metropolia

Metropolia is a term with multiple uses in geography and ecclesiology, derived from the Greek metrópolis, meaning “mother city.” In general use, it can refer to a large urban region centered on a core city, or to the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of a metropolitan.

In urban planning and geography, a metropolitan area or metropolis is an integrated urban region that includes a central city and its surrounding suburbs and satellite towns with strong social, economic, and transportation links. The term metropolia appears in several languages as a direct translation of metropolis or metropolitan area and may be used in official or descriptive contexts. Boundaries vary by country and organization, and are often defined as metropolitan statistical areas, functional urban areas, or urban agglomerations.

In Christian church traditions, metropolia (metropolis) denotes a major ecclesiastical jurisdiction headed by a metropolitan archbishop. This metropolitan province typically comprises several suffragan dioceses and forms a hierarchical unit within the church. The precise powers and structures depend on the denomination and local canon law. In the Roman Catholic Church, the metropolitan see heads a metropolitan province and exercises limited authority over the suffragan dioceses; in the Eastern Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic contexts, the metropolis is similarly the principal see of a geographic region within the larger church structure.

Today the term remains polysemic and its exact meaning is shaped by language and tradition, spanning urban geography and church governance.