The Church of St John of Shanghai in Colchester was built in 1855 and is the largest wooden church in the British Isles and Ireland. St John’s is attended annually by 5,000 Orthodox of 25 nationalities. It has two altars, three priests of different nationalities, two deacons and Sunday attendance is between 200 and 400.  It is administered by the East of England Orthodox Church Trust (Charity No. 1081707), centred in the City of Colchester, which cares for our Deanery of seven multinational Orthodox parishes in Colchester, the East of England and beyond.

St John’s is a parish of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, part of the Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of Western and Southern Europe with its Synod of 7 bishops and over 900 parish churches and many monasteries. Our rapidly expanding Archdiocese  already has 108 priests and 17 deacons in 95 parishes and 5 monasteries, as Vladica Atanasie ordains our many candidates throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Next to us, however, with Bishop Nectarie of Ireland and Iceland there are another 10 parishes and 15 priests and his Diocese has had wonderful news:

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/social-affairs/2025/09/14/miracle-from-god-romanian-orthodox-community-gathers-in-newly-purchased-cathedral/