The actual process of replacing the dowager patriarchal chair with a new person was multi-stage and extended in time (from two months to several years). It began with the convening by the emperor (but without his direct participation) of a Council of Bishops to discuss and elect three candidates for patriarch (either from the episcopate, or from monks, or even from the laity). Of these, the emperor chose one. Then, through the archons - in the act of the so-called small naming - on behalf of the Council and himself personally, he announced his choice. The latter was secured by the act of the great naming - liturgically and conciliarly, that is, in the face of the entire church people (including the clergy, laity and representatives of the authorities), and if the one being named was not in office, his priestly ordination was performed. Next, the emperor, in the throne room of the Grand Palace, performed a solemn ceremony of elevating the newly-named Patriarch of Constantinople and presenting him with the high priest's staff. This was followed by the first patriarchal service in the Church of St. Sophia - preceded, if the chosen one was not a bishop, by the solemn rite of episcopal consecration. During the first patriarchal service, enthronement took place - the act of proclaiming what had been erected by the patriarch and placing him on the throne as the primate of the Byzantine Church. The process of replacing the high priestly department was completed with an act of fraternal communication of the newly elected patriarch with the heads of other Orthodox local churches in the form of a letter addressed to them outlining the teachings of the faith, as well as an act of addressing his own flock in the form of a district - confessional and teaching in content - message.
Holy Patriarch Job.
The main sources containing information directly related to the procedure for the election, naming and elevation of Metropolitan Job of Moscow to Patriarch of “All Rus'” are: 1) article “On the establishment of the patriarchate in Russia” (RNB, handwritten collection of the 17th century. Library of the Solovetsky Monastery No. 852, l 60-109v.) and 2) a more lengthy document “On the coming to Moscow from Constantinople of His Holiness Jeremiah, Patriarch of the Ecumenical” (GIM, handwritten collection of the second half of the 17th century. Synodal Library No. 703, l. 76v.-123v.) . Both sources, along with others (Russian and Greek), have been published. Despite the fact that these sources are relatively late copies of unsurvived evidence from 1589, they are trusted by researchers and make it possible to quite reliably present the ceremonial and ritual details of the first patriarchal enthronement in Russia.
This is what is fundamentally important to note.
1. In the Moscow state of the mid-15th - late 16th centuries. neither the clergy (especially the white ones) nor the church people en masse participated in any way in the matter of electing the primate of the Russian Church, the metropolitan. This right belonged entirely to the anointed one of God - the Grand Duke and then the Tsar, who, or not, relied on the opinion and help of a very narrow circle of people especially close to him: he chose a candidate who, in his opinion, was worthy of primacy, either from the episcopate or from among the monastics. The procedure for a church council decision was formal and predetermined by the sovereign's will.
2. The circumstances of the establishment of the patriarchate in Rus' at the end of the 16th century. well known and described. Leaving the details out of brackets, it is necessary to emphasize: the willy-nilly personal participation of the Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremiah II in this process was due to a set of reasons and goals connected by mutual (Moscow and the Orthodox East represented by Jeremiah) interest in the context of the unique geopolitical position of the Moscow state and the Russian Church in the then Christian world; the main role in achieving this goal belonged to Tsar Feodor Ioannovich and his government (primarily in the person of Boris Godunov); The Russian clergy, and in particular the episcopate, were first involved in the task of elevating Metropolitan Job of Moscow to the dignity of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' at the very last - technical - stage, but very passively. At the Council of Bishops, held by decree of Theodore Ioannovich in Moscow on January 17, 1589, headed by Metropolitan Job, firstly, the tsar himself notified the councils of the consent (as a result of lengthy negotiations) of the head of the Church of Constantinople, Jeremiah II, who was visiting Moscow, to establish in Russia Churches of the Patriarchate; secondly, the Council expressed a desire only to prayerfully, and not actively, help the Tsar complete the work he had started; thirdly, the Council sent the sovereign's Duma clerk and the head of the Ambassadorial Prikaz, A. Ya. Shchelkalov, to Jeremiah to find out details about the procedure for patriarchal installation in Greece and to receive a written statement of this order.
3. The resulting Greek rank was revised by Shchelkalov on the basis of the actual Russian tradition of elevating the chosen one to metropolitan (with repeated episcopal consecration if the chosen one was a bishop) and already on January 19 was approved by a joint Council of the clergy and boyars. After this, an expanded deputation from the Council delivered to Jeremiah the “sovereign’s verdict” regarding the course of the upcoming celebration and the names of the intended candidates for the patriarchal and new diocesan metropolitan, archbishop and episcopal sees - three candidates for each.
4. On January 23, after the liturgy in the Kremlin Church of the Assumption, the Russian “consecrated Council”, together with Patriarch Jeremiah and his Greek entourage, celebrated, according to the order of the sovereign, the celebration of the election of candidates for the high priesthood - Metropolitan Job of Moscow, Archbishop Alexander of Novgorod and Pskov, Archbishop of Rostov and Yaroslavl Varlaam. The “feedback” is curious: after signing the charter of the chosen ones, Jeremiah appeared with the council members in the golden chamber and personally presented it to the king, and the king, after the announcement of the latter, pronounced his final verdict, naming the name of the Moscow ruler. On the same day and within the walls of the same golden chamber, the Primate of the Ecumenical Throne, for the first time during his entire stay in Russia, met with Metropolitan Job and blessed him as “the named Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.” At the same time, it is necessary to emphasize: ultimately, the rite of patriarchal naming according to the Byzantine model proposed by Jeremiah did not take place; the ceremony took place outside of the divine service, in the royal palace as a secular ceremonial statement by the sovereign of his will regarding the supposedly chosen candidates.
5. The dedication of the newly christened Job took place on January 26, Sunday, in the Assumption Church according to a previously drawn up liturgical “rite and charter.” The most important episodes of the sacred rite were: firstly, Job’s confession of faith in the face of Tsar Theodore Ioannovich and the Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremiah in the middle of the temple during the 1st hour (the text he pronounced, with some exceptions, repeated the text of the oath that had previously been given by newly ordained Russian metropolitans); secondly, the full episcopal ordination performed over Job at the liturgy, at the small entrance, by the council of concelebrating archpastors headed by Jeremiah; thirdly, the ceremony, which was a kind of enthronement act (at the end of the liturgy and after the unmasking of Job, in the altar of the temple, on a high place, Jeremiah placed on him the “golden-collared” icon, panagia, hood and mantle, and Theodore Ioannovich, making a welcoming speech , handed him the gold-decorated staff of St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow). The solemn celebration of the accomplished event with divine services, processions of the new patriarch around the city (“on the donkey”), exchange of gifts, and feasts continued for the next three days.
6. The further concern of the Russian government (an urgent and diplomatically intense concern) was Jeremiah II’s own handwritten certification of the “Laid Charter” on the establishment of the patriarchate in Rus' (May 1589) and the recognition of this act by the local Churches (1590 and 1593). At the same time, by the way, the Moscow high priest remained on the sidelines: there was not even his fraternal appeal to the heads of the Eastern patriarchates, so traditional for the Universal Church (the “Laid Letter” signed by Job along with Jeremiah and other persons was not his personal document and in the genre-content was not a message).
So, the procedure for electing and confirming the first Russian patriarch was very different from the procedure adopted in the Orthodox East, in particular in Greece. There is no reason to doubt the legality and goodness of the outcome of all the actions taken (especially in view of the holiness of the first primate of the Russian Church), but externally (procedurally-canonically) and internally (essentially) these actions were fundamentally different, for they were entirely carried out outside the conciliar mind of the Church, inclined even in part of the episcopate under the all-encompassing authority of the tsar (even the most pious), and were completely divorced from the possible aspirations of the powerless and voiceless church people. Truly the cornerstones of Christ's dispensation can be both a treasure and a stumbling block (1 Pet. 2:6-7).
