Spain.
Spain hosts one of Western Europe's largest Eastern Orthodox communities, with roughly 1.5 million faithful — mostly Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian immigrants — served by multiple canonical jurisdictions under the Ecumenical, Moscow, Romanian, Serbian and Bulgarian Patriarchates.
Orthodoxy in
Spain.
A living tradition — its history, its faithful, its sacred places.
Although Spain is not historically an Eastern Orthodox country, an active Orthodox presence has developed over the past century and, above all, since the 1990s. After the Great Schism of 1054, Iberian Christianity remained firmly within the Latin West, and for nearly a millennium the peninsula had no organised Eastern Orthodox structures.
Early Christian roots shared with Orthodoxy
The Iberian Peninsula's pre-schism Christian heritage is venerated in Eastern Orthodox calendars. The Visigothic king Hermenegild was martyred in Seville on 13 April 586 after refusing communion from an Arian bishop, and is commemorated as a martyr for the faith. In 589, at the Third Council of Toledo, his brother King Recared officially converted the Visigothic kingdom from Arianism to Nicene Christianity. Figures such as St Leander of Seville and St Isidore of Seville are honoured by Orthodox Christians as saints from the pre-schism West.
Modern Orthodox presence
Organised Orthodox communities in Spain began to take shape in the mid-nineteenth century with Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian, Russian and Middle Eastern migrants, but the decisive change came with large waves of Eastern European immigration from the early 1990s onward. Romanians, in particular, became the dominant nationality among Orthodox faithful in Spain, alongside significant Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian communities.
Jurisdictions present in Spain
Spain is canonical territory of several Orthodox Churches simultaneously, coordinated through the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Spain and Portugal, established in 2010. The main jurisdictions include:
The Holy Metropolis of Spain and Portugal of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, with its cathedral in Madrid;
The Diocese of Madrid and Lisbon of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Western Europe (Moscow Patriarchate);
The Diocese of Western Europe of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR);
The Diocese of Spain and Portugal of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitanate of Western and Southern Europe — by far the largest Orthodox body on the ground;
The Diocese of France and Western Europe of the Serbian Orthodox Church;
The Diocese of Western and Central Europe of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
Current situation
The Orthodox faith is legally recognised in Spain, and dozens of parishes have been organised in major cities and along the Mediterranean coast where Eastern European immigration is concentrated. New church buildings — such as the Russian Cathedral of St Mary Magdalene in Madrid, consecrated in 2013 — reflect the growing and increasingly settled character of the community, which now comprises roughly two percent of the population and continues to grow through both immigration and, more modestly, conversion.
Saints of
Spain.
1 venerated soul with ties to this land — fathers and mothers of the faith who are remembered here still.
Famous Orthodox churches in Spain
The sacred architecture of Orthodox Spain — cathedrals, parishes, and the mountain monasteries that keep the lamps burning.
- Cathedral of Saints Andrew and Demetrius, Madrid — seat of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Spain and Portugal (Ecumenical Patriarchate), located on Nicaragua Street in the Chamartín district. It is the mother church of the Greek Orthodox presence in the Iberian Peninsula and the site of the metropolitan's enthronement.
- Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St Mary Magdalene, Madrid — a Neo-Byzantine church built in 2013 for Madrid's Russian community (Moscow Patriarchate) and elevated to the status of cathedral in 2019; its bells were cast in Moscow and blessed by the Patriarch.
- Romanian Orthodox Church of St George, Alicante — one of the principal Romanian parishes of the Diocese of Spain and Portugal, serving the large Romanian community of the Valencian coast.
- Romanian Orthodox Cathedral of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God, Valencia — a cathedral parish of the Romanian Metropolitanate of Western and Southern Europe.
- Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Santander — a Romanian Orthodox parish of the Diocese of Spain and Portugal in Cantabria.
- All Saints, Derio (Vizcaya) — a Romanian Orthodox parish serving the Basque Country, under the Diocese of Spain and Portugal.
Orthodoxy
kept here.
The shape of the faith as it is lived and prayed across Spain today.
Orthodoxy in Spain is overwhelmingly a diaspora Church. The faithful are in large part first- and second-generation immigrants from traditionally Orthodox nations — Romanians (the largest group, counted in the hundreds of thousands), Bulgarians, Russians, Ukrainians, Moldovans, Georgians, Serbs and Greeks — together with a smaller but growing number of Spanish converts. Parishes therefore reflect the ethnic and linguistic composition of their jurisdictions: Greek, Church Slavonic, Romanian, Bulgarian, Serbian and Russian are all used liturgically, and an increasing number of parishes celebrate wholly or partly in Spanish to serve younger generations and converts.
Spain is canonical territory of no single autocephalous Church. Instead, several canonical jurisdictions operate in parallel, united in faith and coordinated pastorally through the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Spain and Portugal, inaugurated in 2010. The presiding bishop is, by statute, the Metropolitan of Spain and Portugal of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople; other members represent the Patriarchates of Moscow, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria.
Relations with the Spanish state are governed by the 1978 Constitution's guarantee of religious freedom and by Spain's framework of agreements with non-Catholic religious confessions. The Orthodox Church is registered in the Registry of Religious Entities of the Ministry of Justice, and its jurisdictions enjoy legal personality and the right to own property, conduct worship and register sacraments. While Roman Catholicism remains the historical majority confession, Orthodoxy is today one of the most rapidly growing religious communities in the country.
Asked
of this land.
Frequently asked questions about Orthodoxy in Spain
Is Spain an Orthodox country?
No. Spain is historically a Roman Catholic country; after the Great Schism of 1054 Iberian Christianity remained in the Latin West. However, since the 1990s large-scale immigration from Eastern Europe has made Orthodoxy one of the fastest-growing confessions in Spain.
How many Orthodox Christians live in Spain?
Estimates vary, because Spain does not collect religious data in its census. Widely cited figures place the Orthodox population at roughly 1.5 million, making it one of the two largest Orthodox communities in Western Europe alongside Germany. Other estimates give figures closer to 900,000–1,000,000.
Which Orthodox Church has jurisdiction over Spain?
No single Church. Spain is served simultaneously by the Ecumenical Patriarchate (Metropolis of Spain and Portugal), the Moscow Patriarchate, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and the Romanian, Serbian and Bulgarian Patriarchates. They coordinate through the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Spain and Portugal, founded in 2010.
What is the largest Orthodox community in Spain?
The Romanian Orthodox community is by far the largest. Romanians are the second-largest foreign nationality in Spain, and the Romanian Diocese of Spain and Portugal operates the greatest number of parishes.
In what language is the Divine Liturgy served?
It depends on the parish: Greek, Church Slavonic, Romanian, Bulgarian, Serbian or Arabic, according to the jurisdiction. A growing number of parishes also celebrate in Spanish, either regularly or on designated Saturdays, to serve converts and younger generations.
Are there Orthodox saints from Spain?
Yes. Saints from the pre-schism period venerated in the Orthodox Church include the martyr-king St Hermenegild (†586), St Leander of Seville, and his brother St Isidore of Seville. The wonder-working Spanish Icon of the Mother of God is also commemorated in the Orthodox East.