The Russian Orthodox Diocese of Sourozh () is a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), covering the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. Since 28 December 2018, the Diocese of Sourozh is part of the Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe. The diocese's name is taken from an ancient see in the Crimea that no longer has a bishop. The patron saint of the diocese is St Stephen of Sourozh, an eighth-century Archbishop of Sourozh (today Sudak) and Confessor of the Faith during the Iconoclastic Controversy. Founded in October 1962, the diocese was headed by Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) until his death in 2003. Since the adoption of its new statutes in 2010, the diocese was placed under the direct and personal spiritual and administrative authority of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. History Origins of the diocese The origins of the Diocese of Sourozh lie in the Parish of the Dormition in London, which from 1716 existed as the Russian Embassy Church. In that year, Archimandrite Gennadius rented a house in Exchange Court, an alley leading off the Strand and converted the large drawing room into a church. The Anglican Bishop of London, John Robinson, agreed to allow Orthodox worship at the church, with the stipulation that the services remained private, that English people were excluded and that singing should not be loud "lest common crowds cause any harm". The first service was held in November 1716 on the Feast of the Presentation of Mary. Although small, the congregation included Russian diplomats, and Russian and Greek merchants, there being no Greek church in London until 1838. Over the following century, a dozen English families also joined the church, as did Colonel Philip Ludwell III, a wealthy American colonist who was received into Orthodoxy in 1738. Another notable English member was the linguist John Paradise, a Fellow of the Royal Society. By 1756, the church had fallen into disrepair, and Exchange Court had degenerated into "a disreputable and shameful place" frequented by prostitutes. Therefore, another large house was rented in Burlington Gardens, again with the drawing room converted for worship. During the Anglo-Russian War (1807–1812), the rector of the church became Russia's sole diplomatic representative in London. The church made a further two moves, in 1784 to Great Portland Street and in 1813 to a large terraced house at 32 Welbeck Street. Here, a chapel was built in the rear