Patriarchs of St. Hermogenes, Philaret, Joasaph I, Joseph, Nikon, Joasaph II, Pitirim, Joachim, Adrian
The conditions, nature and rules for elevation to patriarchal dignity established in relation to Saint Job were preserved in the Moscow state without fundamental changes until the 30s of the 17th century. In any case, with the installation of Saint Hermogenes, Metropolitan of Kazan (June 3, 1606), Philaret (Nikitich, Romanov), Metropolitan of Rostov (June 24, 1619) and Archbishop of Pskov and Velikoluksky Joasaph I (February 6, 1634) to the patriarchate. ) the basics of the “scenario” did not change: the main and all-determining authority was the tsar (in the first case, Vasily Ivanovich Shuisky, in the other two - Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov), the time from the selection of a candidate to the naming and appointment of the chosen one was extremely short (several days), the developed Shchelkalov, the rank of patriarchal consecration (through the sacrament of new consecration). However, there were nuances. Thus, when Hermogenes and Philaret were appointed to the cathedral, their names (put forward by the Time of Troubles to the forefront of the life of Russian society) were unique and non-competitive, but at the same time warmly supported by broad popular opinion, which to some extent compensated for the deficit that distinguished the Russian Church of that time conciliarity. As for Joasaph, the choice of king that fell on him (despite the formal presence of two more candidates) was predetermined by the dying blessing of the deceased Patriarch Philaret, so that in fact there was a kind of transfer of power from hand to hand. Obviously, Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich was not indifferent. His dominant role is evidenced, at least, by his message to the heads of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem Churches on the death of Patriarch Philaret and the installation of a new Patriarch Joasaph.
The procedure for patriarchal elections underwent a fundamental change after the death of Joasaph I (November 28, 1640) and in two points approached the Byzantine one described above. When electing a new patriarch, now, finally, the conciliar principle is manifested, although only partially, because the names of the applicants were nevertheless determined exclusively by the tsar, popular opinion was not taken into account and the applicants were not discussed at the conciliar. Having personally named six candidates for the primacy (two bishops, one archimandrite and three abbots), Mikhail Feodorovich authorized the diocesan lords, abbots of monasteries and archpriests (rectors of cathedral churches) who arrived at the Council in Moscow in the spring of 1642 at his call to identify one of them. The method of definition was original. According to contemporary evidence, the sovereign ordered the names of the candidates he named to be written on six lots, then twice three lots were inserted into the “panagia of gold” that belonged to all the former Russian patriarchs, and at the same time two lots were selected, of which after the third investment the only one was left. This drawing of lots was carried out in the Assumption Church in front of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “of Vladimir” in three stages, during the prayer singing “in three stages”: to the glory of the life-giving Trinity, the holy archangels and angels; in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and in memory of the holy apostles; finally, in honor of the Moscow and all Russia wonderworkers Peter, Alexy and Jonah. This is how the name of Archimandrite Joseph of the Moscow Simonov Monastery was sealed in the last lot. The king appointed him to be the new patriarch. A noticeably different course of the election procedure is described by Adam Olearius. However, it must be emphasized that the latter’s story, although built on rumors and therefore less reliable, still confirms the fact of using a new method of selecting from several candidates the most worthy of the high priestly throne - with hope in God’s providence or, as Joseph’s competitor wrote, “by lot, and not by royal permission." The next day (March 21), as usual, in the royal chamber the elected archimandrite was named patriarch; a week later (March 27) he was ordained patriarch “by the ordination of His Grace Afonius, Metropolitan of Novgorod and Velikolutsk and the entire consecrated Cathedral” and then (March 28) “erected... in the Church of the Most Pure Mother of God to the patriarchal place, which is on the right side of the pillar,” that is enthroned. The second feature of the beginning of Joseph’s high priestly ministry was that, having taken the see, he resumed (albeit more than a year after his appointment) the ancient tradition of addressing the church people with archpastoral instructions in the form of two printed in August 1643. in one collection of “Teachings” - “the bishop, and the holy monk, and the lay priest, and the entire sacred rank” and “the Christ-loving prince, and the judges, and all Orthodox Christians.” Being literary compilative and not independent, this appeal, nevertheless, remarkably characterizes the compiler, since, unlike all four of his predecessors, he openly and impartially exposed the shortcomings of the spiritual and moral life of his contemporary Russian society, and regardless of rank, and, Apparently, at the same time he outlined his personal understanding of the truly Christian order of life.
As you know, Patriarch Joseph had barely died (in the spring of 1652), and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich had already appointed his successor, Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod. The history of the elevation of the sovereign’s “friend” to the patriarchate testifies to the fact that outwardly the matter of replacing the chair of the primate of the Russian Church acquired even clearer features of conciliarity. However, in essence, the process of electing Nikon was more like a political action than a church act associated with the will of God and the rules of canonical life. Upon the death of Joseph, Alexei Mikhailovich ordered the writing of the order according to which a new patriarch was to be elected, and convened a very wide circle of the Russian clergy to Moscow for the Council - from metropolitans to ordinary priests. The council members fulfilled his order “to elect twelve spiritual men to the patriarchal throne,” and on July 22, 1652, from among them they chose Metropolitan Nikon “without drawing lots,” about which the tsar was immediately notified. On the same day, in the Church of the Assumption, prayers were performed in the presence of the Tsar and all the cathedrals: to the Most Holy Trinity, to the disembodied spirits, to the Most Holy Theotokos with an akathist, to the holy apostles and holy wonderworkers of Moscow - Peter, Alexy, Jonah and Philip. After the prayers, a deputation was sent to the Novgorod courtyard for the newly elected patriarch. But contrary to expectations, Nikon refused to appear at the Assumption Church in the face of the sovereign and the clergy. Against his will, he was brought to the Council. What followed was a scene of repeated persuasion on the part of the king and the people and repeated refusals on the part of the chosen one. In the end, agreement was reached, but only on the terms of a vow of assurance by Alexei Mikhailovich and the people “to maintain the gospel dogmas and observe the rules of St. apostles and saints fathers and the laws of pious kings” and “obey” the new primate of the Russian Church in everything. The next day was the patriarchal naming of Nikon, and on July 25 - his consecration as a patriarch and the usual traditional festive events associated with this event.
The accession to the Russian primate throne of the next patriarch was associated simultaneously with the deposition of the Grecophile Nikon, who had withdrawn from power and was in disgrace, and the final approval of the order of replacing the patriarchal see, which was very close to the Greek one, along with the further development of the conciliar principle. On January 31, 1667, in the Miracle Monastery, as part of the work of the Great Moscow Council, the participants of the latter, in the presence of the Eastern Patriarchs - Paisius of Alexandria and Macarius of Antioch, elected twelve candidates for first hierarchs (abbots, archimandrites and three bishops). From this list, “not without the knowledge” of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (probably on his orders), nine names were crossed out. The act of the selection was read to the sovereign in the Golden Chamber. Of the remaining names - the archimandrites of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Joasaph and the Vladimir Monastery Philaret, as well as the cellarer of the Chudov Monastery Savva - the sovereign, after consulting with Patriarch Macarius (Paisius was absent due to illness), chose the first name. The sovereign's will was immediately solemnly announced to Joasaph, who was present, and then in the Assumption Church, in the presence of the newly elected Russian First Hierarch and Patriarch Macarius, the decision of Alexei Mikhailovich was announced to the people. On February 8, with the recovery of Patriarch Paisius of Alexandria, in the patriarchal chamber of the Chudov Monastery the naming of Joasaph was carried out according to the “Bishop’s Official”; On February 9, in the same Assumption Church, after Vespers, according to the same “Official,” the newly-christened one was evangelized, and the next day, on Meat Week, again in the Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, he was ordained to the rank of Patriarch through episcopal ordination. At the end of the liturgy and after the exchange of thanks and congratulatory speeches, enthronement took place: the Eastern patriarchs placed a mantle, a white hood and a panagia on Joasaph II, and the king presented his new patriarch with the archpastoral staff. Then the festivities followed as usual, only Joasaph made trips from the Kremlin to the White City not “on a donkey,” but in a sleigh.
