Sobor
Encyclopedia
A sobor is a council
of bishop
s together with other clerical
and lay
delegates representing the church as a whole in matters of importance. It may also be a designation for certain types of church buildings.
The term is found among those Eastern Orthodox Church
es that use a Slavic language (the Russian
, Ukrainian
, Bulgarian
, Serbian
and Macedonian Orthodox Church
es), along with the Romanian Orthodox Church
.
, which is a gathering composed only of bishop
s. Sobors are held irregularly, only as need arises; whereas a synod meets regularly and deals with the ordinary governance of the church. The presence of clerical and lay delegates is for the purpose of discerning the consensus of the church on important matters; however, the bishops form an upper house
of the sobor, and the laity cannot overrule their decisions.
Important sobors in the History of the Russian Orthodox Church
are:
A bishop may also call a sobor for his diocese
, which again would have delegates from the clergy, monasteries and parishes of his diocese, to discuss important matters. Such diocesan sobors may be held annually or only occasionally.
Sobor also means assemblies of other kinds, such as a zemsky sobor
, which in 16th- and 17th-century Russia
was a high government council convened by the Tsar
.
in the Roman Catholic Church
). Originally, a sobor was a large church in a major city (not necessarily the cathedral
) at which all the faithful of the city would gather (see synaxis
) to celebrate certain important feasts.
Wiktionary
Wiktionary is a multilingual, web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in 158 languages...
of bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s together with other clerical
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
and lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
delegates representing the church as a whole in matters of importance. It may also be a designation for certain types of church buildings.
The term is found among those Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
es that use a Slavic language (the Russian
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
, Ukrainian
Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Ukrainian Orthodox Church may refer to:*Ukrainian Orthodox Church , established in 1990*Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, established in 1992*Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, established in 1921...
, Bulgarian
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
, Serbian
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
and Macedonian Orthodox Church
Macedonian Orthodox Church
The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric or just Macedonian Orthodox Church is the body of Christians who are united under the Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia, exercising jurisdiction over Macedonian Orthodox Christians in the Republic of Macedonia and in exarchates in the Macedonian...
es), along with the Romanian Orthodox Church
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
.
Assembly
A sobor is distinct from a synodSynod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
, which is a gathering composed only of bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s. Sobors are held irregularly, only as need arises; whereas a synod meets regularly and deals with the ordinary governance of the church. The presence of clerical and lay delegates is for the purpose of discerning the consensus of the church on important matters; however, the bishops form an upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
of the sobor, and the laity cannot overrule their decisions.
Important sobors in the History of the Russian Orthodox Church
History of the Russian Orthodox Church
-Foundation by St. Andrew:The Russian Orthodox Church is traditionally said to have been founded by the Apostle Andrew, who is thought to have visited Scythia and Greek colonies along the northern coast of the Black Sea. According to one of the legends, St. Andrew reached the future location of...
are:
- The Stoglavy SoborStoglavy SoborThe Stoglavy Sobor was a church council held in Moscow in 1551, with the participation of Tsar Ivan IV, Metropolitan Macarius, and representatives of the Boyar Duma...
(Sobor of a Hundred Chapters) in 1551 - The Moscow Sobor of 1666–1667Moscow Sobor of 1666–1667The Moscow Sobor of 1666–1667 was a Pan-Orthodox Synod, convened by Russian Emperor Alexis, in Moscow.It was led by Patriarch Païsius of Alexandria, and attended by Patriarchs of Antioch and Moscow, Metropolitans Athanasius of Iconium , Ananias of Sinai , and several bishops and fathers.One of the...
, to deal with disputes surrounding the ecclesiastical reforms of Patriarch NikonPatriarch NikonNikon , born Nikita Minin , was the seventh patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church... - The All-Russian Sobor of 1917, which restored the Moscow Patriarchate and elected Saint Tikhon as the first modern Patriarch of Moscow
- The All-Russian Sobor of 1988, called on the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' to guide the church in the wake of glasnostGlasnostGlasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
and the loosening of the Soviet grip over the church
A bishop may also call a sobor for his diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
, which again would have delegates from the clergy, monasteries and parishes of his diocese, to discuss important matters. Such diocesan sobors may be held annually or only occasionally.
Sobor also means assemblies of other kinds, such as a zemsky sobor
Zemsky Sobor
The zemsky sobor was the first Russian parliament of the feudal Estates type, in the 16th and 17th centuries. The term roughly means assembly of the land. It could be summoned either by tsar, or patriarch, or the Boyar Duma...
, which in 16th- and 17th-century Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
was a high government council convened by the Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
.
Church building
The term sobor is also used to designate an important church (somewhat like the use of the term basilicaBasilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
). Originally, a sobor was a large church in a major city (not necessarily the cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
) at which all the faithful of the city would gather (see synaxis
Synaxis
In Eastern Christianity , a Synaxis is an assembly for liturgical purposes, generally through the celebration of Vespers, Matins, Little Hours, and the Divine Liturgy....
) to celebrate certain important feasts.
See also
- Stoglavy SoborStoglavy SoborThe Stoglavy Sobor was a church council held in Moscow in 1551, with the participation of Tsar Ivan IV, Metropolitan Macarius, and representatives of the Boyar Duma...
- Moscow Sobor of 1666–1667Moscow Sobor of 1666–1667The Moscow Sobor of 1666–1667 was a Pan-Orthodox Synod, convened by Russian Emperor Alexis, in Moscow.It was led by Patriarch Païsius of Alexandria, and attended by Patriarchs of Antioch and Moscow, Metropolitans Athanasius of Iconium , Ananias of Sinai , and several bishops and fathers.One of the...
- Sobor on the BloodSobor On The BloodSobor on the Blood is a Ukrainian documentary film of 2006. Joint project of Ukrainian TV channel 1+1 and Studio Teleсon....
- SobornostSobornostSobornost is a term coined by the early Slavophiles, Ivan Kireevsky and Aleksey Khomyakov, to underline the need for cooperation between people at the expense of individualism on the basis that the opposing groups focus on what is common between them. Khomyakov believed the West was progressively...
- Station daysStation daysStation days were days of fasting in the early Christian Church. The practice of keeping stations died out during the Avignon papacy, but it has been revived in the twentieth century by popes Leo XIII and John XXIII....
