What is the difference between a priest and an archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church. Orders in the church

A priest in the Orthodox Church is not just a "father". An uninitiated person guesses that there are many degrees of priesthood in the church: it is not for nothing that one Orthodox priest wears a silver cross, another gold, and the third is also decorated with beautiful stones. In addition, even a person who does not really delve into the Russian church hierarchy knows from fiction that the clergy can be black (monastic) and white (married). But when faced with such Orthodox as archimandrite, priest, protodeacon, the vast majority of people do not understand what in question, and how the listed clergymen differ from each other. Therefore, I offer a short overview of the san Orthodox clergy which will help you understand in large numbers spiritual titles.

The priest in the Orthodox Church is the black clergy

Let's start with the black clergy, since monastic Orthodox priests have many more titles than those who have chosen family life.

• Patriarch is the head of the Orthodox Church, the highest church dignity. The patriarch is elected at the local council. hallmark his vestments are a white headdress (kukol) surmounted by a cross, and a panagia (decorated precious stones image of the Virgin).
• A metropolitan is the head of a large Orthodox church region (metropolis), which includes several dioceses. At present, this is an honorary (as a rule, award) rank, following immediately after the archbishop. The Metropolitan wears a white klobuk and panagia.
• An archbishop is an Orthodox clergyman who oversees several dioceses. It is currently an award. The archbishop can be distinguished by a black hood, decorated with a cross, and a panagia.
• Bishop - Head Orthodox diocese. It differs from the archbishop in that there is no cross on his klobuk. All patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops and bishops can be called in one word - bishops. All of them can ordain Orthodox priests and deacons, consecrate, and perform all other sacraments of the Orthodox Church. Episcopal ordination, according to church rule, is always performed by several bishops (council).
• An archimandrite is an Orthodox priest in the highest monastic rank, preceding the hierarchal. Previously, this dignity was assigned to the abbots major monasteries, now it often has a reward character, and in one monastery there can be several archimandrites.
• Hegumen is a monk in the rank of an Orthodox priest. Previously, this title was considered quite high, and only the abbots of the monasteries had it. Today it is no longer important.
• Hieromonk is the lowest rank of a monastic priest in the Orthodox Church. Archimandrites, abbots and hieromonks wear black vestments (cassock, cassock, mantle, black hood without a cross) and a pectoral (pectoral) cross. They may perform church sacraments, except for ordination to holy orders.
• An archdeacon is a senior deacon in an Orthodox monastery.
• A hierodeacon is a junior deacon. Arch- and hierodeacons outwardly differ from monastic priests in that they do not wear a pectoral cross. Their vestments during worship also differ. They cannot perform any church sacraments, their functions include co-serving the priest during the service: the proclamation of prayer petitions, the carrying out of the Gospel, the reading of the Apostle, the preparation of sacred vessels, etc.
• Deacons, both monastics and those belonging to the white clergy, belong to the lower level of the priesthood, Orthodox priests to the middle, and bishops to the highest.

Orthodox clergyman - white clergy

• The archpriest is the senior Orthodox priest in the church, as a rule, he is the rector, but today in one parish, especially a large one, there can be several archpriests.
• Priest - junior Orthodox priest. White priests, like monastic priests, perform all the sacraments, except for ordination. Archpriests and priests do not wear a mantle (this is part of the monastic vestment) and a hood, their headdress is a kamilavka.
• Protodeacon, deacon - respectively the senior and junior deacons among white clergy. Their functions fully correspond to the functions of monastic deacons. White clergy are not ordained in Orthodox bishops only on the condition of accepting the monastic order (this often happens by mutual agreement in old age or in the case of widowhood, if the priest has no children or they are already adults.

One of the main directions in Christianity is Orthodoxy. It is practiced by millions of people around the world: in Russia, Greece, Armenia, Georgia and other countries. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is considered the guardian of the main shrines in Palestine. exist even in Alaska and Japan. Icons hang in the homes of Orthodox believers, which are picturesque images of Jesus Christ and all the saints. In the 11th century, the Christian Church split into Orthodox and Catholic. Today the majority Orthodox people lives in Russia, as one of the most oldest churches is the Russian Orthodox Church, headed by the patriarch.

Jerey - who is this?

There are three levels of priesthood: deacon, priest, and bishop. Then the priest - who is this? This is the name of a priest of the lowest rank of the second degree of the Orthodox priesthood, who, with the blessing of the bishop, is allowed to independently conduct six church sacraments, except for the sacrament of ordination.

Many are interested in the origin of the title of priest. Who is this and how does he differ from a hieromonk? It should be noted that the very word Greek translated as "priest", in the Russian Church - this is a priest, who in the monastic rank is called a hieromonk. In an official or solemn speech, it is customary to address priests as "Your Reverend". Priests and hieromonks have the right to lead church life in urban and rural parishes and they are called rectors.

The deeds of the priests

Priests and hieromonks in the era of great upheavals for the sake of faith sacrificed themselves and everything that they had. This is how true Christians held on to saving faith in Christ. The church never forgets their real ascetic feat and honors them with all honors. Not everyone knows how many priests-priests died in the years of terrible trials. Their feat was so great that it is impossible to even imagine.

