Stauropegic
Encyclopedia
Stauropegic, also rendered stavropegic, stauropegial, or stavropegial (from , "cross", and pegio, "to affirm") is a title or description applied to Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christian monasteries subordinated directly to a Patriarch
or Synod
, rather than to their local Bishop
. It derives from the Byzantine tradition of summoning the Patriarch to place a cross
at the foundation of such monasteries.
Stauropegic monasteries should be distinguished from the greatest monasteries, called lavra
s, and from the patriarchal metochion
s, where the patriarch serves as a parish priest. The metochions of the Patriarch of Moscow are the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery
and Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery
.
has 5 stauropegic monasteries:http://pravoslavie.bg/content/view/272/58/
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
and the Sofia Seminary
are also directly subordinate to the Bulgarian Patriarch and Synod.
was Simonov Monastery
(1383). It was subordinated directly to the Ecumenical Patriarch, because it was founded by Greeks and was home to the patriarch during his visits to Moscow
.
In 1561 Ivan the Terrible decreed that the following seven monasteries should precede all the rest:
After the establishment of the Patriarchate in Moscow, there were no stauropegic monasteries subordinated directly to the Patriarch, until Nikon
founded the New Jerusalem Monastery
, Valdai Iversky Monastery and Kiy Island Monastery
, which he governed himself, instead of placing each of them under an hegumen
(abbot).
The Greek custom, first introduced by Nikon, was continued by other Patriarchs and by the Holy Governing Synod. Stauropegic houses were not always the most important monasteries, the holiest, the richest, or the largest. They might have been dear to the ruling Patriarch for personal reasons. In the 19th century, apart from four Lavra
s, seven monasteries were considered stauropegial:
, the following monasteries were recognized as stauropegial by the Russian Orthodox Church:
Monasteries of Moscow
:
Monasteries of Central Russia:
Monasteries of North-Western Russia:
Monasteries outside Russia:
Monasteries in Ukraine
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
or Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
, rather than to their local Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
. It derives from the Byzantine tradition of summoning the Patriarch to place a cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
at the foundation of such monasteries.
Stauropegic monasteries should be distinguished from the greatest monasteries, called lavra
Lavra
In Orthodox Christianity and certain other Eastern Christian communities Lavra or Laura originally meant a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center...
s, and from the patriarchal metochion
Metochion
In Eastern Orthodoxy, a metochion is an ecclesiastical embassy church, usually from one autocephalous or autonomous church to another. The term is also used to refer to a parish representation of a monastery or a patriarch....
s, where the patriarch serves as a parish priest. The metochions of the Patriarch of Moscow are the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery
Vysokopetrovsky Monastery
Vysokopetrovsky Monastery is a Russian Orthodox monastery in the Bely Gorod of Moscow commanding a hill whence Petrovka Street descends towards the Kremlin....
and Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery
Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery
Nikolo-Perervinsky Monastery is the southernmost historical monastery of Moscow. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Miracle-Worker....
.
Stauropegic monasteries in Bulgarian Orthodoxy
The Bulgarian Orthodox ChurchBulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
has 5 stauropegic monasteries:http://pravoslavie.bg/content/view/272/58/
- Rila MonasteryRila MonasteryThe Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River at an elevation of above sea level...
- Bachkovo MonasteryBachkovo MonasteryThe Bachkovo Monastery , archaically the Petritsoni Monastery or Monastery of the Mother of God Petritzonitissa in Bulgaria is an important monument of Christian architecture and one of the largest and oldest Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Europe...
- Troyan MonasteryTroyan MonasteryThe Monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God or, as it is more commonly called, the Troyan Monastery is the third largest monastery in Bulgaria...
- Pomorie Monastery
- Transfiguration MonasteryTransfiguration MonasteryThe Transfiguration Monastery or the Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration of God is an Eastern Orthodox monastery located in the Dervent gorge of the Yantra River. It lies near the village of Samovodene, seven kilometres north of Veliko Tarnovo, in central northern Bulgaria...
