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Miersan Episemialist Church
File:MEC logo.png Logo of the Miersan Episemialist Church
Classification	Episemialism
Scripture	Septuagint, New Testament
Theology	TBD
Polity	Episcopal
Primate	TBD, Archbishop of Żobrodź and Patriarch of All Miersa
Metropolitans	TBD
Archbishops	TBD
Bishops	TBD
Language	Church Marolevic, Miersan
Headquarters	Cathedral of Sotirias the Saviour, West Żobrodź
Territory	Miersa
Possessions	Miersa, Miersan Churches abroad
Founder	Iwon of Sechia
Origin	736 Sechia
Recognition	1930s?
Separations	Lemovician Episemialist Church
Members	17,718,131

The Miersan Episemialist Church (Miersan: Mierski kościół epizemialny), also known as the Patriarchate of Miersa (Miersan: Patriarchat Wszechmiersy), is a Miersan Sotirian Episemialist autocephalous church that operates within Miersa and among the Miersan diaspora. Governed by a Holy Synod, and overseen by the Partriarch, currently TBD, the Miersan Episemialist Church has played a significant role in the histories of Miersa and of West Miersa.

According to tradition, the Miersan Episemialist Church was founded by Iwon of Sechia in 736 CE when he was sent by the Ecumenical Patriarch to proselytize and convert the Marolevs living in the Miersan Basin. Iwon's conversion would be successful, particularly in the western regions of Miersa, whereas in eastern Miersa, the Solarian rite became predominant. This divide between the Arcilucan and Solarian rites of Sotirianity was aggravated by the Lesser Schism in 1385, which led to several Miersan monarchs prosecuting and attempting to crack down on Episemialism in favour of Catholicism, before an Edict of Toleration was instituted in 1507 by Cesarz Michał the Lesser that permitted the church to operate in the Kingdom of Miersa, so long as they accepted a Catholic monarch.

Following the Miersan partitions in 1638 and 1687, the Episemialists in the Soravian Miersan Governate would become more influenced by the Soravian Episemialist Church, while in the Gaullican-annexed provinces, Episemialism would go into decline as the Gaullicans converted many peasants to the Solarian Catholic Church, leading to the modern religious divide in Miersa between East and West.

History

Early Church

While there is ample evidence that Sotirianity first reached present-day Miersa during the Solarian Empire between 311 CE and 400 CE, when the Empire had control over parts of the present-day partially recognised state of Lemovicia, and the present-day West Miersan voivodeship of Malomiersa, it is unclear whether these Sotirian communities lasted long enough to have a significant influence over the development of Miersan Sotirianity, let alone what rite these communities were associated with.

According to the Miersan Episemialist Church, the Sotirian Church was re-established in Miersa by Iwon of Sechia in 736 CE, with Iwon sent by Arciluco to proselytize the Marolevs living in the Miersan Basin. From his position in Sechia, Iwon of Sechia was able to spread Sotirianity using Old Church Marolevic, particularly among the peasantry in southwestern Miersa. Thus, Iwon of Sechia is traditionally seen to be the first head of the Miersan Episemialist Church.

Over the next few centuries, Episemialism would spread across the western regions of Miersa, particularly in Firencja and Zachódnia, but it also spread eastwards among the peasantry in Wybrzeże, although among the elites, it faced pushback from those who followed the Solarian rite. Thus, by the eleventh century, the Arcilucan rite was predominant in western Miersa and among the lower classes, whereas the Solarian rite was predominant in eastern Miersa and among the upper classes.

Kingdom of Miersa

Painting of the 1394 Battle of Zieruń, c. 1524-1530

With the Lesser Schism in 1385 between the Episemialist Church and the Solarian Catholic Church, the peasantry and most of those in the western regions sided with the Episemialist Church, leading to what historians consider to be the creation of the Miersan Episemialist Church, who recognised the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Arciluco as a primus inter pares over the supremacy of the Pope in Solaria.

This led to a series of conflicts over religion, when in 1387, Maksymilian the Great ordered that all Miersan churches "follow the Solarian rite," and to crack down on all practices of the "western schismatics." This was opposed by Sebastian of Zieruń, who would emerge as the leader of the anti-Catholic forces. In 1394, Sebastian would meet Maksymilian the Great at the Battle of Zieruń, with Sebastian killing Makysmilian in battle, before being killed himself.

Throughout the next century, persecution against Episemialists ebbed and flowed, depending on the ruler in power: Henryk the Old forced nobles to convert to Solarian Catholicism on the pain of death and on the pain of having their lands seized and redistributed to Catholic nobles, while Matej the Young instituted policies to seize "all the wealth in Episemialist churches" to help fund the Miersan treasury. In contrast, Władysław the Great tolerated Episemialism among the peasantry, and even funded the reconstruction of "certain important churches," primarily in Żobrodź.

Maksymilian the Weak's reign from 1492 to 1501 saw the worst persecution of Episemialists in Miersan history: anyone suspected of being Episemialist was forced to either accept the teachings of the Pope, or be burnt at the stake for heresy, while Episemialist churches were "systemically plundered and destroyed." This would lead to several peasant revolts during Maksymilian's reign, particularly in the recently-annexed Malomiersa which had been Episemialist.

