Diocese of Belgorod and Stary Oskol

Diocese of Belgorod and Stary Oskol
Transfiguration Cathedral
Location
Headquarters	Belgorod
Information
Denomination	Eastern Orthodox
Sui iuris church	Russian Orthodox Church
Established	1657
Language	Old Church Slavonic
Governance	Eparchy
Website
www.beleparh.ru

Diocese of Belgorod and Stary Oskol (Russian: Белгородская и Старооскольская епархия) is an eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The history of the diocese of Belgorod formally begins with 1657, when it was "discovered" the Chair and Metropolitan Pitirim Krutitskii received the title of Metropolitan of Belgorod but did not go to Belgorod, since the appointment was to "banish dangerous for Nikon Metropolitan" [1] from Moscow, where he was a patriarchal vicar, on the outskirts, because the diocese in the year really organized and has not been. Reasons for the binding of the Belgorod region to krutitskoy Metropolis was: her territory once included the Golden-Sarskaya (Sarskaja, Podonskuyu) Bishop [1], which was once part (southern part) consisted of Belgorod and Sloboda.

Belgorod Diocese was actually formed (spun off from the Patriarchal area) only in 1667 with the appointment of the chair of the Serbian Metropolitan Theodosius.

In 1667, by order of the Grand Moscow cathedral for the immediate and more successful pastoral care of the remote border regions of Russia, as long depended on the spiritual part of the management of Moscow, part of Kiev, was established in Belgorod Diocese: "Let there be customs bishop." Since the founding of the diocese was staged in a number of metropolitan sees and its bishops were called Metropolitans Belogradsky [1] and Oboyansky - so it was prior to the establishment in 1721, the Holy Synod. Since that time, they are called bishops or archbishops, with the exception of one Anthony ChernavskiT ordained in the Metropolitan at home.

From 1667 to 1787 years were called arhipastyri Belogradsky Oboyansky and, from 1787 to 1799 Belgorod and Kursk, and since 1799 - Kursk and Belgorod.

The territory of the newly formed Diocese was "very high" [1], - more than 10 times larger in area than in 2012, for the last time the diocese was divided several times. In 1667, the diocese was "open" to the south (i.e., had the southern border, including the then inhabited the entire Russian territory) and included 37 cities (20 "old", north of Belgorod features, chief of Belgorod, and 17 "new", that is newly constructed, mainly in Slobozhanschyna, chief Kharkov) [1] and in 1679 in the diocese already had 542 churches. [1]

Only during the 16th and 17th centuries in the future of the Belgorod province there 59 monasteries, including such well-known men like Kharkov Svyatogorskaya deserts in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, Hotmyzhsky monastery in honor of the Blessed Virgin "The Omen", Glinskaya deserts.

Monasteries in the Belgorod region appeared simultaneously with the addition of it to the territory of the Russian state and the period of its origin belonged to the marginal, playing a significant role in strengthening Christianity and state power in the newly attached vast territory. Therefore, in the 16th century by order of Tsar Feodor Ivanovich based Root Hermitage (Kursk county), Trinity Monastery in Belgorod - on the orders of Boris Godunov.