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia
The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, as well as one of Sofia's symbols...
and the Sofia Seminary
Sofia Seminary
The Sofia Seminary of St John of Rila , located in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is the main seminary of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and an ecclesiastical institution of higher education. Founded in 1874 as the Samokov Theological School in the Sts...
are also directly subordinate to the Bulgarian Patriarch and Synod.
Stauropegic monasteries in Russian Orthodoxy
The first stauropegic monastery in the Russian Orthodox ChurchRussian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
was Simonov Monastery
Simonov Monastery
Simonov monastery in Moscow was established in 1370 by monk Feodor, a nephew and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh.The monastery land formerly belonged to Simeon Khovrin, a boyar of Greek extraction and progenitor of the great clan of Golovins. He took monastic vows in the cloister under the name...
(1383). It was subordinated directly to the Ecumenical Patriarch, because it was founded by Greeks and was home to the patriarch during his visits to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
In 1561 Ivan the Terrible decreed that the following seven monasteries should precede all the rest:
- Trinity Lavra, Sergiev Posad
- Chudov MonasteryChudov MonasteryThe Chudov Monastery was founded in the Moscow Kremlin in 1358 by Metropolitan Alexius of Moscow. The monastery was dedicated to the miracle of the Archangel Michael at Chonae...
, Moscow - Andronikov Monastery, Moscow
- Kirillo-Belozersky MonasteryKirillo-Belozersky MonasteryKirillo-Belozersky Monastery , loosely translated in English as the St. Cyril-Belozersk Monastery, used to be the largest monastery of Northern Russia. The monastery was dedicated to the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, for which cause it was sometimes referred to as the Dormition Monastery...
, Kirillov - Epiphany MonasteryEpiphany MonasteryThe Epiphany Monastery is the oldest male monastery in Moscow, situated in the Kitai gorod, just one block away from the Moscow Kremlin.According to a legend, it was founded by Daniel, the first prince of Moscow, around 1296. It is also believed that a would-be metropolitan Alexis was one of the...
, Moscow - Pafnutiev Monastery, BorovskBorovskBorovsk is a town and the administrative center of Borovsky District of Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located just south from the oblast's border with Moscow Oblast. It is situated on the Protva River, about southwest of Moscow.Population: 12,000 ....
- Joseph-Volokolamsky Monastery near VolokolamskVolokolamskVolokolamsk is a town and the administrative center of Volokolamsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Gorodenka River, not far from its confluence with the Lama River, northwest of Moscow. Population: -History:...
After the establishment of the Patriarchate in Moscow, there were no stauropegic monasteries subordinated directly to the Patriarch, until Nikon
Patriarch Nikon
Nikon , born Nikita Minin , was the seventh patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church...
founded the New Jerusalem Monastery
New Jerusalem Monastery
The New Jerusalem Monastery or Novoiyerusalimsky Monastery , also known as the Voskresensky Monastery, is a male monastery, located in the town of Istra in Moscow Oblast, Russia....
, Valdai Iversky Monastery and Kiy Island Monastery
Kiy Island
Kiy-Island is an island in the Onega Bay of the White Sea, 8 km off-shore and 15 km from the town of Onega. The island stretches for 2 kilometres from north-west to south-east, but its width does not exceed 800 meters.The island includes wide and sandy beaches, piny woods rich with...
, which he governed himself, instead of placing each of them under an hegumen
Hegumen
Hegumen, hegumenos, igumen, or ihumen is the title for the head of a monastery of the Eastern Orthodox Church or Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the one of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called hegumenia or ihumenia . The term means "the one who is in charge", "the leader" in...
(abbot).
The Greek custom, first introduced by Nikon, was continued by other Patriarchs and by the Holy Governing Synod. Stauropegic houses were not always the most important monasteries, the holiest, the richest, or the largest. They might have been dear to the ruling Patriarch for personal reasons. In the 19th century, apart from four Lavra
Lavra
In Orthodox Christianity and certain other Eastern Christian communities Lavra or Laura originally meant a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center...
s, seven monasteries were considered stauropegial:
- Novospassky MonasteryNovospassky MonasteryNovospassky Monastery is one of the fortified monasteries surrounding Moscow from south-east.It was the first monastery to be founded in Moscow in the early 14th century. The Saviour Church was its original katholikon...
