eparchial

Eparchial is an adjective used in a number of Eastern Christian churches to denote things pertaining to an eparchy, the territorial jurisdiction overseen by a bishop. The noun form eparch refers to the bishop who governs an eparchy. The term and its related nouns are most common in Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic traditions, where the organizational unit equivalent to a diocese in the Latin Church is called an eparchy and its bishop an eparch.

An eparchy is the basic geographic and pastoral unit of governance. Its see, often a cathedral, serves as the bishop’s central church and administrative seat. The eparch oversees the spiritual life, liturgical discipline, and governance within the eparchy, which is typically subdivided into smaller parishes. In hierarchical structures, several eparchies may belong to a larger ecclesiastical province under a metropolitan or equivalent prelate.

The term eparchial is used to describe matters connected with the eparchy as a whole—for example, eparchial administration, eparchial court, or eparchial schools. It can also describe actions or authorities exercised at the level of the eparchy rather than the entire church.

Usage spans both the Eastern Orthodox Churches and many Eastern Catholic Churches, including Ukrainian, Russian, Greek, and other national churches that follow Eastern liturgical traditions. The concept emphasizes local, bishop-led governance within a defined geographical jurisdiction, distinct from the broader, universal church governance.