exarch
/ˈɛksɑrk/
noun
- A bishop in the Eastern Orthodox Church who is the head of a large church district or an archdiocese.
- In some Orthodox traditions, an exarch oversees churches in a particular region.
- The patriarch appointed a new exarch to lead the diocese in the capital.
- The exarch visited the monastery to bless the new chapel.
- In the Byzantine Empire, a governor of a distant province, especially in Italy or Africa.
- Historians study the letters of the exarch to understand Byzantine rule in Italy.
- The exarch of Ravenna commanded both the army and the civil administration.
- The exarch's palace in Ravenna was a center of power and culture.