Archpriest

The ecclesiastical title of archpriest, traditionally archpresbyter or protopresbyter, belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over one or several parishes in the Eastern Orthodox Church (and some Eastern Catholic). The archpriest is somewhat analogous to the

dean (vicar forane) in the Latin Church. The Orthodox archpriest is conferred the title via liturgical ceremony and wears a specific vestment and typically a pectoral cross.

In early Christianity, the archdeacon (Greek: αρχιδιάκονος/archidiákonos) was the head of the deacons of an eparchy/diocese, as is still the case in the Eastern Orthodox Church, while the archpriest (protopresbyter) was the chief of the priesthood in the eparchy ("presbyterium" in Latin usage). The latter's duties included assisting the bishop in spiritual matters when necessary.

Eastern Christianity

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the highest ranks of priesthood include protopresbyter (Ancient Greek: πρωτοπρεσβύτερος, protopresbyteros), with synonyms protoiereus (from Ancient Greek: πρωτοϊερεύς, "first priest", πρωθιερέας, Serbian: protojerej, Russian: протоиерей), protopriest, roughly equivalent to that of protopope or archpriest, or protopop (Greek: πρωτόπαπας, Cyrillic: протопоп; from πρωτος and πάπας, "first priest, archpriest"), roughly corresponding to archdeacon or dean (parish priest) in the Roman Catholic Church. The rank of archimandrite (monastery abbot), is conferred to monastic priests as an honorary title, while protopresbyter is given to non-monastic priests.

It is conferred to the priest in a ceremony with cheirothesia by the bishop with the laying on of hands and prayer: at the little entrance of the divine liturgy, the candidate is conducted to the ambo in the middle of the church where the bishop blesses him and says a prayer. The bishop addresses Christ, asking him to "... endue our brother (name) with Thy Grace, and adorn him with virtue to stand at the head of the Presbyters of Thy people, and make him to be a good example to them that are with him ..."

The Orthodox archpriest typically wears an epigonation, a vestment originally worn only by bishops; however, details vary locally, and in some places being given the epigonation is an honor that typically precedes being made an archpriest and in other places, it is an honor that is given to only some archpriests (in the Russian tradition, the nabedrennik is given prior to elevation).