What does metropolitanate mean?
A metropolitanate is a territory governed by a metropolitan bishop, a senior church official whose jurisdiction may include several dioceses. The word is especially common in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, where the metropolitanate is the principal administrative unit headed by a metropolitan and often named for its cathedral city. It can also denote the metropolitan's seat, making its referent occasionally similar to that of a diocese. Anglican usage also associates the term with the jurisdiction of an archbishop, although “ecclesiastical province” is often more precise in that setting. The word should not be confused with “municipality”: a municipality is a civil town or urban district, whereas a metropolitanate is defined by ecclesiastical authority and leadership. Outside specialist religious writing, the term is uncommon.
nounThe jurisdiction or territory governed by a metropolitan bishop, especially in an Eastern Orthodox or Anglican church. The term may also refer to the metropolitan's official seat or cathedral city.
- The territory under the jurisdiction of a metropolitan bishop, especially within an Eastern Orthodox church.
- The seat or official cathedral city of a metropolitan bishop.
- The jurisdiction of an Anglican archbishop or other senior metropolitan.
"The metropolitanate encompasses several dioceses under the jurisdiction of its archbishop."
"The metropolitanate held a synod to discuss the administration of its parishes."
"Several dioceses belong to the metropolitanate headed by the archbishop."
Used when referring to more than one metropolitan jurisdiction or seat.
"The metropolitanates maintain close relations through the regional council."
A metropolitanate is not a city: it is the church territory presided over by a metropolitan bishop.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does metropolitanate come from?
The word entered English through ecclesiastical Latin, where metropolitanate was formed from metropolitanus with the suffix -atus, indicating an office, dignity, or jurisdiction. The Latin adjective metropolitanus came from Greek metropolis, meaning “mother city,” and was applied to the senior bishop of a major city. Its later ecclesiastical sense developed from that association between a metropolitan bishop and the territory under his authority.
How metropolitanate is actually used
This is formal and primarily ecclesiastical terminology. In Eastern Orthodoxy it commonly denotes the territory of a metropolitan, while in Anglican contexts the term may refer more broadly to an archbishop's ecclesiastical province.
Easily confused with metropolitanate
A metropolitanate is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction led by a metropolitan bishop, whereas a municipality is a town or urban district governed by civil authorities.