Hieromartyr Sergius

Priest Sergiy Mechev was born on September 17, 1892 in Moscow into the family of priest Alexei Mechev. After graduating from the gymnasium with a silver medal, he went to study at Moscow University at the Faculty of Medicine, but then transferred to the Faculty of History and Philology and graduated in 1917. During his student years, he attended the theological circle named after John Chrysostom. During the war years of 1914, Mechev worked as a brother of mercy on an ambulance train. In 1917, he often visited Patriarch Tikhon, who treated him with special attention. In 1918, he received a blessing to accept the priesthood from After that, already being Father Sergius, he never abandoned his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the most difficult times, having gone through camps and exile, even under torture he did not refuse it, for which he was shot on December 24, 1941 within the walls of the Yaroslavl NKVD. Sergius Mechev was canonized as a holy new martyr in 2000 by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Confessor Alexei

Priest Aleksey Usenko was born into the family of the psalmist Dmitry Usenko on March 15, 1873. Having received a seminary education, he was ordained a priest and began to serve in one of the villages of Zaporozhye. So he would have labored in his humble prayers, if not for the revolution of 1917. In the 1920s and 1930s, he was not particularly affected by persecution. Soviet power. But in 1936, in the village of Timoshovka, Mikhailovsky District, where he lived with his family, the local authorities closed the church. He was already 64 years old then. Then Priest Alexei went to work on the collective farm, but as a priest he continued his sermons, and everywhere there were people who were ready to listen to him. The authorities did not accept this and sent him to distant exiles and prisons. Priest Aleksei Usenko meekly endured all the hardships and humiliations and was faithful to Christ and the Holy Church until the end of his days. He probably died in BAMLAG (Baikal-Amur camp) - the day and place of his death are not known for certain, most likely he was buried in a camp mass grave. The Zaporizhzhya diocese appealed to the Holy Synod of the UOC to consider the issue of including Priest Oleksiy Usenko as a locally venerated saint.

Hieromartyr Andrew

Priest Andrey Benediktov was born on October 29, 1885 in the village of Voronino in the Nizhny Novgorod province in the family of priest Nikolai Benediktov.

He, along with other clergy of Orthodox churches and laity, was arrested on August 6, 1937 and accused of anti-Soviet conversations and participation in counter-revolutionary church conspiracies. Priest Andrei pleaded not guilty and did not testify against others. It was a real priestly feat, he died for his unshakable faith in Christ. He was canonized as a saint by the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000.

Vasily Gundyaev

He was the grandfather of the Russian Patriarch Kirill and also became one of the brightest examples of real service to the Orthodox Church. Vasily was born on January 18, 1907 in Astrakhan. A little later, his family moved to the Nizhny Novgorod province, to the city of Lukyanov. Vasily worked in a railway depot as a machinist. He was very a religious person He brought up his children in the fear of God. The family lived very modestly. Once, Patriarch Kirill said that, as a child, he asked his grandfather where he had put his money and why he had not saved anything either before or after the revolution. He replied that he sent all the funds to Athos. And so, when the patriarch ended up on Athos, he decided to check this fact, and, in principle, not surprisingly, it turned out to be true. In the monastery of Simonometra there are old archival records from the beginning of the 20th century for the eternal commemoration of Priest Vasily Gundyaev.

During the years of the revolution and severe trials, the priest defended and kept his faith to the end. He spent about 30 years in persecution and imprisonment, during which time he spent time in 46 prisons and 7 camps. But these years did not break Vasily's faith, he died an eighty-year old man on October 31, 1969 in the village of Obrochnoye, Mordovian region. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, being a student at the Leningrad Academy, participated in the funeral of his grandfather along with his father and relatives, who also became priests.

"Jerei-san"

A very interesting feature film was shot by Russian filmmakers in 2014. Its name is "Jerei-san". The audience immediately had a lot of questions. Jerey - who is this? Who will be discussed in the picture? The idea of ​​the film was suggested by Ivan Okhlobystin, who once saw a real Japanese in the temple among the priests. This fact plunged him into deep reflection and study.

It turns out that Hieromonk Nikolai Kasatkin (Japanese) came to Japan in 1861, during the time of persecution of foreigners from the islands, risking his life with a mission to spread Orthodoxy. He devoted several years to studying Japanese, culture and philosophy in order to translate the Bible into this language. And now, a few years later, or rather in 1868, the priest was waylaid by the samurai Takuma Sawabe, who wanted to kill him for preaching alien things to the Japanese. But the priest did not flinch and said: “How can you kill me if you don’t know why?” He offered to tell about the life of Christ. And imbued with the priest's story, Takuma, being a Japanese samurai, became an Orthodox priest - Father Paul. He went through many trials, lost his family, his estate and became right hand Father Nicholas.

In 1906, Nicholas of Japan was elevated to the rank of archbishop. In the same year, the Kyoto Vicariate was founded by the Orthodox Church in Japan. He died on February 16, 1912. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nicholas of Japan canonized as a saint.

