Changes

The '''Diocese of Kazan''' is a [[diocese]] under the [[jurisdiction]] of the [[Church of Russia]] with the [[see]] of the ruling [[bishop]] located in the city of Kazan. The borders of the diocese are common with those of the Republic of Tatarstan. The city of Kazan is located in the center of European Russia along the Volga River. Since its establishment, the borders of the diocese have varied greatly as Christianity was established in the formerly pagan countryside. Archbishop [[Anastassy (Metkin) of Kazanand Tatarstan]] and Tatarstan is the ruling hierarch of the Diocese of Kazan.

Orthodox Christianity made its appearance in the lands of the Golden Horde as early as the thirteenth century under the leadership of the diocese of Sarsk and Podolsk with the bishop’s residence located in the Horde’s capital Sarai. It wasn’t until the sixteenth century before a diocese was formed in the area of Kazan. The Diocese of Kazan was initially established on [[April 3]], 1555 by Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow, during the time of [[Ivan IV of Russia|Ivan IV]] (the Terrible), as the diocese of Kazan and Sviyazhsk. The first ruling bishop was Bishop [[Gury of Kazan|Gury (Rugotin)]], who had been the heguman ([[abbot]]) of the [[Monastery]] of Selizharov in Tver.

After the formation of the Soviet state, borders of Kazan diocese were adjusted to the new territorial organization. In the 1920s, the diocese included the the Chuvash and Mari republics in addition to that of Kazan. In 1946, the Cheboksary and Mari dioceses were formed, followed in 1993 by the formation of the Yoshkar-Ola and Mari diocese. With these changes the borders of the Kazan diocese coincided with those of Tatarstan.

With the territorial changes that the Kazan diocese experienced the title of the ruling [[hierarch]] also changed. Initially, the [[bishop]] held the title ''…of Kazan and Sviyazhsk''. With the addition of the territories of Astrakhan, [[Hermogenes of Moscow|Metr. Hermogen ]] used the title ''…of Kazan and Astrakhan'', while [[Metropolitan]] Ioasaf was the ''Bishop of Kazan and Bolgar''. During the period from 1795 to 1832, the bishops of Kazan used the title ''…of Kazan and Simbirsk''. During the Soviet times the bishops used the original title ''……of Kazan and Sviyazhsk'' until 1950. Then, in succession, the titles changed from ''…of Kazan and Chistopol'' (1944 to 1958), to ''…of Kazan and Mari'' (1958 to 1993), and finally to ''…of Kazan and Tatarstan'' (1993 to the present).

By the eighteenth century a number of monasteries began organizing within the diocese such that by 1764 there were eleven monasteries that received state subsidies, beside many other smaller, unsubsidized monasteries. The three major monasteries were: [[Holy Dormition Monastery of Sviyazhsk|Sviyazhsk Dormition Monastery]], Savior-Transfiguration Monastery, and Kazan Convent of the Mother of God.

Closely associated with the diocese is the [[icon]] of the Mother of God. The [[icon ]] was found by a ten year old girl, Matryona, on [[July 5]], 1579. The priest Yermolai, the future Patriarch Hermogen of Moscow and saint, placed the wonderworking icon in a [[church]], before it was moved to the Kazan Convent of the Mother of God. A number of copies of the icon were made over the years that were sent to various places. In 1904, the icon was stolen from the Kazan Convent and never found. Since the true identity of the icon sent to Moscow in 1612 is lost in time (was it the original or a copy), the fate of the original has been open to question. Over the years many miracles have been attributed to the wonder working icon.

As the diocese entered into the difficult times of the Soviet years, the year 1917 is a benchmark for the following years. In 1917, the diocese recorded the statistics before the difficult years to come. The diocese had 794 churches, 27 monastic communities, 419 chapels[[chapel]]s, 1554 married priests[[priest]]s, 202 nuns[[nun]]s, and 1601 monks[[monk]]s. There were also 26 priests of the old belief who came under the jurisdiction of the Church of Russia.

In 1938, Abp. Andrei (Komarov) was the ruling bishop of the diocese, with the only church (Wonderworkers of Yaroslavl at the Arsky cemetery) operating in Kazan city as his [[cathedral]]. As part of the softening of relations by the bolshevik government during World War II, the life of the church revived some in 1944. About 40 of the Tatarstan churches were functioning again. But, in the 1960s, persecutions returned to the church and the number of churches in Tatarstan was reduced to 15.

On [[December 11]], 1988, Archimandrite Anastasy (Metkin), [[rector ]] of St. Nicholas Cathedral, was consecrated bishop in the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow to fill the [[cathedra]] of the Diocese of Kazan. In 1989, the Cathedral of the Apostles [[Apostle Peter|Peter]] and [[Apostle Paul|Paul]] was returned to the diocese, the start of a stream of churches that gradually were returned to the Kazan diocese over the following years. In succession, the [[Raifa Monastery of the Mother of God|Raifa Monastery]] was returned in 1991, St. Barbara’s and St. Sophia Churches were returned in 1994. In 1996, Makaryev Monastery (of St. Makaius Zheltovodsky) and the Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God led the return of many churches and monasteries that year.

The Diocese of Kazan, in more recent years, has opened some 176 active parishes, divided into 22 deaneries. The diocese has been restoring six male and two female monasteries. In 2005, 25 deacons and 22 priests have been [[ordination|ordained]]. In September 1997, the Kazan Theological School was re-organized as the [[Kazan Theological Academy|Kazan Theological Seminary]], and church schools have been steadily opened in many of the parishes.