Subsequently, the procedure for replacing the patriarchal see was again violated, presumably due to the extraordinary strengthening of secular power in the person of the sovereign. Regarding the election of Patriarchs Pitirim (July 1672) and Joachim (July 1674), the sources do not report anything particularly noteworthy. Both, apparently taking into account the seniority of the diocesan see they occupied - Novgorod, were, in essence, appointed by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich as patriarchs, of course, with the support of the “consecrated Council” and observing the canonical tradition of dedication.
Finally, during the installation in 1690 of the tenth and last Old Russian Patriarch Adrian to the high priestly see, while formally observing the canonical norm of order, there was social tension, expressed in the struggle between adherents of antiquity (Greek-Russian party) and enthusiasts of innovation. The first was patronized by the Dowager Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, the second were attracted and united by the energy of the 18-year-old Tsar Peter Alekseevich. After the death of Patriarch Joachim on March 17, it was in Peter’s entourage that Metropolitan Markell of Pskov, known for his learning, meekness and condescension towards foreigners, began to be discussed as worthy of the high priesthood. But the queen opposed his candidacy and managed to convince Peter that she was right. There are also known unsuccessful attempts to achieve the patriarchal throne on the part of the Jesuit Mikhail Yakonovich, who found himself in Moscow (he himself testified to this in his letters).
Be that as it may, in July 1690 in Moscow, with the purpose of appointing a successor, a Council gathered with a small number of participants (6 metropolitans, 3 archbishops, 1 bishop and 3 archimandrites). Three candidates were identified - Metropolitan Adrian of Kazan, Archbishop Nikita of Kolomna and Archimandrite Vincent of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. Of these, for the sake of Natalya Kirillovna, the friend and comrade-in-arms of the late Joachim Adrian was singled out, whom then, at the “consecrated Council” on August 22, the sovereigns (John and Peter Alekseevich), together with the bishops, “barely begged” to agree to “lead the multi-Russian flock.” On August 23, he was named patriarch, and on the 24th, he was installed according to the usual charter. Adrian marked his accession to the post of primate of the Russian Church with a “District Epistle”, addressed with instructions to all classes of Russian society.
So, the review of historical data undertaken here shows that in Rus' during the last century of the pre-Synodal era, the voice of the Russian Church in the election of its head was predominantly auxiliary and limited only to the liturgical framework of the rite, while the voice of the monarch almost always had decisive importance. The balance of interaction of forces could, for various reasons, change in one direction or another, but fundamentally throughout the entire patriarchal period, the fundamental question of the existence of the Russian Church - about its primate - was always decided in the royal palace, and not at the council of representatives of different social strata of the church people from archpastors to laity .
Macarius (Bulgakov), Metropolitan. Moscow. History of the Russian Church. Book sixth. pp. 327-331; Golubtsov A.P. Entry into the patriarchate and teachings to Joseph’s flock. pp. 344-381.
Kapterev N. F. Patriarch Nikon and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. T. 1. Sergiev Posad, 1909. P. 106-107; Zenkovsky S. [A.] Russian Old Believers: spiritual movements of the seventeenth century. München, 1969. pp. 186-187.
Gibbenette N. [A.] Historical study of the case of Patriarch Nikon. St. Petersburg, 1882. T. 1. P. 9-16.
Macarius (Bulgakov), Metropolitan. Moscow. History of the Russian Church. Book seventh: The period of independence of the Russian Church (1589-1881). Patriarchate in Russia (1589-1720). Section one: Patriarchate of Moscow and All Great, Little, and White Russia - the reunification of the Western Russian Church with the Eastern Russian Church (1654-1667). M., 1996. pp. 374-377.
“The rite of placing Pitirim on the patriarchal throne” // Ancient Russian Vivliofika. Ed. 2. M., 1788. Part VI. pp. 352-357; Smirnov P., priest. Joachim, Patriarch of Moscow. M., 1881. P. 16.
Skvortsov G. A. Patriarch Adrian, his life and works in connection with the state of the Russian Church in the last decade of the 17th century. Kazan, 1913. P. 5-13.
“The rite of installation to the patriarchal throne of His Holiness Adrian, Metropolitan of Kazan and Sviyazhsk” // Ancient Russian Vivliofika. Ed. 2. M., 1788. Part VIII. pp. 329-360.
JOB (in the world John) (1589-1605) - first |
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In 1587-1589. - Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus'. Boris Godunov, in political interests, put forward the idea of establishing a patriarchal throne in Russia. Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich supported this proposal and turned to the Eastern patriarchs with a request to establish the Moscow Patriarchate, installing a Russian patriarch. The consent of the eastern patriarchs was obtained in 1588 after long and persistent negotiations. The Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremiah, who came to Moscow for “alms” (money to pay tribute to Turkey), was actually forced to establish a patriarchal throne here. Job was named on January 23, 1589, and made patriarch on January 26. Job's main task was to carry out the reforms in the Russian Church outlined by the Council Code of 1589. Almost all episcopal sees were raised in rank, and several new ones were opened. Job elevated to the rank of four metropolitans, five archbishops (out of six) and one bishop for the seven planned new dioceses. He established church-wide holidays for some previously recognized saints and canonized a number of new ones. The Patriarch contributed to the spread of Christianity among foreigners in Siberia, the Kazan region, and the Korel region (Karelia). In Moscow, in order to establish greater deanery among the lower clergy, eight priestly elders were established. After the death of Tsar Fedor in 1598, Job found himself at the head of the state. He proposed to the Zemsky Sobor to make Boris Godunov king. During the period of the struggle against False Dmitry I, Job called on the people to war for faith and the fatherland (January 1605). After the death of Boris Godunov, he organized an oath to the young Tsar Fyodor Borisovich. But peasants and townspeople, Cossacks and serfs, nobles and priests, boyars and bishops recognized False Dmitry (Dmitry Ivanovich) as the legitimate sovereign of all Rus'. The Patriarch was driven out of the Assumption Cathedral in disgrace by the crowd. He turned out to be the only bishop who refused to recognize the new tsar, despite the requests and threats of False Dmitry. Job was exiled to the Staritsky Assumption Monastery, where he was kept under strict supervision. In February 1607, together with the new Patriarch Hermogenes, he sent a farewell and permissive letter throughout the country, absolving the people of all previous perjuries and calling on them to faithfully serve the new Tsar - Vasily Shuisky (who came to the throne after the death of False Dmitry). In the same year, Job died in the Staritsky Monastery. Canonized. |
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Hermogenes
| HERMOGENES (in the world - Ermolai) (1606-1612)- Third Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' |
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Patriarchate of the Holy Martyr Hermogenes (1606-1612) coincided with a difficult period in Russian history - the Time of Troubles. He openly opposed foreign invaders and the installation of a Polish prince on the Russian throne. During the famine that began in Moscow, the Patriarch ordered the monastery granaries to be opened for the hungry. During the siege of Moscow by the troops of Minin and Pozharsky, Saint Hermogenes was deposed by the Poles and taken into custody in the Chudov Monastery, where he died of hunger and thirst. Patriarch Hermogenes was an outstanding church writer and preacher, one of the most educated people of his time. Under him, a new printing house was erected in Moscow, a printing press was installed, and books were printed. |
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Filaret
| FILARET (Romanov Fedor Nikitich) (1619-1633)- fourth Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' |