In conclusion, I would like to note that all the people discussed in the article kept their faith like a spark from a big fire and carried it around the world so that the people would know that there is no greater truth than Christian Orthodoxy.

Russian priesthood Orthodox Church It is subdivided into three degrees established by the holy apostles: deacons, priests and bishops. The first two include both white (married) clergy and black (monastic) clergy. Only persons who have taken monastic vows are raised to the last, third degree. According to this order, all church titles and positions have been established for Orthodox Christians.

Church hierarchy that came from Old Testament times

The order in which the church titles of Orthodox Christians are divided into three different degrees goes back to Old Testament times. This happens due to religious continuity. From Holy Scripture It is known that approximately one and a half thousand years before the birth of Christ, the founder of Judaism, the prophet Moses, chose special people for worship - high priests, priests and Levites. It is with them that our modern church titles and positions are connected.

The first of the high priests was Moses' brother, Aaron, and his sons became priests, leading all the divine services. But, in order to make numerous sacrifices, which were an integral part of religious rituals helpers were needed. They were the Levites - the descendants of Levi, the son of the forefather Jacob. These three categories of clergy of the Old Testament era have become the basis on which all church titles of the Orthodox Church are built today.

Lower order of the priesthood

Considering church titles in ascending order, we should begin with deacons. This is the lowest priestly rank, upon ordination to which one acquires God's Grace necessary to fulfill the role assigned to them in worship. The deacon has no right to independently conduct church services and perform the sacraments, but is obliged only to help the priest. A monk who is ordained a deacon is called a hierodeacon.

Deacons who have served for a sufficiently long period of time and have proven themselves well receive the title of protodeacons (senior deacons) in the white clergy, and archdeacons in the black clergy. The privilege of the latter is the right to serve under the bishop.

It should be noted that all church services today are structured in such a way that, in the absence of deacons, they can be performed by priests or bishops without much difficulty. Therefore, the participation of a deacon in worship, although not obligatory, is rather an adornment than an integral part of it. As a result, in some parishes, where there are serious financial difficulties, this staff unit is reduced.

The second level of the priestly hierarchy

Considering further church ranks in ascending order, one should dwell on the priests. The holders of this rank are also called presbyters (in Greek "elder"), or priests, and in monasticism hieromonks. Compared to deacons, this is a higher level of priesthood. Accordingly, when one is ordained into it, a greater degree of Grace of the Holy Spirit is acquired.

Since the time of the Gospels, priests have led divine services and have been empowered to perform most of the holy sacraments, including everything except ordination, that is, ordination, as well as the consecration of antimensions and the world. In accordance with the official duties assigned to them, the priests lead the religious life of urban and rural parishes, where they can hold the post of rector. The priest is directly subordinate to the bishop.

For long and impeccable service, the priest of the white clergy is encouraged by the rank of archpriest (chief priest) or protopresbyter, and the black clergy by the rank of abbot. Among the monastic clergy, the abbot, as a rule, is appointed to the position of rector of an ordinary monastery or parish. In the event that he is instructed to head a large monastery or lavra, he is called an archimandrite, which is an even higher and more honorary title. It is from the archimandrites that the episcopate is formed.

Bishops of the Orthodox Church

Further, listing church titles in ascending order, it is necessary to pay special attention to the highest group of hierarchs - bishops. They belong to the category of clergy called bishops, that is, the heads of priests. Having received the greatest degree of Grace of the Holy Spirit upon ordination, they have the right to perform all Church sacraments without exception. They are given the right not only to conduct any church services themselves, but also to ordain deacons to the priesthood.

According to church charter, all bishops have an equal degree of priesthood, while the most meritorious of them are called archbishops. A special group is made up of metropolitan bishops, called metropolitans. This name comes from the Greek word "metropolis", which means "capital". In cases where another bishop is appointed to assist one bishop in any high office, he bears the title of vicar, that is, deputy. The bishop is placed at the head of the parishes of an entire region, in this case called a diocese.

Primate of the Orthodox Church

And finally, the highest rank of the church hierarchy is the patriarch. He is elected by the Council of Bishops and together with Holy Synod manages the entire local church. According to the Charter, adopted in 2000, the rank of patriarch is for life, however, in some cases, the bishops' court is given the right to judge him, depose him and decide on his retirement.

In cases where the patriarchal see is vacant, the Holy Synod elects a locum tenens from among its permanent members, who acts as patriarch until he is legally elected.

Clergymen who do not have the Grace of God

Having mentioned all church ranks in ascending order and returning to the very base of the hierarchical ladder, it should be noted that in the church, in addition to clergy, that is, clerics who have passed the sacrament of ordination and have been able to receive the Grace of the Holy Spirit, there is also a lower category - clergymen. These include subdeacons, psalmists and sextons. Despite their church service, they are not priests and are accepted for vacant positions without ordination, but only with the blessing of the bishop or archpriest - the rector of the parish.

