View source for Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church

{{Infobox Christian denomination
| icon                = 
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| name                = Orthodox Old-Rite Church
| native_name         = Biserica Ortodoxă de Rit Vechi
| native_name_lang    = ro
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| type                = [[Eastern Christianity]]
| main_classification = [[Old Believers]]
| orientation         = [[Russian Orthodoxy]]
| scripture           = [[Septuagint]], [[New Testament]]
| theology            = [[Eastern Orthodox theology]]
| polity              = [[Episcopal polity|Episcopal]]
| governance          =
| structure           =
| leader_title        = [[Metropolitan bishop|Metropolitan<br/>bishop]]
| leader_name         = {{Interlanguage link|Leontius Izot|ru|Леонтий (Изот)}}
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| area                = 
| language            = [[Church Slavonic]]
| liturgy             = A variation of the [[Byzantine Rite]]
| headquarters        = [[Fântâna Albă]] (1846-1940),<br/>[[Brăila]] (since 1940)
| territory           = claim to lead the Old Believers all over the world, except Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Central Asia
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| founded_date        = 1846
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| separated_from      = [[Russian Orthodox Church]]
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| members             = 32,558 (2011)
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| churches            = 67
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}}
[[File:Crestini de rit vechi (staroveri) Romania (2002).png|thumb|Old Believers in Romania (2002 census)]]
The '''Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church''' (or '''Orthodox Old-ritualist Church''', '''Orthodox Old-Rite Church''', {{langx|ro|Biserica Ortodoxă de Rit Vechi din România}}; {{langx|ru|Православная старообрядческая Церковь в Румынии}}) 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'' ({{langx|ru|Архиепископ Белой Криницы и Бухареста и митрополит всех православных христиан старого обряда повсюду}}). His see is nominally in [[Bila Krynytsia, Chernivtsi Oblast|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==

[[Lipovan]]s 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 [[Eparchy|eparchies]] of the Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.borv.ro/ro/istoriya.html|title=Mitropolia Bisericii Ortodoxe de Rit Vechi - Istoric|website=www.borv.ro}}</ref>
* Eparchy of Fântâna Albă, with residence in [[Brăila]], which includes the old rite orthodox parishes from Brăila and Galați counties, Bucharest, Borduşani (Ialomiţa 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, Constanţa, Cernavodă and Năvodari in Constanţa county, and parishes from Bulgaria;
* Eparchy of Bukovina and Moldavia, with residence in [[Târgu Frumos]] (Iași County), which includes the parishes from Iași, Vaslui, Neamţ, 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 USA, 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 ==
;In [[Hungary]] and [[Romania]] (Belaya Krinitsa, temporarily in [[Brăila]], Romania)

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Name<br>{{small|Title}}
!Portrait
!colspan="2"|Period
!Notes
|-
|'''Ambrose''' (Papageorgopolos)<br>{{small|Metropolitan of [[Ambrose of Belaya Krinitsa|Belaya Krinitza]]}}
| [[File:Ambroise de Bila Krynytsya.jpg|80px]]
|28 October 1846
|26 July 1848
|Died on 30 October 1863
|-
|'''Cyril''' (Timofeyev)<br>{{small|Archbishop of Belaja Krinitza and Metropolitan of All Old-Rite Orthodox Christians}}
| [[File:Mitr kirill.jpg|80px]]
|4 January 1849 
|2 December 1873
|-
|'''Athanasius''' (Makurov)
| [[File:Афанасий (Макуров).jpg|80px]]
|9 May 1874
|1 October 1905
|
|-
|'''Macarius''' (Lobov)
| [[File:Макарий (Лобов).jpg|80px]]
|10 September 1906
|2 January 1921
|
|-
|'''Nicodemus''' (Fedotov)
|	               						
|24 September 1924
|15 October 1926
|
|-
|'''Paphnutius''' (Fedoseyev)
|
| 8 June 1928
| 8 April 1939
|
|-
|'''Silouan''' (Kravtsov)
| [[File:Силуян (Кравцов).jpg|80px]]
| 25 June 1939 
| 5 January 1941
| The last metropolitan, who resided in Belaya Krinitsa. 22 July 1940 he transferred his headquarter to [[Brăila]]
|-
|'''Innocent''' (Usov)
| [[File:Innokentiy Usov, metropolitan.JPG|80px]]   				
| 10 May 1941
| 16 February 1942
|
|-
|'''Tikhon''' (Kachalkin)<br>{{small|Metropolitan of Belaya Krinitza}}
|		
| 12 April 1942
| 4 March 1968
|
|-
|'''Joasaph''' (Timofey)
|			            		
|15 December 1968
|16 February 1985
|
|-
|'''Timon''' (Gavrilov)
|					        
|1 June 1985
|21 August 1996
|
|-
|'''Leontius''' (Izot)
|                                                 
|24 October 1996
|''Incumbent''
|
|-
|}

==External links==
* [https://www.borv.ro Official website]

==References==
{{no footnotes|date=September 2016}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Christianity in Romania}}
{{Christianity in Bulgaria}}
{{Romanian religions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church}}
[[Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in Romania]]
[[Category:Old Believer movement]]

{{orthodoxy-stub}}