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{{westernrite}}
The '''Orthodox Church of France''' (''l'Eglise Orthodoxe de France'', also ''l'Eglise Catholique Orthodoxe de France'', a.k.a. ''l'ECOF'') is an autonomous diocese of [[Western Rite]] parishes in France formed in 1936 by the [[Church of Russia]]. The Orthodox Church of France currently functions as an independent body, and is not recognized by nor any of the Orthodox Churches in communion with any patriachal, autocephalous, or autonomous Orthodox Churchthe ancient patriarchates.
==History==
In 1937, the [[Church of Russia]] received a small group under the former Liberal Catholic bishop, Louis-Charles (Irénée) Winnaert (1880-1937), dubbing them ''l'Eglise Orthodoxe Occidentale'' ("Western Orthodox Church"). Upon his repose, the leadership of the Church was turned over to [[Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis|Evgraph Kovalevsky]] (1905-1970). Also in the French Church were [[Denis (Chambault)|Lucien Chambault]], who oversaw a small Orthodox Benedictine community in the rue d'Alleray in Paris (as Pére Denis), and the former Benedictine monk, Archimandrite [[Alexis van der Mensbrugghe]] (1899-1980), who favorably viewed the restoration of the ancient Roman rite cleansed of medieval accretions and supplemented by Gallican and Byzantine interpolations. In 1948, he published his ''Liturgie Orthodoxe de Rite Occidental'' and in 1962 the ''Missel Orthodoxe Rite Occidental''.
