Russian Orthodox Diocese of Lithuania

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The Diocese of Vilnius and Lithuania (Lithuanian: Vilniaus ir Lietuvos vyskupija; Russian: Виленская и Литовская епархия), also known as the Lithuanian Orthodox Church (Lithuanian: Lietuvos stačiatikių bažnyčia; Russian: Литовская православная церковь), is a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church whose territory comprises the country of Lithuania, established in 1839^[1] after the Synod of Polotsk when the Uniate Eparchy of Vilnius was united to the Orthodox Church. Its ruling bishop is appointed by the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate. Its headquarters is at the Holy Spirit Monastery in Vilnius, though nominally its cathedral is the Dormition Cathedral in Vilnius. Since 2010, its current head is Metropolitan Innocent (Vasilyev).^[2][3]

The diocese includes five deaneries, based in municipal Vilnius, regional Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, and Visaginas, with 52 parishes and two monasteries.^[4] The majority of parishioners come from the resident Slavic minorities.^[5]