The duties of the psalmist include reading and singing during church services and when the priest performs the treb. The sexton is trusted to convene parishioners bell ringing to the church at the beginning of divine services, make sure that candles are lit in the temple, if necessary, help the psalmist and serve the censer to the priest or deacon.

The subdeacons also take part in divine services, but only together with the bishops. Their duty is to help the Vladyka get dressed before the start of the service and, if necessary, to change the vestments in the process. In addition, the subdeacon gives the bishop lamps - dikirion and trikirion - to bless those praying in the temple.

Legacy of the Holy Apostles

We examined all church ranks in ascending order. In Russia and among others Orthodox peoples these ranks bear the blessing of the holy apostles - disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. It was they who, having become the founders of the earthly Church, established the existing order of the church hierarchy, taking as a model the example of the Old Testament times.

all about the ranks of priests, the ranks of the Russian Orthodox Church and their vestments

Following the example of the Old Testament Church, where there was a high priest, priests and Levites, the holy Apostles established in the New Testament Christian Church three degrees of priesthood: bishops, presbyters (that is, priests) and deacons. All of them are called clergymen, because through the sacrament of the priesthood they receive the grace of the Holy Spirit for the sacred service of the Church of Christ; perform worship, teach people Christian faith and good living (piety) and managing church affairs.

Bishops constitute the highest rank in the Church. They receive the highest degree grace. Bishops are also called bishops, i.e., the chiefs of the priests (priests). Bishops may perform all Sacraments and all church services. This means that bishops have the right not only to celebrate the usual Divine service, but also to consecrate (ordain) to the clergy, as well as to consecrate myrrh and antimensions, which is not given to priests.

According to the degree of priesthood, all bishops are equal among themselves, but the oldest and most honored of the bishops are called archbishops, while metropolitan bishops are called metropolitans, since the capital is called in Greek the metropolis. Bishops of ancient capitals, such as: Jerusalem, Constantinople (Tsargrad), Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and from the 16th century the Russian capital of Moscow, are called patriarchs. Between 1721 and 1917, the Russian Orthodox Church was governed by the Holy Synod. In 1917, those who gathered in Moscow Holy Cathedral was elected again to govern the Russian Orthodox Church "His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia".

Metropolitans

Sometimes another bishop is given to assist the bishop, who is then called vicar, i.e. viceroy. exarch- the title of the head of a separate church district. Currently, there is only one exarch - the Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavl, the head of the Belarusian Exarchate.

Priests, and in Greek priests or presbyters, constitute the second sacred rank after the bishop. Priests can perform, with the blessing of the bishop, all the sacraments and church services, except for those that are supposed to be performed only by the bishop, that is, except for the sacrament of the priesthood and the consecration of the world and antimensions.

The Christian community, subordinated to the conduct of the priest, is called his parish.
More worthy and honored priests are given the title archpriest, i.e. the chief priest, or the leading priest, and the chief among them is the title protopresbyter.
If the priest is at the same time a monk (black priesthood), then he is called hieromonk, i.e., a priestly monk.

In monasteries, there are up to six degrees of preparation for the angelic image:
worker / worker— lives and works in a monastery, but has not yet chosen the monastic path.
novice / novice- a worker who passed in the monastery of obedience, who received a blessing to wear a cassock and a skullcap (for women, an apostle). At the same time, the novice remains a worldly name. A seminarian or parish sexton is accepted into the monastery as a novice.
cassock novice / cassock novice- a novice who is blessed to wear some monastic clothes (for example, a cassock, a kamilavka (sometimes a hood) and a rosary). A cassock or monastic tonsure (monk / nun) is a symbolic (as at baptism) hair cutting and naming a new name in honor of the new heavenly patron, is blessed to wear a cassock, a kamilavka (sometimes a hood) and a rosary.
Robe or monastic tonsure or small angelic image or small schema ( monk / nun) - vows of obedience and renunciation of the world are given, hair is symbolically sheared, the name of the heavenly patron is changed and monastic clothes are blessed: hair shirt, cassock, slippers, paramanny cross, rosary, belt (sometimes a leather belt), cassock, hood, mantle, apostle.
Schema or great schema or great angelic image ( schema-monk / schema-monk, schema-nun) - the same vows are repeated, hair is symbolically cut, the name of the heavenly patron is changed and clothes are added: analav and cockle instead of a klobuk.

Monk

schemamonk

Hieromonks, according to their appointment as abbots of monasteries, and sometimes regardless of this, as an honorary distinction, are given the title abbot or higher rank archimandrite. Especially worthy of the archimandrites are elected to bishops.

Hegumen Roman (Zagrebnev)

Archimandrite John (Krastyankin)

The participation of a deacon in Divine services is not obligatory, and therefore in many churches the service takes place without a deacon.
Some deacons are awarded the title protodeacon, i.e., the first deacon.
A monk who has received the rank of deacon is called hierodeacon, and the senior hierodeacon - archdeacon.
In addition to the three sacred ranks, there are also lower official positions in the Church: subdeacons, psalmists (clerks), and sextons. They, belonging to the ranks of the clergy, are appointed to their position not through the sacrament of the Priesthood, but only according to the hierarchical order, blessedly.
Readers It is their duty to read and sing, both during Divine services in the church on the kliros, and during the performance of spiritual services by the priest in the homes of parishioners.

