsky) 1782-1783
• Bishop Damascene (Rudnev) 1783-1794
• Bishop Paul II (Ponomaryov) 1794-1798
• Bishop Benjamen (Krasnopevkov) 1798-1811
• Bishop Moses (Bliznetsov-Platonov) 1811-1825
• Bishop Methodius (Orlov) 1826-1826
• Bishop Athanasius (Protopopov) 1827-1832
• Bishop Ambrose (Morev) 1832-1835
• Bishop John II (Dobrozrakov) 1835-1847
• Archbishop Jacob (Becherkov) 1847-1850
• Bishop Jeremiah (Soloviev) 1851-1857
• Bishop Anthony (Pavlinsky) 1857-1860
• Archbishop Nektarius (Nadezhdin) 1860-1869
• Bishop Philaret (Malishevsky) 1869-1873
• Archbishop Joannicius (Rudnev) 1873-1877
• Bishop Chrysanthus (Retivtsev) 1877-1879
• Bishop Macarius (Mirolyubov) 1879-1885
• Bishop Modest (Strelbitsky) 1885-1889
• Bishop Vladimir I (Petrov) 1889-1892
• Bishop Vladimir II (Nikolsky) 1892-1900
• Bishop Nazarius (Kirillov) 1901-1910
• Archbishop Joachim (Levitsky) 1910-1918
• Archbishop Eudocimus (Meschersky) 1918-1924
• Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) 1924-1934
• Metropolitan Eugene (Zernov) 1934-1935
• Metropolitan Theophan (Tulyakov) (1935-1937)
• Archbishop Sergius (Grishin) (1942-1943)
• Bishop Zinovius (Krasovsky) (1944-1948)
• Metropolitan Cornelius (Popov) (1948-1961)
• Archbishop John (Alekseev) (1961-1965)
• Archbishop Mstislav (Volonsevich) (1965-1966)
• Archbishop Flavian (Dmitriyuk) (1966-1977)
• Metropolitan Nicholas (Kutepov) (1977-2001)
• Archbishop Eugene (Zhdan) (2001-2002)
• Metropolitan George (Danilov) (2003 - present)

Sources

• Holy Synod of the ROC forms Nizhny Novgorod Ecclesiastical Province 19 марта 2012]
• Metropolia of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas