List of Eastern Churches
The list of Eastern Churches contains the pre-Reformation churches that, after the final division of the Roman Empire in 395, belonged to its eastern half, the Eastern Roman Empire , or were founded there, or were founded from there through missions outside the imperial borders. Today this includes Orthodox , Ancient Near Eastern and Catholic churches. The list is subdivided according to the rites used in the liturgies of these churches.
Byzantine rite
The Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches emerged from the Roman-Byzantine imperial church . Together they recognize statements of the Ecumenical Councils - in particular Nicaea 325, Constantinople 381 and Chalcedon 451 - and are therefore also called Chalcedonian churches .
Orthodox church family
Today's Byzantine Orthodox (also Greek Orthodox ) churches are autocephalous . They consist of the four early church patriarchates - Antioch , Alexandria , Jerusalem and Constantinople - and about fifteen national churches .
Canonical Orthodox Churches
The canonical churches are in complete communion with one another. Autocephalous churches are independent, autonomous churches do not have independently appointed heads; when they are appointed, they are given the right of another church to have a say.
- Old church patriarchates
- Patriarchate of Antioch ( Rum Orthodox Church );
- Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria ;
- Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ;
- Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem .
- Autocephalous national churches
- Church of Cyprus , autocephalous since 431;
- Georgian Orthodox Apostle Church , autocephalous since 487 (Iberia);
- Bulgarian Orthodox Church , autocephalous since 927;
- Serbian Orthodox Church , autocephalous since 1219 (Žiča);
- Russian Orthodox Church , first autocephalous 1589/1590;
- Church of Greece , autocephalous since 1833/1850;
- Romanian Orthodox Church , autocephalous since 1885;
- Polish Orthodox Church , autocephalous since the 20th century;
- Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania , autocephalous since the 20th century;
- Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia , autocephalous since the 20th century;
- Orthodox Church of Ukraine , autocephalous since 2019;
- Orthodox Church in America , autocephaly not universally recognized.
- Autonomous Churches
- Orthodox Church from Mount Sinai : under 1000 believers, consists of the Katharinenkloster and a few Bedouin families;
- Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church : autonomy is not recognized by the Moscow Patriarchate;
- Orthodox Church of Finland ;
- Orthodox Church in Japan ;
- Russian Orthodox Church Abroad ;
- Archdiocese of Ohrid ;
- Autonomous Church of Korea ;
- Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate ;
- Moldovan Orthodox Church in Moldova ;
- Orthodox Church of Bessarabia also in Moldova.
Churches of controversial canonicity
- Abkhaz Orthodox Church
- Macedonian Orthodox Church
- Montenegrin Orthodox Church
- French Orthodox Church
- Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate
- Croatian Orthodox Church
- Russian Orthodox Church in Exile
- Orthodox old ritualistic church
- Russian Orthodox Old Ritualist Church
- Russian Old Orthodox Church
- Old Orthodox
- Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Eastern Catholic Churches Byzantine Rite
- Greek Catholic Church
- Italo-Albanian churches
- Melkite Greek Catholic Church
- Russian Catholic Church
- Ukrainian Catholic Church
- Uniate Catholics in Belarus
- Kazakh Greek Catholic Church
- Croatian Catholic Diocese of Križevci
- Romanian Catholic Church
- Bulgarian Catholic Church
- Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church
- Greek Catholic Church in Slovakia
- Czech Greek Catholic Church
Ancient oriental rites
Miaphysite churches
The Oriental Orthodox Miaphsite Churches reject the two - natures doctrine of Christ laid down in the Council of Chalcedon (451) and are therefore also referred to as non-Chalcedonian churches. The individual churches belong to different ritual families, but are in mutual communion.
Alexandrian rite
Antiochian rite
- Syrian Orthodox Church of Europe
- Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch (Patriarchate of Antioch)
- Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
Armenian rite
- Armenian Apostolic Church
- Catholic of Cilicia
- Patriarchate of Constantinople of the Armenian Apostolic Church
- Patriarchate of Jerusalem of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Eastern Catholic churches of ancient oriental rites
Alexandrian rite
Antiochian rite
- Syrian Catholic Church
- Maronites , Dimane (Lebanon)
- Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
Armenian rite
Chaldean rite
Nestorian churches
See also
- List of current leaders of the Eastern Churches
- List of Russian denominations outside the Russian Orthodox Church