The diocese was established in 1602 under Tsar Boris Godunov and Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', Patriarch Job after the petition of the abbot of the Astrakhan Trinity Monastery, Theodosius (Kharitonov) to separate it into an independent diocese from the vast Diocese of Kazan.[1] The former superior of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Astrakhan, Theodosius (Kharitonov),[2] became the first ordinary bishop. The rapid development of monasteries and church institutions in the region ensured the rights to control fisheries and the salt industry since the 17th century.[2]
Archdiocese since 1605, metropolitanate from June 8/18, 1667 to April 3/14, 1714.
From 1991 to 2001, the number of parishes in the Astrakhan Diocese increased from 17 to 61. Compared to the same 1991, when 29 priests and 6 deacons served in the diocese, in 2001 there were already 60 and 13, respectively.[3]
On March 12, 2013, by decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, the northern part of the Astrakhan region was separated from the diocese, on the territory of which the Akhtubinsk Diocese was formed.[4]
Former names
Astrakhan and Terek diocese (1602–1723)
Astrakhan and Stavropol diocese (1723–1799)
Astrakhan and Mozdok diocese (1799–1803)
Astrakhan and Caucasus diocese (1803–1829)
Astrakhan and Enotaevsk diocese (1829–1917)
Astrakhan and Tsarev diocese (September 5, 1917 – 1943)
Astrakhan and Stalingrad diocese (1943–1959)
Astrakhan and Enotaevsk diocese (July 27, 1959 - March 12, 2013)
^"Астраханская епархия". Официальный сайт Московского патриархата (in Russian). Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2020.