Estonian Christian Orthodox Church
| Estonian Christian Orthodox Church | |
|---|---|
| Eesti Kristlik Õigeusu Kirik | |
| Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn | |
| Type | Autocephaly (partially recognized) |
| Classification | Christian |
| Orientation | Eastern Orthodox |
| Theology | Eastern Orthodox theology |
| Primate | Eugene (Reshetnikov) |
| Bishop of Tallinn | Daniel (Lepisk) |
| Language | Russian, Estonian |
| Liturgy | Byzantine Rite |
| Headquarters | Tallinn, Estonia |
| Territory | Estonia |
| Founder | Russian Orthodox Church |
| Origin | 11 August 1992 Moscow, Russia |
| Independence | 20 August 2024 (de facto) |
| Recognition |
|
| Congregations | 38 (2021) |
| Members | 170,000 (2020) |
| Other name | Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (1992–2025) |
| Official website | Orthodox.ee |
The Estonian Christian Orthodox Church (ECOC), until March 2025 named the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (EOC MP), is an Eastern Orthodox church operating in Estonia. Until 2024, it was a semi-autonomous church in the canonical jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow whose primate was appointed by the Holy Synod of the latter. Due to rising tensions because of the Moscow Patriarchate's open support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Estonian government and parliament's concerns over the Estonian Orthodox Church's ties to Moscow, the church unilaterally declared its independence on 20 August 2024, and to emphasise its commitment to fully comply with the laws of Estonia; it went on to formally change its name to "Estonian Christian Orthodox Church".
This church numbers roughly 150,000 faithful in 31 congregations and is the largest Eastern Orthodox church in Estonia. The primate of the church was Cornelius (Jakobs), Metropolitan of Tallinn and All Estonia, from 1992 to his death in 2018. Since 2018 the head of this church is Metropolitan Eugene (Reshetnikov). After his residence permit was not renewed by Estonian authorities (due to his alleged defending of the "Kremlin regime and Russia's military actions") Reshetnikov left Estonia on February 6, 2024. He stated that he would continue working remotely when back in Russia.
Under Estonian law, another church – the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (Eesti Apostlik-Õigeusu Kirik) – is the legal successor to the pre-World War II Estonian Orthodox Church, which in 1940 had had over 210,000 faithful, three bishops, 156 parishes, 131 priests, 19 deacons, two monasteries, and a theological seminary, the majority of the faithful being ethnic Estonians. The EAOC's primate is confirmed by the Orthodox Church of Constantinople and numbers about 20,000 faithful in 60 congregations today. The reactivation of this autonomous Estonian Orthodox Church caused the Russian Orthodox Church to sever full communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1996 for several months.