, Moscow - New Jerusalem MonasteryNew Jerusalem MonasteryThe New Jerusalem Monastery or Novoiyerusalimsky Monastery , also known as the Voskresensky Monastery, is a male monastery, located in the town of Istra in Moscow Oblast, Russia....
, Istra - Simonov MonasterySimonov MonasterySimonov monastery in Moscow was established in 1370 by monk Feodor, a nephew and disciple of St Sergius of Radonezh.The monastery land formerly belonged to Simeon Khovrin, a boyar of Greek extraction and progenitor of the great clan of Golovins. He took monastic vows in the cloister under the name...
, Moscow - Donskoy MonasteryDonskoy MonasteryDonskoy Monastery is a major monastery in Moscow, founded in 1591 in commemoration of Moscow's deliverance from an imminent threat of Khan Kazy-Girey’s invasion...
, Moscow - Solovetsky MonasterySolovetsky MonasterySolovetsky Monastery was the greatest citadel of Christianity in the Russian North before being turned into a special Soviet prison and labor camp , which served as a prototype for the GULag system. Situated on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea, the monastery braved many changes of fortune...
, Solovki - Yakovlevsky Monastery, Rostov
- Zaikonospassky MonasteryZaikonospassky monasteryThe Zaikonospassky monastery was a monastery in Kitai-gorod, Moscow, just one block away from the Kremlin.It was founded in 1600 by Boris Godunov...
, Moscow
, the following monasteries were recognized as stauropegial by the Russian Orthodox Church:
Monasteries of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
:
- Danilov MonasteryDanilov MonasteryDanilov Monastery, in full Svyato-Danilov Monastery or Holy Danilov Monastery , is a monastery on the right bank of the Moskva River in Moscow, Russia...
, Moscow - Donskoy MonasteryDonskoy MonasteryDonskoy Monastery is a major monastery in Moscow, founded in 1591 in commemoration of Moscow's deliverance from an imminent threat of Khan Kazy-Girey’s invasion...
, Moscow - Novospassky MonasteryNovospassky MonasteryNovospassky Monastery is one of the fortified monasteries surrounding Moscow from south-east.It was the first monastery to be founded in Moscow in the early 14th century. The Saviour Church was its original katholikon...
, Moscow - Sretensky MonasterySretensky MonasterySretensky Monastery is a monastery in Moscow, founded by Grand Prince Vasili I in 1397. It used to be located close to the present-day Red Square, but in the early 16th century it was moved northeast to what is now Bolshaya Lubyanka Street...
, Moscow - Zachatyevsky Convent, Moscow
- Intercession Convent, Moscow
- Nativity Convent, Moscow
Monasteries of Central Russia:
- Joseph-Volokolamsky Monastery, Moscow OblastMoscow OblastMoscow Oblast , or Podmoskovye , is a federal subject of Russia . Its area, at , is relatively small compared to other federal subjects, but it is one of the most densely populated regions in the country and, with the 2010 population of 7,092,941, is the second most populous federal subject...
- New Jerusalem MonasteryNew Jerusalem MonasteryThe New Jerusalem Monastery or Novoiyerusalimsky Monastery , also known as the Voskresensky Monastery, is a male monastery, located in the town of Istra in Moscow Oblast, Russia....
, Moscow Oblast - Optina MonasteryOptina MonasteryThe Optina Hermitage is an Eastern Orthodox monastery for men near Kozelsk in Russia. In the 19th century, the Optina was the most important spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church and served as the model for several other monasteries, including the nearby Shamordino Convent...