Acolyte

Ponomari it is their duty to call the faithful to the service by ringing the bells, to light candles in the temple, to serve the censer, to help the psalm-readers in reading and singing, and so on.

Sexton

subdeacons participate only when episcopal service. They dress the bishop in sacred clothes, hold lamps (trikirii and dikirii) and give them to the bishop to bless those who pray with them.

subdeacons

Priests, for the performance of Divine services, must put on special sacred clothes. Sacred garments are made of brocade or some other suitable material and are decorated with crosses. The clothes of the deacon are: surplice, orarion and handrails.

Surplice there are long clothes without a cut in front and behind, with a hole for the head and with wide sleeves. A surplice is also required for subdeacons. The right to wear a surplice can be given to both psalm-readers and laity serving in the temple. The surplice marks the purity of the soul, which the persons of the holy dignity should have.

orarion there is a long wide ribbon of the same material as the surplice. It is worn by the deacon on the left shoulder, above the surplice. The orarion marks the grace of God, which the deacon received in the sacrament of the Priesthood.
Handrails are called narrow armlets, pulled together with laces. The instructions remind the clergy that when they perform the sacraments or participate in the celebration of the sacraments of the faith of Christ, they do not do this. on your own but by the power and grace of God. The handrails also resemble the bonds (ropes) on the hands of the Savior during His suffering.

The vestments of the priest are: underdress, epitrachelion, belt, handrails and phelonion (or chasuble).

The vestment is a surplice in a slightly modified form. It differs from the surplice in that it is made of thin white matter, and its sleeves are narrow with laces at the ends, with which they are tightened on the hands. The white color of the vestment reminds the priest that he must always have a pure soul and lead a blameless life. In addition, the undershirt also reminds us of the tunic (underwear) in which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself walked on earth and in which He completed the work of our salvation.

Epitrachelion is the same orarion, but only folded in half so that, bending around the neck, it descends from front to bottom with two ends, which, for convenience, are sewn or somehow connected to each other. Epitrachelion marks a special, double compared with a deacon, grace given to a priest for the performance of the sacraments. Without an epitrachelion, a priest cannot perform a single service, just like a deacon - without an orarion.

The belt is put on over the stole and vestment and signifies readiness to serve the Lord. The belt also marks the Divine power, which strengthens the clergy in their ministry. The belt also resembles the towel with which the Savior girded himself when washing the feet of His disciples at the Mystery

The robe, or phelonion, is worn by the priest over other garments. This garment is long, wide, sleeveless, with a hole for the head at the top and with a large opening in front for free hand action. In its appearance, the riza resembles the purple robe in which the suffering Savior was clothed. The ribbons sewn on the robe are reminiscent of the streams of blood that flowed over His garments. At the same time, the riza also reminds the priests of the clothes of truth, in which they should be clothed as servants of Christ.

On top of the chasuble, on the chest of the priest is a pectoral cross.

For diligent, long service, the priests are rewarded with a gaiter, that is, a quadrangular board, hung on a ribbon over the shoulder and two corners on the right thigh, meaning the sword of the spirit, as well as head ornaments - skufya and kamilavka.

Kamilavka.

The bishop (bishop) puts on all the clothes of a priest: a vestment, epitrachelion, belt, handrails, only his riza is replaced with a sakkos, and a cuisse with a club. In addition, the bishop puts on the omophorion and miter.

The sakkos is the bishop's outer garment, similar to a deacon's surplice shortened from the bottom and in the sleeves, so that from under the sakkos the bishop can see both the vestment and the stole. Sakkos, like the priest's robe, marks the Savior's scarlet.

Mace, this is a quadrangular board, hung at one corner, over the sakkos on the right thigh. As a reward for excellent diligent service, the right to wear a club is sometimes received from the ruling bishop and honored archpriests, who also wear it on the right side, and in this case the cuisse is placed on the left. For archimandrites, as well as for bishops, the club serves as a necessary accessory of their vestments. The club, like the legguard, means Zanpakutō, i.e., the word of God, with which clerics must be armed to fight unbelief and ungodliness.

On their shoulders, over the sakkos, bishops wear an omophorion. omophorion there is a long wide ribbon-like board decorated with crosses. It is placed on the bishop's shoulders in such a way that, wrapping around the neck, one end descends in front, and the other behind. Omophorus is a Greek word and means pauldron. The omophorion belongs exclusively to the bishops. Without an omophorion, a bishop, like a priest without an stole, cannot perform any service. The omophorion reminds the bishop that he must take care of the salvation of the erring like the gospel good shepherd who, having found the lost sheep, carries it home on his shoulders.

On the chest, on top of the sakkos, in addition to the cross, the bishop also has a panagia, which means "All-holy." This is a small round image of the Savior or Mother of God, decorated with colored stones.