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From the metropolitans of Rostov and Yaroslavl. A major statesman. Father and co-ruler of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, nephew of Ivan the Terrible's first wife Anastasia. False Dmitry II was “named” patriarch and in this capacity in 1608-1610. ruled the church on lands subject to the impostor. In October 1610, Filaret became part of the embassy upon the calling of the Polish prince Vladislav to the Russian throne. For his irreconcilable position on the issue of the unconditional preservation of Orthodoxy in Rus', he was arrested and sent to Poland, where he remained until the summer of 1619. In 1613, Philaret’s son Mikhail Fedorovich reigned on the Russian throne. Until his return from Poland, the name of the “Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia,” the “great sovereign” Filaret Nikitich, was commemorated in churches along with the name of the tsar and his mother, the “great old nun Marfa Ivanovna” (Filaret’s wife). At the same time, Metropolitan Jonah of Krutitsa “observed” the patriarchal throne for his arrival. In June 1619, Filaret, who returned from captivity, was solemnly greeted near Moscow by the tsar, the court, the clergy, and crowds of people, and a few days later he was ordained by the Jerusalem Patriarch Theophan to the rank of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Until his death, Filaret was the official co-ruler of his son. His patriarchal diocese covered more than 40 cities with suburbs and counties, and was governed by secular officials in the patriarchal orders (Palace, Treasury, Court, Razryadny). Filaret possessed enormous (unparalleled either before or after him) archpastoral power. He authorized the creation of a “Tale” about the emergence of the patriarchate in Russia, where the patriarch was declared the representative of God on earth. Under Filaret, two Zemsky Councils were convened (in 1619 and 1632), the Tobolsk and Siberian archdioceses were established, a Greek school for children was opened, and book printing developed. In 1619-1630 The publication of a major work was prepared - the 12-volume Menya Menstruation. One of the most powerful patriarchs of Moscow and all Rus', Filaret, was distinguished by his justice and hostility to fanaticism and greed. |
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Joasaph
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Joseph
| JOSEPH (1642-1652)- sixth Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' |
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From the archimandrites of the Simonov Monastery. He was elected patriarch “by lot, and not by royal will.” He began his activity with the publication of “Instructions” for the clergy and laity. In 1644 he took part in a famous dispute about faith with Lutherans, caused by the alleged marriage of Princess Irina Mikhailovna with the Danish prince Voldemar (a Lutheran). Joseph showed himself to be a limited, ignorant and selfish man. He did not enjoy the favor of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, who did not even involve him in the ceremonial transfer of the relics of St. Alexander of Svirsky. Joseph was forced to allow the creation of the sovereign's Monastic Order, which curtailed the rights of the patriarch himself. Joseph's position changed with the accession of Alexei Mikhailovich, who called him his great father, shepherd, great saint and sovereign. Together with the tsar, the patriarch approved the discovery of the relics of some Russian saints. The decrees of the Tsar and the Patriarch certified the authenticity of the miraculous icons, The All-Russian holiday of Our Lady of Kazan was established. Being an opponent of the church “multiharmony” beloved by the tsar, Joseph could not achieve its abolition and was forced to give in. Joseph actively encouraged printing. Under him, the largest number of books (compared to previous patriarchates) was published - 38 titles (some of which went through up to eight editions). The Patriarch supported rapprochement with the Greek East and Kiev. Joseph sent monk Arseny Sukhanov on a journey to explore issues of faith. From Kyiv, Joseph invited a group of prominent scientists to Moscow and allowed them to open a school in the “learned” monastery founded by F. M. Rtishchev near Moscow. In general, the time of Patriarch Joseph was full of reform initiatives that preceded the upheavals of the Nikon era; Nikon and the future leaders of the initial Old Believers came forward. |
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Nikon
| NIKON (Nikita Minov) (1652-1666)- seventh Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' |
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From the Metropolitans of Novgorod. One of the most striking and tragic figures in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. Having been elected patriarch, Nikon repeatedly refused this honor, until the tsar himself knelt before him with a plea to become the archpastor of the entire Russian people. To this, Nikon demanded that Alexei Mikhailovich and the bureaucratic people swear before the shrines of the Assumption Cathedral to uphold the faith and laws, “to obey us in everything as a boss and a shepherd, and the redest father.” The king swore an oath, and so did everyone else. Only after this Nikon became patriarch. Having subordinated the king and secular power to his influence, the patriarch began to reform the church. He issued a decree abolishing two fingers - so that everyone would be baptized with three fingers. Nikon convened a council to “correct” a number of Russian traditions. All corrections were declared innovations. Work began on “correcting” Russian liturgical books. The church reforms of the icon caused a split in the church, from which a part of the believers separated, who did not recognize the innovations (Old Believers). The patriarch paid great attention to increasing church property: land, fisheries, forests, and fishing grounds. The number of peasants belonging to the church doubled under him. The richest monasteries were built: Resurrection on the river. Istra, Krestny on the White Sea, Iversky on Valdai. Dozens of smaller monasteries, churches, and villages are assigned to each of them. In Russia, Nikon appropriated the title of “great sovereign”; in his messages abroad he was written as “great lord and sovereign.” At the Zemsky Sobor of 1653, he insisted on accepting Ukrainian citizenship and war with Poland. The Patriarch ensured that the Tsar personally led the army (1654) and began a war with Sweden (1656). Nikon indicated the direction of the offensive and ensured the supply of the army. Soon, Alexei Mikhailovich recognized the patriarch as the guardian angel of the royal family and a reliable co-ruler. Without a report to Nikon, not a single matter of the Boyar Duma was decided. The patriarch's position changed suddenly. On May 6, 1658, the tsar did not invite Nikon to the ritual of welcoming the Georgian prince Teimuraz, and on July 10, the day of the Laying of the Lord's Robe, he did not appear at Matins. On the same day, the patriarch publicly announced in the Assumption Cathedral that he was leaving the patriarchate. Alexey Mikhailovich sent word to stay, but Nikon went to the Resurrection Monastery. From there he began to interfere in current church affairs. Thus, in 1662, he proclaimed anathema to the patriarchal locum tenens Pitirim, appointed by the tsar. In January 1665, Nikon wrote to the Tsar about his abdication and his readiness to install a new patriarch. On December 12, 1666, at the Great Church Council with the participation of two eastern patriarchs, Nikon was deprived of his patriarchal rank and exiled to the Ferapontov Monastery under guard. After the death of Alexei Mikhailovich, the new Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich wanted to free Nikon so that he could complete the construction of New Jerusalem, but Patriarch Joachim (third after Nikon) categorically refused this to the Tsar. At the insistence of Joachim, Nikon was interrogated on three hundred incriminating articles and was placed in a hopeless cell in the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. Only with the news of Nikon’s illness did the tsar decide to give an order for his release. Accompanied all the way by crowds of people, the dying Nikon sailed to the Resurrection Monastery. He died on the way on August 17, 1681. Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich personally carried the coffin with Nikon’s body to New Jerusalem, buried him as a patriarch and obtained permission from the Eastern patriarchs to forever remember him in this rank. |
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Joasaph
| JOASAPH II (1667-1672)- Eighth Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' |