, Kaluga OblastKaluga OblastKaluga Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kaluga.-Geography:Kaluga Oblast is located in the central part of the East European Plain. The Smolensk Highland lays in the western and north-western part of the oblast, while the Central Russian Highland -... - St. Savva Monastery, Moscow Oblast
- Ugreshi Monastery, Moscow Oblast
- Amvrosievsky Shamordinsky Convent, Kaluga Oblast
- Borisoglebsky Anosin Convent, Moscow Oblast
- Intercession Convent, Khotkovo, Moscow Oblast
- Krestovozdvizhensky Convent, Moscow Oblast
Monasteries of North-Western Russia:
- Solovetsky MonasterySolovetsky MonasterySolovetsky Monastery was the greatest citadel of Christianity in the Russian North before being turned into a special Soviet prison and labor camp , which served as a prototype for the GULag system. Situated on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea, the monastery braved many changes of fortune...
, Arkhangelsk OblastArkhangelsk OblastArkhangelsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea.... - Valaam MonasteryValaam MonasteryThe Valaam Monastery, or Valamo Monastery is a stauropegic Orthodox monastery in Russian Karelia, located on Valaam, the largest island in Lake Ladoga, the largest lake in Europe.-History:...
, Republic of KareliaRepublic of KareliaThe Republic of Karelia is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is located in the northwestern part of Russia, taking intervening position between the basins of White and Baltic seas... - Vyashchizhi Monastery, Novgorod OblastNovgorod OblastNovgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located there...
- Ioannovsky ConventIoannovsky ConventThe Convent of St. John of Rila is the largest convent in St. Petersburg, Russia and the only stauropegic monastery in the region. It was established on the bank of the Karpovka River by Saint John of Kronstadt as a branch of the Sura Monastery of St. John the Baptist...
, Saint PetersburgSaint PetersburgSaint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
Monasteries outside Russia:
- Assumption Monastery, Zhirovitsy, Hrodna Oblast, BelarusBelarusBelarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
- Assumption Monastery, ZimneZymne MonasteryThe Uspensky Svyatogorsky Monastery is a stauropegial Ukrainian Orthodox cave monastery, located at the top of the Holy Mountain rising above the Luh River near the village of Zymne, five kilometers south of Volodymyr-Volynskyi, Volyn Oblast, Ukraine.- History :The origin of the monastery is...
, Volyn OblastVolyn OblastVolyn Oblast is an oblast in north-western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Lutsk. Kovel is the westernmost town and the last station in Ukraine of the rail line running from Kiev to Warsaw.-History:...
, Ukraine - Hlynsky Monastery, Sumy OblastSumy OblastSumy Oblast is an oblast in the northeastern part of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Sumy.Other important cities within the oblast include Konotop, Okhtyrka, Romny, and Shostka....
, Ukraine - St. George Monastery, Horodnytsia, Zhytomyr OblastZhytomyr OblastZhytomyr Oblast is an oblast of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Zhytomyr.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on September 22, 1937....
, Ukraine - Puhtitsa ConventPuhtitsa ConventPühtitsa Convent is a convent located in Eastern Estonia between Lake Peipus and the Gulf of Finland.-History:...
, EstoniaEstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies... - Trinity Convent, KoretsKoretsKorets is a city in the Rivne Oblast in Ukraine. The city is located on the Korchyk river, 66 kilometers to the east of Rivne. It is administrative center of the Korets Raion. As of 2001, the population of Korets was 8,649....
, Rivne OblastRivne OblastRivne Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Rivne. The area of the region is 20,100 km²; its population is 1.2 million...
, Ukraine
Stauropegic monasteries in Ukrainian Greek Catholicism
A stauropegial monastery (monasterium stauropegiaceum), in other words, under patriarchal jurisdiction (monasterium iuris patriarchalis), is a monastery which is subject directly to the patriarch (can. 434 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches).Monasteries in Ukraine
- Univ LavraUniv LavraUniv Holy Dormition Lavra of the Studite Rite is the only lavra of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. It is situated in Peremyshliany Raion, Lviv Oblast. The monastery houses about 100 Studite Brethren....