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An '''archimandrite''' (literally, "chief of a sheepfold") is a celibate [[priest]] who has been elevated to an honorific rank, one level lower than [[bishop]]. Archimandrites are usually styled ''Very Reverend'' or ''Right Reverend'' and are the equivalent of [[archpriest]]s among the married clergy, though of higher rank.
In Greek usage, ''archimandrite'' was originally equivalent to ''[[igumen]]'', the traditional title for an [[abbot]] of a [[monastery]], but after the 6th century came to refer to the abbots of particularly large or important monasteries, often having multiple monasteries under his care.