"Vicariate"

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The vicariate (in some cases also the vicar diocese) in Orthodox churches is a church-administrative territorial unit that is part of the diocese, headed by a vicar - a bishop who is not a ruling bishop (hierarch), but who is under the jurisdiction of such. By their canonical status, vicars are close to chorebishops.

In the churches of the Greek tradition
In the Orthodox churches of the Greek tradition (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Cyprus, Greece, Albania) the vicar is given the title of any ancient city, which as a rule has not existed for many centuries. Moreover, when this vicar is transferred to another ruling bishop of the same local church, his title does not change. If the titular bishop resigns to rest, the titular pulpit is retained for him anyway. There is also a practice of appointing ruling hierarchs to the ancient titular pulpit who have been retired. Since the ancient church in the Mediterranean adhered to the principle of one city - one bishop, such former cities in the Mediterranean region, which once had a see of an Orthodox bishop, enough for everyone.

In the Cyprus Orthodox Church, vicar bishops are officially called chorebishops.

A similar practice exists in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. However, titular chairs with names were created there, for example, Znepolskaya, which historically did not exist.

The Jerusalem Orthodox Church stands somewhat aside here, since the dioceses there are so small in the number of churches and clergy that there is no sense in the vicars, and all bishops are considered ruling.

In the Russian Orthodox Church
Metropolitans of Moscow and All Russia had their assistants in the management of the Moscow diocese bishops of Sarsky and Podonsky, whose residence since 1454 was located on the Krutitsky compound, because of which they were also called Krutitsky. Since 1589, when the Patriarchate was established in Russia, they held the rank of metropolitan. Being the closest assistants of the Patriarchs, Metropolitans of Krutitsky were not vicars in the modern sense, since they retained a very extensive diocese of Sar and Podon.

The first vicar chair appeared in the Russian Church at the end of the XVI century, when Arseny Elassonsky, who arrived in Russia, received the title of Arkhangelsk Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

On January 18, 1685, the Korel Vicariat of the Novgorod Diocese was established, and Korela had been under Swedish rule for decades.

At the end of the seventeenth century, Peter I and Patriarch Hadrian (1690–1700) were approached by Metropolitan Varlaam of Kiev (Yasinsky), who asked permission to have an assistant in the episcopal rank with him due to his advanced age. Having received permission, on October 1, 1700, he consecrated bishop of Pereyaslavsky Zachary (Kornilovitch), who became known as the “coadjutor”. But this term did not take root in church life, the assistants of the ruling bishops in the arch