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From the archimandrites of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. Nikon's successor. Under him, the famous Moscow Council of 1667 (Great Church Council of the Russian and Eastern clergy) took place. The Council solemnly cursed the Old Believers, while simultaneously subjecting them to state criminal prosecution. The Patriarch addressed the Old Believers with a stern Letter of Exhortation. The priests who refused to conduct church services according to the new books and performed the liturgy on prosphora with an eight-pointed cross were stripped of their positions by Joasaph II and put on trial. He continued to defend Nikon's case regarding the immunity of the clergy from secular power. At the patriarchal court, the Order of Church Affairs was established, where only judges of ecclesiastical rank sat. Joasaph II made efforts to implement the prohibitions introduced by the Moscow Council: not to recognize incorruptible bodies as saints without reliable examinations, not to conduct trials, to work and not to trade on holidays; priests should not ride with a cross in front of the wedding train, which includes komorokhi, music and singing. At the same time, Joasaph II did not have enough energy to carry out a number of the most important decisions of the Moscow court. The council's recommendation on the widespread establishment of colleges (schools) and the establishment of new dioceses in Russia remained unrealized (only one, Belgorod, was approved). Fighting against the penetration of Western European style into Russian icon painting, the patriarch sought to legitimize the Byzantine style. For this purpose, in 1668 he published “An Extract from the Divine Scriptures on the Splendid Painting of Icons and a Denunciation of Those Who Frantically Paint them.” Promoting book printing, Joasaph II attracted Simeon of Polotsk to the work, who published the “Tale of the Acts of the Council of 1667”, the Large and Small Catechisms. During the patriarchate of Joasaph II, preaching in churches was resumed. On his initiative, Orthodox missionaries acted in the Far North (to the islands of Novaya Zemlya) and the Far East (to Dauria). On the Amur, not far from the border with the Qing Empire (China), the Spassky Monastery was founded. Joasaph II was a follower of Nikon, although less persistent in achieving his goals. |
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Pitirim
| PITIRIM (1672-1673)- ninth Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' |
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From the metropolitans of Krutitsky. Closer to Patriarch Nikon. After Nikon left the throne, he was his confidant in negotiations with Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Having entrusted Pitirim with the management of church affairs, Nikon hoped to maintain his influence during his demonstrative departure from Moscow. Pitirim, on the instructions of the king, completely took over the church administration. To this, Nikon in the New Jerusalem Monastery solemnly anathematized Pitirim as having arbitrarily seized the patriarchal throne. At the request of the tsar, the Moscow bishops declared in writing that they would not recognize the anathema “against the patriarch.” In 1667, Nikon was condemned at the Great Church Council, but not Pitirim, but Joasaph II was elected patriarch. Only after his death Pitirim received the throne of the head of the Russian church, which he occupied for less than a year. During his patriarchate he did not commit any significant acts. |
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Joachim
| JOAKIM (Ivan Savelov) (1674-1690)- tenth Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' |
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From the Metropolitans of Novgorod. In 1675, he convened a council, which decided that secular judges should not judge or rule clergy in anything, that secular plaintiffs should not summon clergy to Moscow, that diocesan bishops should have clergy on their orders and collect church tributes through archpriests, archimandrites and priestly elders (and not through secular officials). Joachim managed to obtain a royal charter stating that clergy were not subject to the jurisdiction of civil authorities and established a common standard for church tributes and duties for all dioceses. As a mentor to the young Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich, the patriarch actively participated in state affairs, opposing all innovations. He energetically implemented church decrees against schismatics, sending special exhorters to large centers of schism and issuing the polemical “Proclamation of Exhortation to the Entire Russian People.” Under Joachim in 1687, the Kiev Metropolis was subordinated to the Moscow Patriarchate, with the consent of the Eastern Patriarchs. Joachim sided with the boyars who wanted to rule on behalf of young Peter and overthrew the ruler Sophia. In the fall of 1689, he achieved the immediate expulsion of the Jesuits from the country, wanting to destroy churches, churches, mosques throughout Russia and “from now on, of course, not allow new ones to be built anywhere.” Joachim did not have a positive program, although the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy was established under him. The content of Joachim's activities was the defense of antiquity, the prestige of the church and the clergy. |
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Adrian
| ADRIAN (in the world Andrey) (1690-1700)- eleventh and last pre-Synodal Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' |
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From the metropolitans of Kazan and Sviyazhsk. He was elevated to patriarch by the will of Tsarina Natalia Kirillovna. Adrian wrote several teachings, epistles, letters, a significant number of sermons and denunciations. Under him, two councils were held: one (in 1697) against the sexton Mikheev, who proposed to adopt new dogmas regarding baptism and other rites; another (in 1698) against Deacon Peter, who argued that the pope is the true shepherd. Adrian was a supporter of antiquity and an opponent of the reforms of Peter the Great. The patriarch's relationship with the king was tense. At the same time, the letter prohibiting the establishment of new monasteries without the sovereign's decree and the Note on the Hierarchical Courts, submitted to the Chamber of Code, testified to Adrian's readiness to cooperate with the state, recognizing its competence in church affairs. The Patriarch died on October 16, 1700. With his death, the patriarchal (pre-synodal) period in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church ended. |
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Tikhon
After the 200-year Synodal period (1721-1917), the All-Russian Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church restored the Patriarchate. Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow and Kolomna (1917-1925) was elected to the Patriarchal throne. The new Patriarch had to resolve the issue of relations with the new state system, which was hostile to the Church in conditions of revolution, civil war and general devastation.
Patriarch Tikhon (in the world Vasily Ivanovich Belavin) was born on January 19, 1865 in the city of Toropets, Pskov province, into the family of a priest. After graduating from the Toropets Theological School, he entered the Pskov Theological Seminary, and upon graduation, the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, which he graduated in 1888. It is noteworthy that his fellow seminarians jokingly called the modest, good-natured and always ready to help friends Vasily Belavin “Bishop” , and at the academy, as if foreseeing his future service, the students nicknamed him “Patriarch” for his seriousness and sedate disposition.
After the academy, he taught dogmatics, moral theology and French at the Pskov Theological Seminary for three and a half years. In 1891, the young teacher took monastic vows with the name of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. Ordained to the rank of hieromonk, a year later he was appointed inspector, and subsequently rector of the Kholm Seminary with elevation to the rank of archimandrite. Since 1894, he was the rector of the Kazan Theological Academy, and three years later (8 and a half years after graduating from the St. Petersburg Academy) he was already a bishop, first of Lublin, and then of the Aleutian and North American. During this period of his life, spanning almost a decade, he streamlined the life of Orthodox parishes in the United States and Alaska, erected new churches, and among them - the Cathedral in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in New York, where he moved it from San Francisco department of the American Diocese, organized the Minneapolis Theological Seminary for future pastors, parochial schools and orphanages for children. In the United States, His Grace Tikhon gained the glory of a true apostle of Orthodoxy.
His role in the establishment of the Orthodox Church in America is truly enormous. And it is not limited to calm paternal leadership and even the reunification with the Russian Orthodox Church of a large new flock made up of immigrants from areas of Eastern Europe. Under him, for the first time in America, Christians of other faiths began to become acquainted and closer to Orthodoxy. Before the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, Bishop Tikhon defended the need to meet non-Orthodox brothers halfway. Many pastors turned to him on a number of problems: from the question of the possibility of Eucharistic communion to the reunification of divided Churches. Bishop Tikhon took an active part in translating liturgical books into English. In Canada, at his request, a vicar see was opened. In 1905, Bishop Tikhon was elevated to the rank of archbishop.
