Mapping of contemporary diocesan divisions of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Russian Federation

DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2025-3-31-630-644

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About the Authors

Alexey N. Gunya

Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
29s4, Staromonetny ln., Moscow, 119017, Russia,
E-mail: a.n.gunya@igras.ru

Alexandr M. Lugovskoy

Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography,
4, Gorokhovsky ln., Moscow, 105064, Russia,
E-mail: alug1961@yandex.ru

Abstract

The study of the administrative-territorial structure of the Russian Orthodox Church based on the creation of maps is important for reflecting the religious and historical-cultural diversity of the country. The current administrative-territorial division is the result of the rich history of the Church’s development in its complex interaction with state-political development. Until recently, the diocesan division of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia largely coincided with the borders of the subjects of the Russian Federation. Some regions were often united into one diocese. The reforms initiated in recent decades led to the fragmentation of dioceses, of which there are currently 205. The work is based on the materials of geoinformation mapping of the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church, considering the official data of the diocesan websites. To compile a geographic basis in the QGIS environment, an interactive geographic basis was used, in which layers of hydrography, adjacent territory and settlements were selected. The ratio of administrative districts and boundaries of deaneries and dioceses was carried out for each diocese separately. Comparing the church-territorial diocesan and administrative-territorial state division, it is clear that many borders coincide. However, the borders of dioceses are more fragmented than the borders of the subjects of the Russian Federation, they more closely consider territorial differences, socio-economic and ethno-cultural features. With the organization of new dioceses within the subjects of the Russian Federation, new centers have appeared that attract administrative resources, become centers for decision-making in the field of spiritual and cultural development, cathedrals are built in them, and other investments are attracted. In this regard, diocesan centers undoubtedly contribute to changing the center-periphery relations, creating new development centers in which a number of socially important projects for the socio-economic development of the entire country are implemented.

Keywords

diocese, Russian Orthodox Church, administrative division, borders, centers

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For citation: Gunya A.N., Lugovskoy A.M. Mapping of contemporary diocesan divisions of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Russian Federation. InterCarto. InterGIS. Moscow: MSU, Faculty of Geography, 2025. V. 31. Part 3. P. 630–644. DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2025-3-31-630-644 (in Russian)