Gomel Diocese of the Belarusian Orthodox Church

The city of Gomel is one of the oldest settlement centers in Russia and in modern Belarus. Its roots are lost in the depths of history, but it is known that in the ninth century the territories of the modern Gomel region were subordinated to the Kiev prince. Therefore, after the christening of Russia, Christianity began to spread quickly here. In the end, this led to the fact that an independent Gomel diocese was formed on the territory of the region, a photo of which can be seen in the review.

Ancient History of the Diocese

The first archaeologically confirmed information about the existence of Christian communities on the territory of the Gomel region dates back to the eleventh century. However, when exactly the first adherents of the church appeared on this territory, it is difficult to say. It is possible that even before the year 988, the official date for the acceptance of Christianity by Russia, the missions and communities of believers functioned in the settlements of the region.

In 1054, when the Chernigov principality was formed, Gomel entered its structure as one of the most important cities-fortresses. And in church relation, his parishes and monasteries were ruled by the Chernigov bishop. In addition, a number of territories, which today also serves the Gomel diocese, were subordinated to the Turov and Smolensk departments.

Diocese from the XIVth to the XVIII centuries.

Little is known about the church life of this period. In the 30s of the fourteenth century Gomel joined the Lithuanian principality.

In the documents of different centuries various Orthodox churches of the city are mentioned. This is the Nikolaevsky cathedral of the end of the fourteenth century, then the Prechistensk temple and the Trinity church of the beginning of the sixteenth century.

In the eighteenth century, work began on the construction of a religious school, and a few months later, in 1772, in connection with the division of Poland, Gomel passes under the control of the Russian Crown. In this case, the affairs of the Orthodox Church on its territory are included in the jurisdiction of the Minsk diocese.

Chair in the XIX century

So Gomel exists until the middle of the nineteenth century, when it becomes a district center in the Mogilev province. At the same time, new temples are erected on its territory in honor of the First-Ever Apostles Peter and Paul and the Holy Trinity. In total, in the mid-nineteenth century, five Orthodox churches and one monastery functioned in Gomel. The need for spiritual education was satisfied by the spiritual school.

The Gomel diocese still did not have any independent management, all its affairs were directed by the Mogilev bishop. This position lasted long enough, up to the twentieth century. It was caused by the fact that the number of Orthodox population was not so great for the establishment of an independent department.

Gomel diocese in the 20th century (before 1990)

The situation changed at the beginning of the twentieth century. Due to the increase in population and the construction of a number of new temples, the Gomel diocese has gained some weight. As a result, in 1907, the Gomel Vicariate was established within the Mogilev diocese . This status of the region continued after the 1917 revolution. Only in 1924 the vicar chair emerged from the care of the Mogilev bishop and gained an independent status. Its first ruling bishop was Nikon (Degtyarenko).

But along with independence, the Gomel diocese faced opposition from the authorities. In 1925 the second ruling bishop Tikhon (Sharapov) was arrested a few months after his appointment to the pulpit. And although legally he remained its head until 1934, the actual administration of the parishes was carried out by other bishops. A little later, with the closing of the cathedral of the First-Ever Apostles Peter and Paul in 1935, the diocese ceased to exist at all.

The short period of the thaw took place during the Second World War. At that time, the Gomel Diocese of the Belarusian Orthodox Church functioned, which retained the status of an autonomous structure. After the war, it ceased to exist.

Diocese of Gomel after 1990

Revival of full-blooded church life in the region occurred only in the 90-ies. twentieth century. Officially, the Gomel Diocese was restored in 1990 in the status of an independent department, whose canonical territory coincided with the boundaries of the region. The first bishop, called to manage the newly opened diocese, was the Most Reverend Aristarchus (Stankevich) with the title "Gomel and Mozyr".

Two years later, the Mozyr Department was taken out of the diocese into an independent structure. As a result, Zhlobin became the second center of the diocese.

In 2007, the Rechitsa vicariate was formed within the Gomel department by the decision of the Holy Synod, which, however, did not last long - until 2012.

After the death of Archbishop Aristarchus, the chair was headed by Bishop Stefan (Neshcheret).

Gomel Diocese: parishes and deaneries

To date, the territory of the department occupies a significant area and has a large number of believers, so that the direct management of church structures on the ground from the city center is difficult. Therefore, the Gomel diocese, whose parishes are dispersed in many districts of the region, is divided into ten districts-deaneries, whose management oversees all parochial activity and carries out communication of communities with the administration of the ruling bishop.

In total there are about 140 temples in the department at the moment. In addition, there are four monasteries, three of which are (Tikhvin, Uspensky and Kormyansky) are female and one (Nikolsky) masculine.

Interaction of church and society in Gomel

Between different layers of civil society and church structures, contact is made through ten specialized departments that are located in the diocesan administration building. In addition to these, several commissions are functioning on various issues concerning the life of the diocese.

As for church education, there are two youth brotherhoods in the subordinate department of the territory - the diocesan and the monastery of St. Nicholas. In the same monastery for the laity, educational lectures on spiritual, local history and other relevant topics are regularly read, there is a children's biblical studio and groups for studying the Gospel for young people and adults.

At the general parochial level, various events are also held, for example, the February tournament of intellectual games "Tabor", which has an international status, or a number of events dedicated to the Day of the Orthodox Book.

Youth brotherhoods are engaged in the work connected with the children of orphanages. A number of priests of the diocese conduct work in places of deprivation of liberty. Also from time to time charity events and other events are held in the region.

Pilgrimage trips

Pilgrimage is an important place in the life of the Gomel department. On the part of the church leadership, she is supervised by the pilgrimage department. In the framework of the programs offered by the Gomel Diocese, pilgrimage trips to sacred and memorable places for Orthodox places in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Also, groups are regularly sent abroad, for example, to Italy. Annually, young believers travel to France to the interconfessional monastery of Tezet. But the most popular program, provided by the Gomel diocese, is a trip to Jerusalem to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. At the same time, her schedule includes visits to other Christian shrines located in the territory of modern Israel.