Sorok

Sorok(Russian:cорóк) was a historical subdivision ofMoscowin terms ofparishes,used during 17-19th centuries. In the Russian language the word may beconfused with "cóрок" (with the first syllablestressed), which means "forty".

By a decision of theStoglavy Soborof 1551, Moscow was subdivided into 6soroks:

• Nikitsky Sorok,Никитский сорок
• Sretensky Sorok,Сретенский сорок (named afterSretenka)
• Prechistensky Sorok,Пречистенский сорок(afterPrechistenka)
• Ivanovsky Sorok,Ивановский сорок
• Zamoskvoretsky Sorok,Замоскворецкий сорок (afterZamoskvorechye)
• Kitaisky Sorok,Китайский сорок (afterKitai-gorod)

On average, at these times eachsorokencompassed 45parochial churches.

The term gave rise to a Russiansaying(recorded e.g., byVladimir Dahlin hisSayings and Bywords of Russian People) "There aresorok sorokovof churches in Moscow "(meaning" multitudes of churches in Moscow "). It is sometimes mistakenly interpreted as 40 times 40, i.e., 1600 churches in Moscow, which is an exaggeration: in 1917 there were" only "441 parochial churches and slightly over 200home churchesin Moscow.

At present, the Russian Orthodox realm is subdivided intoeparchies,further subdivided intoblagochiniyes(blagochinny okrugs,благочиние, благочинный округ).