A miter, adorned with small images and colored stones, is placed on the bishop's head. Mitra marks the crown of thorns, which was placed on the head of the suffering Savior. The archimandrites also have a miter. In exceptional cases, the ruling bishop gives the right to the most deserving archpriests during Divine Services to wear a miter instead of a kamilavka.

During Divine services, bishops use a rod or staff as a sign of the highest pastoral authority. The staff is also given to archimandrites and abbots, as heads of monasteries. During Divine services, eagles are placed under the feet of the bishop. These are small round rugs depicting an eagle flying over the city. Eaglets mean that the bishop must, like an eagle, ascend from the earthly to the heavenly.

The home clothes of a bishop, priest and deacon are made up of a cassock (half-caftan) and a cassock. Over the cassock, on the chest, the bishop wears a cross and a panagia, and the priest wears a cross

Everyday clothes of the clergy of the Orthodox Church, cassocks and cassocks, as a rule, are made of fabric black color, which expresses the humility and unpretentiousness of a Christian, neglect of external beauty, attention to the inner world.

During divine services, church vestments are worn over everyday clothes, which come in various colors.

Vestments white color are used when performing divine services on holidays dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ (with the exception of Palm Sunday and the Trinity), angels, apostles and prophets. The white color of these vestments symbolizes holiness, permeation with uncreated Divine Energies, belonging mountain world. Wherein White color is a remembrance of the Light of Tabor, the dazzling light of Divine glory. Liturgy is performed in white vestments Great Saturday and Easter Matins. In this case, the white color symbolizes the glory of the Risen Savior. It is customary to perform burial and all funeral services in white vestments. V this case this color expresses the hope for the repose of the deceased in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Vestments of red color used during the Liturgy of the Light Christ's Resurrection and at all services of the forty-day Easter period. The red color in this case is a symbol of the all-conquering Divine Love. In addition, red vestments are used on holidays dedicated to the memory of the martyrs and on the feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist. In this case, the red color of the vestments is a memory of the blood shed by the martyrs for the Christian faith.

Vestments blue color , symbolizing virginity, are used exclusively for the services of the Mother of God holidays. Blue is the color of Heaven from which the Holy Spirit descends upon us. Therefore, the blue color is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. This is a symbol of purity.
That is why the blue (blue) color is used in church services on holidays associated with the name of the Mother of God.
The Holy Church calls the Most Holy Theotokos the vessel of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended on her and She became the Mother of the Savior. Holy Mother of God since childhood, she was distinguished by a special purity of soul. Therefore, the blue (blue) color became the Mother of God color. We see the clergy in blue (blue) vestments on holidays:
Nativity of the Mother of God
On the day of Her Entry into the Temple
On the day of the Presentation of the Lord
On the day of her Assumption
In the days of the glorification of the icons of the Mother of God

vestments h golden (yellow) color used at services dedicated to the memory of saints. The golden color is a symbol of the Church, the Triumph of Orthodoxy, which was affirmed by the labors of the holy bishops. Sunday services are performed in the same vestments. Sometimes divine services are performed in golden vestments on the days of memory of the apostles who created the first church communities preaching the gospel. It is no coincidence that therefore the yellow color of liturgical vestments is the most commonly used. It is in yellow robes that priests put on Sundays (when Christ is glorified, his victory over the forces of hell).
In addition, yellow vestments are also relied on in the days of memory of the apostles, prophets, saints - that is, those saints who, by their service in the Church, resembled Christ the Savior: they enlightened people, called to repentance, revealed Divine truths, performed the sacraments, being priests.

Vestments Green colour used at the services of Palm Sunday and Trinity. In the first case, the green color is associated with the memory of palm branches, a symbol of royal dignity, with which the inhabitants of Jerusalem met Jesus Christ. In the second case, the green color is a symbol of the renewal of the earth, cleansed by the grace of the hypostatically appeared and always abiding in the Church of the Holy Spirit. For the same reason, green vestments are worn at divine services dedicated to the memory of the reverend, holy ascetic monks, who were more than other people transfigured by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Vestments Green colour are used on the days of remembrance of the saints - that is, saints leading an ascetic, monastic lifestyle, who paid special attention to spiritual exploits. Among them - and Reverend Sergius Radonezhsky, founder of the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and Reverend Mary Egyptian, who spent many years in the wilderness, and Reverend Seraphim Sarovsky and many, many others.
This is due to the fact that the ascetic life that these saints led changed their human nature - it became different, it was renewed - it was sanctified by Divine grace. In their lives, they have united with Christ (Which is symbolized by the yellow color) and with the Holy Spirit (Who is symbolized by the second color - blue).

