THE DIOCESE OF SLAVA
THE DIOCESE OF SLAVA
The history of this diocese has its beginnings in the early days of the XIX th century, when it was founded by Ambrose. He was coming from Bosnia at that time, and two centuries after his death, he is sanctified.
In the first days of August,1847, at the Metropolitan Church of White Well (Ukraine nowadays), arrives the delegation from the Monastery of Slava and from other communities residing on the Upper Danube region (Dobroudjea was at that time under the Ottomans). The delegation had among it three candidates for the position of Bishop. One of them was Arkady Dorofeev, monk at that time, later to become Bishop Arkady in 1847.
All his life, he worked and suffered. The Turkish authorities arrested them and put him into prison, but having no real proof against him, he was released. But no sooner has he been raised to Archbishop, that he was arrested by the Russian army and imprisoned in the fortress Suzdal.
Following Arkady I, Arkady II was elected the new bishop in 1854 (Andrei Radionovich Shaposhnikoff by his worldly name). He amazes the world with his vast knowledge and literary talent. Later he was called “bishop of the Nekrasovs”. After the war ( between the Russians and the Turks), Arkady II comes to Dobrodjea and receives also the Diocese of Slava alongside the upper Danube-region communities.
To Arkady II followed Irinarkh, in 1871 to the bishop seat.
He is followed by father Leonty, the fourth bishop, in 1906. After his death, the seat remains empty up until 1927. All this time, the diocese is run by the bishop Nikodim of Tulcea.
A crucial moment in the history of the diocese is marked by the official recognition of the Turkish Government in 1851, and the official establishment of the diocese at Monastery Uspenia ( village Slava Rusa, Tulcea County).
The seat was afterwards occupied by bishop Leonid, in 1981.
The tenth bishop is Flavian, anointed by the Metropolitan bishop Leonty, at 5th June 2000, and made Archbishop at 24th June the same year.
Under his rule, the Monastery enters into an intensive period of reconstruction and remaking.
The Diocese of Slava comprises the following parishes: Jurilovca, Carcaliu (Kameni), Slava Rusa, Slava Cerkeza (all from Tulcea County); Ghindaresti, Constantza, Navodari, 2 Mai, Cernavoda (Constantza County), Tataritza (Bulgaria), and the two Monasteries of Slava Rusa : the monk monastery - Uspenia and the nunnery – Vovidenia.