After successful but difficult work in America, Archbishop Tikhon in 1907 was appointed to the ancient Yaroslavl see. During the years of his bishopric in Yaroslavl, he brought the diocese into a state of spiritual unity. His leadership was patient and humane, and everyone fell in love with the approachable, reasonable, affectionate archpastor, who willingly responded to all invitations to serve in the numerous churches of the Yaroslavl diocese. It seemed to the people of Yaroslavl that they had received an ideal archpastor, with whom they would never want to part. But in 1914, the highest church authorities appointed him Archbishop of Vilna and Lithuania, and on June 23, 1917, Archbishop Tikhon was elected to the Moscow See and elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.
On August 15, 1917, on the feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the All-Russian Local Council opened, restoring the Patriarchate. After four rounds of voting, the Council elected as candidates for the First Hierarchal Throne Archbishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kharkov, Archbishop Arseny (Stadnitsky) of Novgorod and Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow - as the people said, “the smartest, the strictest and the kindest.” The Patriarch was to be chosen by lot. By Divine Providence the lot fell on Metropolitan Tikhon. The enthronement of the new Patriarch took place in the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral on November 21, the day of the celebration of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Difficulties immediately arose on the church path of the new Patriarch. First of all, he was the first to resolve the issue of relations with the new state system, which was hostile to the Church, and also had to do everything possible to preserve Orthodoxy during the difficult period of hard times in the conditions of the revolution, civil war and general devastation that swept Russia.
In his first address to the all-Russian flock, Patriarch Tikhon characterized the era the country was experiencing as “the time of God’s wrath”; in a message dated January 19 (February 1), 1918, he expressed archpastoral concern for the position of the Church and condemnation of bloody riots. The Patriarch fearlessly denounced the godless authorities who persecuted the Church, and even pronounced an anathema on those who committed bloody reprisals on behalf of the authorities. He called on all believers to defend the insulted Church: “... and you resist them with the power of your faith, your powerful nationwide cry... And if it becomes necessary to suffer for the cause of Christ, we call you, beloved children of the Church, we call you to these sufferings together with myself..."
When famine set in in the summer of 1921 after the horrors of the civil war, Patriarch Tikhon organized the Committee to Relief the Famineous and issued an exceptional appeal for help to the starving in its strength of thought and feeling, addressed to Orthodox Russia and to all the peoples of the universe. He called on parish councils to donate precious church decorations, unless they had liturgical use. The committee headed by the Patriarch raised large funds and greatly alleviated the situation of the hungry.
Patriarch Tikhon was a true defender of Orthodoxy. Despite all his gentleness, goodwill and good nature, he became unshakably firm and unyielding in church affairs, where necessary, and above all in protecting the Church from her enemies. The true Orthodoxy and strength of character of Patriarch Tikhon came to light especially clearly during the time of the “renovationism” schism. He stood as an insurmountable obstacle in the way of the Bolsheviks before their plans to decompose the Church from within.
His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon took the most important steps towards normalizing relations with the state. The messages of Patriarch Tikhon proclaim: “The Russian Orthodox Church... must and will be the One Catholic Apostolic Church, and any attempts, no matter from whose side they come, to plunge the Church into a political struggle must be rejected and condemned” (from the Appeal of 1 July 1923)
A new important step towards establishing a positive dialogue between the Church and the victorious social system was the document known as the will of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon dated January 7, 1925: “In the years of civil devastation, by the will of God, without which nothing happens in the world,” wrote His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, - Soviet power became the head of the Russian state. Without sinning against our faith and the Church, without allowing any compromises or concessions in the area of faith, in civil terms we must be sincere towards Soviet power and work for the common good, conforming the order of external church life and activities with the new state system... At the same time, we express confidence that establishing pure, sincere relationships will encourage our authorities to treat us with complete confidence.”
So firmly and clearly, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon defined the purely canonical position of the Russian Orthodox Church in relation to the Soviet state, thereby helping the Orthodox Russian people understand the meaning of revolutionary changes. The change in the political position of Patriarch Tikhon and most of the Orthodox episcopate was determined not only by tactical calculations, but also by considerations of a fundamental nature: the civil war ended, state power ceased to be the subject of bloody internecine warfare, there was one legal government in the country - the Soviet one, which created the opportunity for building a legal state in which the Orthodox Church could take its rightful place.
With his personal preaching and firm confession of Christian Truth, and tireless struggle against the enemies of the Church, Patriarch Tikhon aroused the hatred of representatives of the new government, which constantly persecuted him. He was either imprisoned or kept under “house arrest” in the Moscow Donskoy Monastery. The life of His Holiness was always under threat: an attempt was made on his life three times, but he fearlessly went to perform divine services in various churches in Moscow and beyond. The entire Patriarchate of His Holiness Tikhon was a continuous feat of martyrdom. When the authorities made him an offer to go abroad for permanent residence, Patriarch Tikhon said: “I will not go anywhere, I will suffer here along with all the people and fulfill my duty to the limit set by God.” All these years he actually lived in prison and died in struggle and sorrow. At this time, vested with the highest powers, he, by the election of the Church and the lot of God, was a victim doomed to suffer for the entire Russian Church.
His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon died on March 25, 1925, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, and was buried in the Moscow Donskoy Monastery.
Patriarch Tikhon's services to the Russian Church are innumerable. Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky), later Patriarch, said remarkable words about him: “He alone fearlessly walked the straight path of serving Christ and His Church. He alone bore the entire burden of the Church in recent years. We live by it, move and exist as Orthodox people.”
April 10, 1945 at the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR I.V. Stalin had a meeting and conversation on the affairs of the Orthodox Church with Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus', Metropolitan Nikolai of Krutitsky and Protopresbyter Nikolai Kolchitsky, the result of which was soon felt by everyone. On August 22, 1945, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR issued a resolution granting church bodies - the Patriarchate, diocesan, parish communities and monasteries - legal rights to purchase vehicles, produce church utensils, etc. The same decree asked local Soviet authorities not to interfere with church communities from ringing bells.
During the years of service of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy, enormous work fell on the pacification of church schisms. In 1946, renovationism finally disappeared. His Holiness the Patriarch did a lot to abolish church unrest among the Russian Orthodox diaspora. His high spiritual authority contributed to the restoration of relations with the Polish and Finnish Churches. The Lord crowned his labors with the creation in 1970 of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America and the Autonomous Orthodox Church in Japan.
His Holiness Patriarch Alexy paid great attention to the publication of church books. Under him, two editions of the Bible and separately the New Testament in Russian and a number of liturgical books were published, monthly church magazines began to be published - “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”, magazines of foreign exarchates, a collection of “Theological Works”.
The fruit of the pastoral and teaching labors of His Holiness the Patriarch himself was four volumes of his words and speeches. By the decision of the Councils of Theological Academies of the Moscow Patriarchate, he was awarded the academic title of Doctor of Theology.
His Holiness Patriarch Alexy worked a lot for the unity of universal Orthodoxy. He made a number of pilgrimage trips to the Holy Land, Egypt and the countries of the Middle East, visited the fraternal Orthodox Churches: Constantinople, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Hellenic, serving the cause of unity and peace, and for his part lovingly received numerous guests, arriving in Russia from all over the Orthodox world. This was facilitated by the good tradition of teaching representatives of foreign Orthodox Churches in theological schools of the Moscow Patriarchate, revived by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy. During the years of the First Hierarchal ministry of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy, contacts between the Russian Church and the Roman Catholic Church began. Active connections were also established with the ancient non-Chalcedonian Churches of the East, as well as with the Protestant world.
The Russian Orthodox Church, headed by Patriarch Alexy, has become one of the leading advocates of peace. Patriarch Alexy was for many years a member of the Soviet Peace Committee. With his active peacekeeping activities, he gained enormous authority among all people of good will.