Vestments purple or crimson (dark burgundy) colors are worn on holidays dedicated to the Honest and Life-Giving Cross. They are also used on Sunday services Great post. This color is a symbol of the sufferings of the Savior on the Cross and is associated with memories of the scarlet, in which Christ was dressed, the Roman soldiers who laughed at him (Matt. 27, 28). In the days of remembrance of the sufferings on the Cross of the Savior and His death on the cross(Sundays of Great Lent, Holy Week - the last week before Easter, on the days of veneration of the Cross of Christ (the Day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, etc.)
Shades of red in purple remind us of Christ's suffering on the cross. of blue color(colors of the Holy Spirit) means that Christ is God, He is inextricably linked with the Holy Spirit, with the Spirit of God, He is one of the hypostases Holy Trinity. Purple seventh in a row of colors of the rainbow. This corresponds to the seventh day of the creation of the world. The Lord created the world for six days, and the seventh day became a day of rest. After suffering on the Cross, the earthly path of the Savior ended, Christ conquered death, conquered the forces of hell and rested from earthly affairs.

Spiritual dignity and ranks in Orthodoxy

What is the hierarchy of spiritual ranks in the Church: from the reader to the Patriarch? From our article you will learn who is who in Orthodoxy, what are the spiritual orders and how to contact the clergy

Spiritual hierarchy in Orthodoxy

There are many traditions and rituals in the Orthodox Church. One of the institutions of the Church is the hierarchy of spiritual orders: from the reader to the Patriarch. In the structure of the Church, everything is subject to order, which is comparable to the army. Every person in modern society, where the Church has influence and where Orthodox tradition- one of the historical ones, is interested in its structure. From our article you will learn who is who in Orthodoxy, what are the spiritual orders in the Church and how to address the clergy.

Organization of the Church

The original meaning of the word "Church" is a gathering of Christ's disciples, Christians; in translation - "meeting". The concept of "Church" is quite broad: it is both a building (in this sense of the word a church and a temple are one and the same!), and a meeting of all believers, and a regional meeting of Orthodox people - for example, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church.

Also, the old Russian word "sobor", translated as "assembly", is called to this day congresses of the episcopate and lay Christians (for example, Ecumenical Council- meeting of representatives of all Orthodox regional Churches, Local Council- assembly of one Church).

The Orthodox Church consists of three ranks of people:

• Laity - ordinary people those who are not invested with holy dignity, who do not work in the church (at the parish). The laity are often referred to as "God's people".


• The clergy are lay people who are not ordained to the holy order, but who work in the parish.


• Priests, or clerics and bishops.

In the beginning it is necessary to tell about the clergy. They play an important role in the life of the Church, but they are not consecrated, they are not ordained through the Sacraments of the Church. To this category of people belong professions of different meanings:

• Watchmen, cleaners at the temple;


• Headmen of churches (parishes - these are people like the caretaker);


• Employees of the office, accounting and other departments of the Diocesan Administration (this is an analogue of the city administration, even non-believers can work here);


• Readers, altar servers, candle-bearers, psalmists, sexton - men (sometimes nuns) who serve at the altar with the blessing of the priest (once these positions were different, now they are mixed);


• Singers and regents (church choir conductors) - for the position of regent, you need to get the appropriate education in a theological school or seminary;


• Catechists, diocese press officers, youth department employees are people who must have certain profound knowledge about the Church, they usually complete special theological courses.

Some clergy may have distinctive clothes - for example, in most churches, except for poor parishes, altar servers, readers and male candle-bearers are dressed in brocade surplices or cassocks (black clothes are slightly narrower than a cassock); at festive services, choristers and directors of large choirs dress in free-form, tailor-made, pious clothes of the same color.

We also note that there is such a category of people as seminarians and academicians. These are students of theological schools - schools, seminaries and academies - where future priests are trained. Such a gradation educational institutions corresponds to a lay school or college, an institute or university, and a graduate or graduate school. Students usually, in addition to studying, perform obediences in the church at the Theological School: they serve on the altar, read, and sing.

There is also the title of subdeacon. This is a person who helps the bishop in worship (carrying out a staff, bringing a basin for washing hands, putting on liturgical clothes). A deacon, that is, a clergyman, can also be a subdeacon, but most often this is a young man who does not have a holy order and performs only the duties of a subdeacon.

Priests in the Church

In fact, the word "priest" - short title all clergy.
They are also called by the words: clergy, clergy, clergy (you can specify - temple, parish, diocese).
The clergy is divided into white and black:

• married clergy, priests who have not taken monastic vows;


• black - monks, while occupying the highest church positions only they can.

Let us first talk about the degrees of spiritual orders. There are three of them:

• Deacons - they can be both married people and monks (then they are called hierodeacons).


• Priests - in the same way, a monastic priest is called a hieromonk (a combination of the words "priest" and "monk").


• Bishops - Bishops, Metropolitans, Exarchs (managers of Local small Churches subordinate to the Patriarchate, for example, the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate), Patriarchs (this is the highest rank in the Church, but this person is also called "Bishop" or "Primate of the Church").

Black clergy, monks

By church tradition a monk must live in a monastery, but a monastic priest - a hierodeacon or hieromonk - can be sent by the ruling bishop of the diocese to the parish, like an ordinary white priest.

In a monastery, a person who wants to become a monk and a priest goes through the following stages:

• A worker is a person who came to a monastery for a while without a firm intention to stay in it.