After the death of Makysmilian the Weak in 1501, Michał the Lesser sought to end the bloodshed between the Catholic and Episemialist communities. Despite pressure from some in his court to maintain his predecessor's policies, Michał maintained his course, and in 1507 issued the Edict of Toleration, which stipulated that in exchange for the Episemialists accepting a Catholic monarch, the monarchy will not discriminate against Episemialists. This ended the era of persecution against Episemialists, although Catholics would remain politically dominant in the Kingdom of Miersa.

During the Miersan Interregnum from 1623 until 1638, the status of Episemialists improved as (TBC).

Partition of Miersa

With the First Partition in 1638 between the Soravian Empire and Kingdom of Gaullica, with a rump Duchy of Żobrodź, the Miersan Episemialist Church only remained de-facto independent within the Duchy of Żobrodź, with this independence being short lived, since after the First Miersan Revolt in 1687, the Duchy of Żobrodź was annexed by Soravia.

In eastern Miersa, Episemialism would fall into decline, exacerbated by Gaullican policies of promoting Solarian Catholicism and existing trends by the elites to follow Catholicism. (probably some resistance?) (TBC)

In contrast, Episemialism would flourish under Soravian rule, although the Soravian Empire sought to impose the Soravian Episemialist Church upon the Miersan Governate. This was helped by an influx of Soravian immigrants into the Miersan Governate, who brought the Soravian Episemialist Church with them and their practices, while the Soravian Empire sought to institute tighter controls on the Miersan Episemialist Church. To this end, the Soravians revoked the autocephaly of the Miersan Episemialist Church, and reduced its Metropolitan to being a part of the Soravian Episemialist Church. This was met with significant resistance, particularly in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, with many clergy and peasants opposing the imposition of the Soravian Episemialist Church and its structures upon the existing Miersan Episemialist Church, which forced the Soravian Episemialist Church to grant the Miersan Metropolitan autonomy, in exchange for acknowledging the supremacy of Patovatra over the Miersan church.

At the same time, with emigration of Miersans to Gaullican and Soravian colonies in the Asterias, Episemialists sought to maintain their religious traditions abroad, which led to the creation of churches to serve the Miersan Episemialist community.

Modern era

Cathedral of Sotirias the Saviour in West Żobrodź, 2021

probably is recognised as a junior patriarchate in the 1930s upon West Miersa's independence from Soravia, uneventful until late 1970s when Lemovicia breaks away and nationalists set up Lemovician Episemialist Church, and the two are at each other's throats, with Miersa claiming the Lemovician Church are schismatics

Organisation

Patriarch

The head of the Miersan Episemialist Church is the patriarch (Miersan: patriarcha), officially the Archbishop of Żobrodź and the Patriarch of All Miersa. Until 193X, he was the Archbishop of Żobrodź and Metropolitan of All Miersa. Since 2011, the current Patriarch of the Miersan Episemialist Church is TBD.

Historically, the primate wielded extensive power alongside an endemic synod: however, with growing influence from the Soravian Episemialist Church, in 1889, under Metropolitan TBD (then the head of the Miersan Episemialist Church), the Endemic Synod was replaced with a Holy Synod, with all the day-to-day powers of the primate being subsumed under the holy synod. Since 1889, the Patriarch has served as a "symbolic figurehead representing the Church in All Miersa," with the Patriarch serving as a primus inter pares of the Holy Synod, and of the Miersan Episemialist Church.

Today, the duties of the Patriarch, besides chairing the Holy Synod, involve representing the Miersan Episemialist Church, and issuing anathema against those who have committed "serious and unrepetent heresy" against the Episemialist Church.

Holy Synod

The governing body of the Miersan Episemialist Church is the Holy Synod (Miersan: święty synod). Originally the endemic synod (Miersan: synod endemiczny), the endemic synod was replaced by a permanent Holy Synod in 1889 under Metropolitan TBD, due to increasing Soravian influence on the Miersan church brought on as a result of its closer integration with the Soravian Episemailist Church.

The Holy Synod of the Miersan Episemialist Church's main duties is to "supervise the day-to-day operations of the Episemialist Church within All Miersa," including matters of religious doctrine, church property, and funding of the TBD churches under the Miersan Episemialist Church, as well as decisions to create new dioceses, archdioceses, and metropolitanates, in addition to dissolving them.

As of 2021, the members of the Holy Synod include the Patriarch, the four metropolitans of Miersa, and (TBC).

Structure

The Miersan Episemialist Church is organised into TBD metropolitanates within the territory of Miersa, who in turn oversee TBD archdioceses and TBA dioceses. As the Miersan diaspora spread, the Miersan Episemialist Church also operates metropolitanates in areas where there is extensive settlement by Episemialist Miersans, particularly in countries with no Episemialist patriarchate available to serve them.

List of Bishops, Archbishops and Patriarchs

Bishop of Sechia

1. Iwon of Sechia (736-755)
2. A
3. B
4. C
5. D
6. E

Archbishop of Sechia

1. E
2. F
3. G
4. H
5. I
6. J

Archbishop of Żobrodź

1. J
2. K
3. L
4. M
5. N
6. O
7. P
8. Q
9. R
10. S

Metropolitan of All Miersa

1. S
2. T
3. U
4. V
5. W
6. X
7. Y
8. Z
9. AA
10. AB
11. AC
12. AD
13. AE
14. AF
15. AG
16. AH
17. AI
18. AJ
19. AK
20. AL
21. AM

Patriarch of Miersa

1. AM
2. AN
3. AO
4. Bogusław TBD (1979-1991)
5. AQ (1991-2011)
6. AR (2011-present)