The 25 years of the Patriarchal service of High Hierarch Alexy were quite different, but the goal to which the Primate devoted all his strength was always the same: to preserve the Church under the conditions of a totalitarian atheistic regime.
At the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, which took place in May-June 1971 in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the truly ascetic activity of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I was noted, which led to an outstanding event in the life of the Church - the return to Orthodoxy of the Greek Catholics of Galicia and Transcarpathia and the termination of the Brest-Litovsk and Uzhgorod unions.
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Pimen
In his First Hierarchal service, Patriarch Pimen (1971-1990) continued the church work of Patriarchs Tikhon, Sergius, Alexy I. One of the most important aspects of Patriarch Pimen’s activity was the strengthening of relations between the Orthodox Churches of different countries, the development of inter-Orthodox relations. In June 1988, Patriarch Pimen led the celebrations dedicated to the Millennium of the Baptism of Rus' and the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
His Holiness Patriarch Pimen was born on July 23, 1910 in the city of Bogorodsk, Moscow province, into the family of an employee.
While still in school, the youth Sergei, on holidays and days off from school, loved to go to church, where he often read and sang in the choir, and also served as subdeacon with Bishops Nikanor and Plato of Bogorodsk.
In 1923, Sergei, who had a wonderful voice, was invited to the cathedral’s bishop’s choir. Singing in the choir was combined with serious theoretical knowledge. Having mastered the art of vocal and regency, he soon tried his hand at leading a choir of his peers on pilgrimages to the holy places of Central Russia.
In 1925, after graduating from school, Sergei moved to Moscow and soon at the Sretensky Monastery he was tonsured into the ryassophore with the name Plato. During this period of his life, the monk Plato directed church choirs in Moscow churches.
On October 4, 1927, in the Paraclete (Holy Spirit) desert near the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 17-year-old monk Plato was tonsured into monasticism with the name Pimen - in honor of the ancient Christian ascetic of the Egyptian desert, St. Pimen the Great (the name Pimen means “shepherd”). Throughout his subsequent life, monk Pimen tried to be not just a shepherd, but a good shepherd who lays down his soul for his sheep. After being tonsured as a monk and undergoing monastic training in the Lavra monastery of Paraclete, monk Pimen continued to lead the choir in the Moscow church in the name of St. Pimen the Great. Then he was regent at the Epiphany Cathedral in Dorogomilov.
On July 16, 1931, Archbishop Philip (Gumilevsky) of Zvenigorod ordained monk Pimen as a hierodeacon, and in January 1932 - as a hieromonk. For several years, Hieromonk Pimen served as a pastor in Moscow.
The end of the Great Patriotic War found Hieromonk Pimen as a priest of the Annunciation Cathedral in the city of Murom, where in 1812 the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God was temporarily transferred from Moscow. He served in the cathedral until 1946. Then he continued his service in the Odessa diocese as treasurer of the Odessa Elias Monastery, assistant dean of the monasteries of the diocese, taught at the Odessa Theological Seminary, and performed other diocesan obediences.
For his tireless labors, Hieromonk Pimen was elevated to the rank of abbot in December 1947 with the laying of a cross with decorations. Soon, Abbot Pimen was transferred to the Rostov diocese, where until 1949 he held the position of secretary of the bishop, member of the diocesan council, and keymaster of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Possessing an excellent ability to bring order and decorum into the church life of a parish, monastery, diocese, Abbot Pimen was soon called to more responsible service: by decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I, at the end of 1949 he was appointed abbot of the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery. Almost six months later, Abbot Pimen was elevated to the rank of archimandrite, and from 1954 to 1957. was the governor of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Just as in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, he carried out major restoration work in the cathedrals here and took care of the improvement of the Lavra. Under him, two new chapels were built in the refectory church in the name of St. Joasaph of Belgorod and St. Seraphim of Sarov.
When the Trinity-Sergius Lavra was generally landscaped, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I and the Holy Synod, taking into account the great administrative experience and outstanding spiritual qualities of its vicar, called Archimandrite Pimen to episcopal service. On November 17, 1957, in the Assumption Cathedral in Odessa, Archimandrite Pimen was consecrated Bishop of Balta and at the end of the same year became vicar of the Moscow diocese - Bishop of Dmitrov. In July 1960, Bishop Pimen was appointed manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, in November he was elevated to the rank of archbishop and introduced to the Holy Synod. On March 16, 1961, Archbishop Pimen was appointed to the Tula See, leaving him the post of manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate. On November 14 of the same year he was appointed Metropolitan of Leningrad and Ladoga.
For the period from 1959 to 1962. Bishop Pimen, along with his main responsibilities, was entrusted with the temporary administration of the Lugansk, Smolensk, Kostroma and Tambov dioceses. Archbishop Pimen was the chairman of the Economic Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate, rector of the Patriarchal Epiphany Cathedral. In October 1963, he became Metropolitan of Krutitsky and Kolomna.
Metropolitan Pimen was the closest assistant to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I. He devoted his entire life to zealous service to the Church, and the Church highly appreciated his outstanding services. After the blessed death of Patriarch Alexy I in 1970, Metropolitan Pimen of Krutitsky and Kolomna assumed, in accordance with the “Regulations on the Administration of the Russian Orthodox Church,” the position of Locum Tenens of the Moscow Patriarchal Throne.
On June 3, 1971, the enthronement of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Pimen, elected by the Local Council, took place in the Epiphany Cathedral. In his First Hierarchal service, His Holiness Patriarch Pimen showed himself to be a worthy successor and continuer of the church work of His Holiness Patriarchs of Moscow Tikhon, Sergius and Alexy I.
Patriarch Pimen showed tireless concern for the large Orthodox flock entrusted to him, for theological schools, and church publishing activities. Temples and monasteries were improved and opened. The service of the First Hierarch was dedicated to the defense of the Church of Christ, the ancient traditions of monastic life, and the expansion of the influence of Orthodox culture in Russia and in the world. One of the most important aspects of the activities of Patriarch Pimen, which began from the very first days of the Patriarchate, was the strengthening of relations between the Orthodox Churches of different countries. Numerous visits of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen and his fraternal meetings both abroad and at home with the Primates of the Orthodox and other Christian Churches, as well as with prominent government and public figures from various countries, served for the benefit of Holy Orthodoxy.
Carrying out a high mission in the sphere of inter-Orthodox relations, Patriarch Pimen noted: “We have strived, and, in our opinion, not without success, to serve as best we can in the development of fraternal relations of the Russian Orthodox Church with our beloved Local Churches. Unity in witness and service to the great Orthodox universal family is the holy task to which we devote ourselves.”
During the years of the First Hierarchal ministry of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, Russia experienced a time of decisive historical changes. The Russian Orthodox Church could not remain aloof from the unfolding destinies of the Russian people. The Pre-Anniversary Message of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen of Moscow and All Rus' and the Holy Synod on the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' says: “Each of us, children of the church, is now called by our civic and religious duty to zealously participate in the development and improvement of our society. We are inspired by the process of strengthening the spiritual and moral foundations in the personal, family and social life of our people, and the desire of our country to strengthen universal moral norms in international relations.”
In June 1988, His Holiness Patriarch Pimen led the celebrations dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' and the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. In his concluding remarks at the ceremony dedicated to the anniversary, His Holiness Patriarch Pimen noted that the changes taking place in our country have had a positive impact on the life of the Russian Orthodox Church. More active participation of religious figures in the life of society became possible, and therefore it is no coincidence that in 1989 Patriarch Pimen was elected as a people's deputy.
