Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church

The Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church (or Orthodox Old-ritualist Church, Orthodox Old-Rite Church, ; ) is the Romanian Old Believer jurisdiction of the Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy.

The head of the Church carries the title of Archbishop of Belaya Krinitsa and Bucharest and Metropolitan of all Orthodox Christians of the Old Rite everywhere (). His see is nominally in Bila Krynytsia/Belaya Krinitsa/Fântâna Albă (Bukovina), his residence in Brăila, Romania since 1940.

It positions itself as the world center of popovtsy, as the "Mother Church" for the Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church; the latter does not recognize this.

History

Lipovans are Russian Old Believers who fled Russia in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, in order to escape the persecution of their faith.

Eparchies

There are seven eparchies of the Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church:

• Eparchy of Fântâna Albă, with residence in Brăila, which includes the old rite orthodox parishes from Brăila and Galați counties, Bucharest, Borduşani (IalomiÅ£a county), Fântâna Albă/Bila Krynytsia (Ukraine);
• Eparchy of Slava, with residence in Slava Rusă (Tulcea county), which includes the parishes from Slava Rusă, Slava Cercheză, Carcaliu, Ghindăreşti, Jurilovca, 2 Mai, ConstanÅ£a, Cernavodă and Năvodari in ConstanÅ£a county, and parishes from Bulgaria;
• Eparchy of Bukovina and Moldavia, with residence in Târgu Frumos (Iași County), which includes the parishes from Iași, Vaslui, NeamÅ£, Suceava and Botoșani counties;
• Eparchy of Tulcea, with residence in Tulcea, which includes the parishes from Tulcea, Sulina, Mahmudia, Sarichioi, Periprava, Chilia Veche, Mila 23, Sfiştovca;
• Eparchy of the US, residing in Oregon, which includes the parishes from the U.S., Canada, and Australia;
• Western Eparchy, based in Turin (Italy), which includes the parishes from Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Austria, and Hungary;
• Eparchy of the Baltic States, residing in Jēkabpils, comprising the parishes from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

First Hierarchs

External links

• Official website

References