• A novice is a person who entered the monastery, performs only obediences (hence the name), lives according to the charter of the monastery (that is, living as a novice, you cannot go to friends for the night, go on dates, and so on), but who did not take monastic vows.


• A monk (cassock novice) is a person who has the right to wear monastic robes, but has not given all monastic vows. He receives only a new name, a symbolic haircut, and the opportunity to wear some symbolic clothes. At this time, a person has the opportunity to refuse to be tonsured as a monk, this will not be a sin.


• A monk is a person who has taken on a mantle (a small angelic image), a small schema of a schema. He gives vows of obedience to the abbot of the monastery, renunciation of the world and non-possession - that is, the absence of his property, everything now belongs to the monastery and the monastery itself assumes the responsibility to provide for a person's life. Such tonsure of monks has been going on since antiquity and continues to the present day.

All these steps are in women's and in monasteries. Monastic charters are the same for everyone, however, in different monasteries there are different traditions and customs, relaxations and tightening of the charter.

Note that going to a monastery means choosing a difficult path unusual people who love God with all their hearts and do not see themselves any other way than serving Him, consecrating themselves to the Lord. These are true monks. Such people may even be successful in the world, but at the same time they will lack something - just as a lover lacks his beloved nearby. And only in prayer the future monk finds peace.

Church hierarchy of clergy

The priesthood of the Church has its foundation in Old Testament. They go in ascending order and cannot be omitted, that is, the bishop must first be a deacon, then a priest. In all degrees of the priesthood, a bishop ordains (in other words, performs consecration) a bishop.

Deacon

Deacons belong to the lowest level of the priesthood. Through ordination to the diaconate, a person acquires the grace necessary to participate in the Liturgy and other divine services. The deacon cannot conduct the Sacraments and divine services alone, he is only an assistant to the priest. People who serve well in the rank of deacon for a long time receive the titles:

• white priesthood - protodeacons,


• black priesthood - archdeacons, who most often accompany the bishop.

Often in poor, rural parishes there is no deacon, and the priest performs his functions. Also, if necessary, the duties of a deacon can be performed by a bishop.

Priest

A person in the spiritual dignity of a priest is also called a presbyter, a priest; in monasticism, a hieromonk. Priests perform all the Sacraments of the Church, except for ordination (ordination), the consecration of the world (it is performed by the Patriarch - the world is necessary for the completeness of the Sacrament of Baptism of each person) and the antimension (a handkerchief with a sewn piece of holy relics, which is placed on the throne of each temple). The priest who leads the life of the parish is called the rector, and his subordinates, ordinary priests, are full-time clerics. In a village or town, a priest usually presides, and in a city, an archpriest.

Rectors of churches and monasteries report directly to the bishop.

The title of archpriest is usually a reward for long service and good service. A hieromonk is usually awarded the rank of abbot. Also, the abbot of the monastery (priest-abbot) often receives the rank of hegumen. Rector of the Lavra (large, ancient monastery, which are not so many in the world) receives the archimandrite. Most often, this rank is followed by the rank of bishop.

Bishops: Bishops, Archbishops, Metropolitans, Patriarchs.

• Bishop, translated from Greek - the head of the priests. They perform all the Sacraments without exception. Bishops ordain people as deacons and priests, however, only the Patriarch, co-served by several bishops, can ordain bishops.


• Bishops who have distinguished themselves in their ministry and have served for a long time are called archbishops. Also, for even greater merits, they are elevated to the rank of metropolitans. They have a higher rank for services to the Church, and only metropolitans can manage metropolitanates - large dioceses, which include several small ones. An analogy can be drawn: a diocese is a region, a metropolis is a city with a region (Petersburg and Leningrad Region) or a whole Federal District.


• Often other bishops are appointed to help the metropolitan or archbishop, who are called vicar bishops or, in short, vicars.


• Higher spiritual rank in the Orthodox Church - Patriarch. This rank is elective, and is chosen by the Council of Bishops (a meeting of bishops of the entire regional Church). Most often, he leads the Church together with the Holy Synod (Kinod, in various transcriptions, in different churches) leads the Church. The dignity of the Primate (Head) of the Church is for life, however, if grave sins are committed, the Bishops' Court may remove the Patriarch from service. Also, at the request of the Patriarch, he can be sent to rest due to illness or advanced age. Before convocation Bishops' Council a Locum Tenens is appointed (temporarily acting as the head of the Church).

Appeal to an Orthodox Priest, Bishop, Metropolitan, Patriarch, and Other Persons of the Spiritual Dignity

• They turn to the deacon and the priest - Your Reverence.


• To the archpriest, abbot, archimandrite - Your Reverence.


• To the Bishop - Your Eminence.


• To the metropolitan, archbishop - Your Eminence.


• To the Patriarch - Your Holiness.

In a more everyday situation, when talking to all bishops, they are addressed as “Vladyka (name)”, for example, “Vladyka Pitirim, bless.” The Patriarch is addressed either in the same way or, a little more officially, “His Holiness.”

May the Lord keep you with His grace and the prayers of the Church!