Eparchy

An eparchy (from epi, over, and arche, rule) is a diocese: the territory governed by a bishop. It is the basic canonical unit of Orthodox ecclesiastical governance — every square inch of Orthodox canonical territory (in principle) falls within an eparchy. The eparchy contains multiple parishes, each served by a priest under the bishop's authority. The bishop's cathedral is the seat (cathedra) of the eparchy. The concept of the eparchy expresses the territorial principle of Orthodox ecclesiology: one bishop, one territory.