Historically, its congregation mainly consisted of people of Greek descent, but following the disestablishment of the Paris-based Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of the Russian Tradition in Western Europe within the jurisdiction of the Ecumenicl Patriarchate in November 2018, a significant number of the parishes of the former Exarchate have joined the Metropolis while retaining their Russian liturgical tradition.

[2][3] The diocese was established on 5 February 1963 and at the time comprised the Greek Orthodox parishes in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, and Portugal.

Metropolitan Meletios Karabinis (1914–1993) was appointed as its primate on 22 October 1963 and remained in charge of the Metropolis until his resignation for health reasons on 9 June 1988.

The diocese currently has two assistant bishops: Irineos Avramidis and Maxim Paphilis.

In November 2019, it was officially re-affirmed that the parishes and communities, formerly in the jurisdiction the disbanded Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe (the Ecumenical Patriarchate), which had joined the Metropolis of France, would be grouped into the "vicariate of Russian tradition of the Metropolis of France" in January 2020.