The Orthodox Church in the UK

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Welcome!

What is the Orthodox Church?

It is a world-wide communion of churches which stands in continuity with the original communities founded by the Apostles of Jesus Christ.

Where does it fit within the context of British Christianity?

For the first millennium the Church of Western and Eastern Europe (as well as much of the middle east) existed as an undivided communion. However, following various theological and political disputes, the Western part of the Church (known as the Roman Catholic Church) split off from the communion to form it’s own particular entity. Further theological controversy within this Western Church ultimately led to the Protestant Reformation and a further split within Western Christianity. In England there was a struggle to decide whether the English Church would stay with Rome or follow the Reformation which ultimately resulted in a ‘compromise’ settlement under Queen Elizabeth. However, this settlement was merely an uneasy truce and the following centuries saw further splits within the English Church (such as the non-conformist churches like the Baptists, Congregationalists and Brethren as well as the Methodists later on). In addition to this the immigration of Catholic Christians (resulting in the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic Church in the UK) as well as further developments within the protestant churches (such as the pentecostal and charismatic traditions) have added to the diverse ‘landscape’ of current British Christianity.

Thus, for nearly a 1000 years, the form and nature of British Christianity has been (to either a greater of lesser extent) so removed from the thinking of the original, undivided, communion of churches founded by the Apostles that most modern Brits would hardly recognise the Church which would have been utterly familiar to their ancestors in, say, the 5th century.

The Martyrdom of St. Alban, Britain’s 1st Martyr

When did the Orthodox Church reintroduce itself to Britain?

There have been a number of ‘contact points’ between the Western and Eastern Church since the Great Schism of 1054 AD but, until relatively recently, there has been little or no enduring, physical, Orthodox ‘presence’ in Western Europe. However the last few centuries has seen a large migration of Orthodox Christians from Greece and Russia (along with other slavic countries) which followed both the conquest of the Byzantine Empire by the Turks as well as the advent of the Bolshevik Revolution respectively.

In all of these forced migrations England became a safe haven for many Orthodox Christians who founded new parishes as a move to protect their culture and Orthodox heritage. Since these communities were formed along particular cultural, ethnic and linguistic boundaries, this explains the current situation of the various Orthodox churches in the UK today. However some of the British jurisdictions are more integrated than others and have turned their attention to theological dialogue with other Christians in the UK. This dialogue has been fruitful for all concerned and (speaking as one who came to the Orthodox Church through the Western traditions) it is amazing to see the contribution Orthodox thinking has made to the life and teaching of many other church traditions.

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Ennismore Gardens, London

What is the aim of this site?

The Orthodox Church is still relatively new in this country and is still in the process of introducing and explaining herself to contemporary Brits (whether Christian or Non). Much that is strange and ‘exotic’ to a Western mindset is the result of the many years of departure of Western Christianity from the original Apostolic communion of churches, but some is also due to the residual cultural ‘forms’ that the Church has arrived in the UK with (such as language and local ‘customs’). Hopefully this site will provide the interested inquirer with a deeper insight into the ‘mind’ of the Orthodox Church, as well as helping to discern the differences between the Eastern and Western Christian paradigm.

Disclaimer

I am a British Orthodox Christian within the Russian Diocese of Sourozh and am neither a Priest nor Professional Theologian. This site is entirely my own work and based on my own thoughts and observations (although I will try to keep my personal opinions to the minimum and will aim to present ideas as they are communicated by those more qualified than I to comment!). Currently there is no single body which represents ALL Orthodox in the UK and so information about British Orthodoxy is fragmented at best and non-available at worst. Hopefully this site can start to help overcome this and provide a single portal linking to the other resources available.

Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers and to the Glory of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit