Metochion

Metohi (Greek μετόχι (n. sg. ) Majority Metochia Greek mετόχια (n. pl. ) ) Are medieval monastic communities in the Orthodox churches.

The Greek word " metohi " means " community", in which case specifically a religious community is meant. Derived from this is also the Greek word " Metochia ", which refers to the lands that are owned by a monastery or a church. The landscape Metohija derives its name also on it.

A metohi is just a small monastery and a small monastery, which is subordinate to another monastery, a kind of monastery store. In this monastery branches there was often only a few or a single monk. In this monastery branches, which were distributed to the villages, the offerings of the faithful were mainly collected for the mother monastery.

In the Byzantine Empire, many Metochia ( monastery branches) are from the 9th century, in particular by the monasteries of Athos, founded, which were subordinate to or one of the monasteries. In the course of time under Byzantine as well as under Ottoman rule (from the 14th century ) formed around the monastery estates settlements of farmers, either on their own land appropriated to the monastery owned or managed the monastery already in possession of the country.

For example, had the Rila Monastery in Bulgaria ( until 1878 under Ottoman rule ) in the 19th century monastery over 100 branches all over the Balkan Peninsula. In this Bulgarian monastery stores hot Metoch ( Bulg метох ( singular) ) or Metosi ( Bulg метоси (plural ) ).

Church embassy

Furthermore, a church mission (embassy / diplomatic representation ) of a autocephalous church is called in another autocephalous church with metohi. The local Church shares the Church's mission to a piece of land or a church building on which the foreign church is represented. This area is considered to be " extra-territorial ", according to canon law, it is one of the foreign church.

There, the service is often held in the language of the foreign church and the congregation of this church consists often of immigrants and visitors to the nation together, from which comes this strange church. Typically, such a metohi is limited to at most a few parishes.

• Orthodox church life
• Orthodox community