Diocese of Chișinău

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The Diocese of Chișinău is an Orthodox diocese in Moldova. It is part of the Moscow Patriarchate and is based in Chișinău, the country’s capital.

Before 1812, the Orthodox Church in eastern Moldavia (Bessarabia) was under the Metropolis of Moldavia, which followed the Church of Constantinople. After Russia took Bessarabia in 1812, the Russian Orthodox Church created the Eparchy of Chișinău and Khotin to care for local Orthodox Christians, led by Metropolitan Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni.

The eparchy stayed under the Russian Church until 1918, when Bessarabia joined Romania. The Romanian Orthodox Church took over the territory and reorganized it as the Metropolis of Chișinău and Bessarabia after expelling the then Archbishop Anastasius (Gribanovsky).

In 1940, after the Soviet Union annexed Bessarabia, Moscow reestablished a new Russian Orthodox eparchy in Chișinău, while the Metropolis of Bessarabia ceased activity.

After Moldova became independent, the Russian Orthodox Church granted Moldova autonomy as the Moldovan Orthodox Church. Vladimir Cantarean became the first Metropolitan of Chișinău and All Moldova.

As of 2010, the diocese had 610 parishes, 24 monasteries, and 5 sketes, served by 730 full-time priests and 60 deacons, and was led by Metropolitan Vladimir Cantarean.