TheEastern Orthodox Church in Moldova is represented by two jurisdictions -- theMetropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova, commonly referred to as theMoldovan Orthodox Church, a self-governing church body under theRussian Orthodox Church, and by theMetropolis of Bessarabia, also referred to as theBessarabian Orthodox Church, a self-governing church body under theRomanian Orthodox Church. According to a 2011Gallup survey on religion, among the Eastern Orthodox of Moldova, 86% belonged to the Moldovan Orthodox Church, while 13% belonged to the Bessarabian Orthodox Church.[1] Other Orthodox jurisdictions - non canonical ones included - have few other parishes in the region.[2]
.png)
The first attested Christian organization the territory of the laterPrincipality of Moldavia was theCatholicDiocese of Cumania in the southern part of the region, dating from 1227, at a time when theKingdom of Hungary attempted to extend its control in the region. However, as early as 1234,Orthodox Moldovans are mentioned in the diocese, having their own "pseudobishops" (or rural bishops). The diocese was soon destroyed by theMongol invasion of 1241, and only beginning with the late 13th century did Catholic missionaries become active again in southern Moldavia.
In the early stages of its statehood (14th century),Moldavia was under the authority of theOrthodox bishop ofHalych.[citation needed] Around 1371, during the reign ofLațcu, the court passed to Catholicism and a Catholic diocese was founded atSiret. The conversion was reverted soon after, with voivodeRoman I of Moldavia installing a local cleric as bishop. By 1391 a new Orthodox metropolitan, Joseph ofBelgorod, had been ordained by the archbishop of Halych. The move was opposed by thePatriarchate of Constantinople, who in 1391 named Theodosius asMetropolitan bishop of Moldavia. Around 1392, the same position was given by the Patriarch to Jeremiah. The Moldovan rulers refused to accept either and banished the latter from Moldavia, action resulting in ananathema against Moldavia issued by the Patriarch of Constantinople. A further two patriarchal missions were sent to Moldavia in 1395 and 1397 in a bid to regain authority over the local church. As the Mitropolitan see remained canonically vacant in 1394, the Moldavian priest Peter was namedexarch over Moldavia by Constantinople, a move that probably was not accepted by the local rulers either.
In 1401 the voivodeAlexandru cel Bun obtained from thePatriarchate of Constantinople the recognition of Joseph, whose anathema had been raised on the occasion, as head of an autonomousMetropolitan Moldavian See atSuceava, with 3 bishoprics and jurisdiction over the entire territory of the Principality of Moldavia. The Catholics were also favoured by Alexandru and in 1417 a new Roman Catholic bishop was ordained atBaia, with authority mainly over Hungarian and German merchants in that market town. Moldavia also sent delegates to the CatholicCouncil of Constance in 1421. All these caused problems for the Metropolitan bishop, who was called to Constantinople in 1415 but had to wait until 1471, when the new patriarch was enthroned, to have his position reconfirmed. Moldavia's extensive diplomatic relations with the Pope did not contribute to good relations between the Moldavian church ad its direct superior, the Patriarch of Constantinople. Towards 1436, the Pope named a Moldavian, Gregory, as Archbishop of Moldavia, however he was never recognized by the rulers of the country, and disappeared from history. Moldavian delegates were also present at theCouncil of Florence, where Damian, the Moldavian Orthodox metropolitan, signed the Union of the Western and Eastern Churches.[3][4]
From the 15th century the Patriarchate of Constantinople was forced to content itself with subordination to theOttoman Sultanate, the Metropolitan of Moldavia being ordained since by theArchbishop of Ohrid.
The 17th century saw the adoption of the national language in the church (when many religious texts were translated inRomanian, especially during the time of MetropolitanDosoftei), which replacedOld Slavonic language.[5][6] In 1677, the seat of the Metropolis of Moldavia was permanently moved toIași.[7]
Bessarabia, the eastern half of the Principality of Moldavia, wasannexed by theRussian Empire in 1812, including the territory constituting theChişinău Eparchy, which was reorganized and placed under theRussian Orthodox Church. Its first Metropolitan wasGavril Bănulescu-Bodoni, a popular promoter of theRomanian language and culture. Its last metropolitan wasAnastasius Gribanovsky, the future first-hierarch of theRussian Orthodox Church Abroad.
In January 1918 Bessarabia proclaimed independence asMoldavian Democratic Republic and in April 1918 itunited withRomania. The territory of modern-day Republic of Moldova was then made a part of theMetropolitanate of Bessarabia, under theRomanian Orthodox Church.
After World War II, Bessarabia wasoccupied by theUSSR, which was hostile to the church. The body of the church was downgraded to a "Bishopric of Chişinău and Moldova" under the Russian Orthodox Church.
After 1991, the Bishop ofBălți, Petru, led a movement that re-instated the formerMetropolitan See of Bessarabia, reviving the one existing in the interwar period, and placing it under the authority of the Romanian Orthodox Church, but retaining a larger degree of autonomy than the other Metropolitanates of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
In October 1992, the Bishopric of Chișinău was elevated toMetropolitan Church of Chișinău and all Moldova and granted autonomy by the Russian Orthodox Church. Later the state re-registered the churches and refused to register the Metropolitanate of Bassarabia, which led to a lengthy court action that lasted until theEuropean Court of Human Rights ordered the Moldovan state to register it, in 2004.[8] An uneasy peace exists nowadays between the two Churches. The majority of the population remains under the Metropolitan Church of Chișinău and all Moldova, while ca. 20% are under the Metropolitan See of Bessarabia.
| Autocephalous churches |
|  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autonomous churches |
| |||||||
| Diaspora Assemblies | ||||||||
| History | ||||||||
| Liturgy | ||||||||
| Other | ||||||||
 Christianity portal
| ||||||||