I – History of the organizational modes of some Orthodox communities established in France

This article inaugurates a collective volume devoted to the Orthodox presence in France by offering a historical study of the establishment of several Orthodox communities on French territory. The approach adopted is that of a historical reconstruction based on the analysis of successive migratory waves that led these communities to settle in France. The main idea is to show how these groups progressively structured their own modes of organization in response to the constraints of exile and the demands of ecclesial life in the diaspora. On the theological and historical level, the article sheds light on the diversity of organizational models developed by Orthodoxy in a Western migratory context, thereby contributing to a better understanding of the formation and institutional structuring of the Orthodox Church in France during the twentieth century.