Patriarch Pimen took part in the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the establishment of the Patriarchate in Rus', visiting the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin in the fall of 1989 and performing a memorial service at the tombs of the Russian Patriarchs and a prayer service for the newly glorified saints: Saints Job and Tikhon. After a long break, believers could openly pray in the main cathedral of the Russian Church and venerate the relics of the saints.
On May 3, 1990, at the 80th year of his life, His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, having received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, peacefully departed to the Lord.
Patriarch Pimen is buried in the crypt of the Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy
The leadership of Alexy II (1990-2008) is associated with the time of revival and spiritual flourishing of the Russian Orthodox Church: thousands of churches and monasteries were opened, including the Cathedral of Christ the Savior; Active training of clergy personnel began, and new educational institutions opened. On May 17, 2007, an epoch-making event took place in the history of the Russian Church - the Act of Canonical Communion between the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia was signed.
Childhood years (1929 - late 30s)
His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II is the fifteenth Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church since the establishment of the Patriarchate in Rus' (1589). Patriarch Alexy (in the world - Alexey Mikhailovich Ridiger) was born on February 23, 1929 in the city of Tallinn (Estonia) into a deeply religious family.
Patriarch Alexy's father, Mikhail Alexandrovich Ridiger (+1962), a native of St. Petersburg, came from an old St. Petersburg family, whose representatives served in the glorious field of military and public service (among them Adjutant General Count Fyodor Vasilyevich Ridiger - hero of the Patriotic War of 1812).
Mikhail Alexandrovich studied at the School of Law and graduated from high school in exile in Estonia. The mother of His Holiness the Patriarch is Elena Iosifovna Pisareva (+1959), a native of Revel (Tallinn). In pre-war Europe, the life of the Russian emigration was low-income, but material poverty did not prevent the flourishing of cultural life.
The emigrant youth were distinguished by a high spiritual spirit. A huge role belonged to the Orthodox Church. The activity of the Church in the life of the Russian diaspora was greater than ever before in Russia.
The religious community in the Russian diaspora has created an invaluable experience for Russia in the churching of various forms of cultural activity and social service. The Russian Student Christian Movement (RSCM) was active among young people. The movement had as its main goal the unification of believing youth to serve the Orthodox Church, set as its task the training of defenders of the Church and faith, and asserted the inseparability of genuine Russian culture from Orthodoxy.
In Estonia the Movement operated on a large scale. As part of his activities, parish life actively developed. Russian Orthodox people willingly participated in the activities of the Movement. Among them was the father of the future His Holiness Patriarch.
From a young age, Mikhail Alexandrovich aspired to priestly service, but only after completing theological courses in Revel in 1940 was he ordained a deacon and then a priest. For 16 years he was rector of the Tallinn Nativity of the Virgin Mary Kazan Church, was a member, and later chairman of the diocesan council.
The spirit of Russian Orthodox churchliness reigned in the family of the future High Hierarch, when life is inseparable from the temple of God and the family is truly a home church. For Alyosha Ridiger there was no question about choosing a path in life.
His first conscious steps took place in the church, when, as a six-year-old boy, he performed his first obedience - pouring baptismal water. Even then he knew for sure that he would only become a priest. At the age of eight or nine, he knew the Liturgy by heart and his favorite game was “to serve.”
The parents were embarrassed by this and even turned to the Valaam elders about this, but they were told that if everything was done seriously by the boy, then there was no need to interfere. Most of the Russians living in Estonia at that time were not essentially emigrants. Being natives of this region, they found themselves abroad without leaving their homeland.
The uniqueness of Russian emigration in Estonia was largely determined by the compact residence of Russians in the east of the country. Russian exiles scattered all over the world sought to visit here. By the grace of God, they found here a “corner of Russia”, containing a great Russian shrine - the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, which, being at that time outside the USSR, was inaccessible to the godless authorities.
Making annual pilgrimages to the Pukhtitsa Holy Dormition Women's Monastery and the Pskov-Pechersk Holy Dormition Monastery, the parents of the future Patriarch took the boy with them.
At the end of the 1930s, together with their son, they made two pilgrimage trips to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery on Lake Ladoga. The boy remembered for the rest of his life his meetings with the inhabitants of the monastery - the spirit-bearing elders Schema-Abbot John (Alekseev, +1958), Hieroschemamonk Ephraim (Khrobostov, +1947) and especially with the monk Iuvian (Krasnoperov, +1957), with whom correspondence began and who accepted the boy into my heart.
Here is a small fragment from his letter to Alyosha Ridiger: “ Dear in the Lord, dear Alyoshenka! I sincerely thank you, my dear, for your greetings on the Nativity of Christ and the New Year, as well as for your good wishes. May the Lord God save you for all these spiritual gifts.<...>
If the Lord would vouchsafe all of you to come to us for Easter, it would increase our Easter joy. Let us hope that the Lord, in His great mercy, will do this. We also remember all of you with love: for us you are like our own, kindred in spirit. Sorry, dear Alyoshenka! Be healthy! May the Lord bless you! In your pure childish prayer, remember me, the unworthy. M. Iuvian, who sincerely loves you in the Lord.”
Thus, at the very beginning of his conscious life, the future High Hierarch touched with his soul the pure spring of Russian holiness - the “wonderful island of Valaam.”
Through the monk Iuvian, a spiritual thread connects our Patriarch with the Guardian Angel of Russia - Saint John of Kronstadt. It was with the blessing of this great lamp of the Russian land that Father Iuvian became a Valaam monk, and of course he told his dear boy Alyosha about the great shepherd.
This connection was recalled half a century later - the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990, which elected His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, glorified Righteous John of Kronstadt as a saint.
Youth. Study, beginning of ministry (late 30s - late 50s)
The path that the saints of the Russian land traversed for centuries - the path of pastoral service, originating from a church-going childhood in Christ - was banned under Soviet rule.
God's Providence for our current Primate structured his life from birth in such a way that life in Soviet Russia was preceded by childhood and adolescence in old Russia (as far as this was possible then), and the young, but mature and courageous warrior of Christ met Soviet reality.
From early childhood, Alexey Ridiger served in the church. His spiritual father was Archpriest John of the Epiphany, later Bishop of Tallinn and Estonian Isidore (+1949). From the age of fifteen, Alexy was a subdeacon with Archbishop Pavel of Tallinn and Estonia (Dmitrovsky; +1946), and then with Bishop Isidore. He studied at a Russian secondary school in Tallinn.
His Holiness the Patriarch recalls that he always had an “A” in the Law of God. His family was his fortress and support both when choosing his path and throughout his priestly service. Not only ties of kinship, but also ties of spiritual friendship connected him with his parents; they shared all their experiences with each other...
In 1936, the Tallinn Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, whose parishioners were the parents of the future High Hierarch, was transferred to the Estonian parish. The history of this temple is long-suffering: immediately after the proclamation of the Estonian Republic in 1918, a campaign to liquidate the cathedral began - money was collected “for the demolition of churches with Russian golden onions and booths of Russian Gods” (Orthodox chapels) even in children’s schools.
But the public, Russian and international, as well as the Red Cross, opposed the destruction of the cathedral. Then a new wave arose: to demolish the domes of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, erect a spire and create a “pantheon of Estonian independence” there. Illustrations were published in an architectural magazine: a view of the city without “Russian onions”, but with the “pantheon of Estonian independence”.
These illustrations were preserved by the future His Holiness Patriarch Alexy and at one time were useful for saving the cathedral, when the authorities of Soviet Estonia intended to convert the temple into a planetarium (the demonstration of the intentions of the bourgeois authorities regarding the use of the cathedral discouraged the Soviet rulers).
In 1936, the gilding was removed from the domes. In this form the cathedral existed until the war. In 1945, Subdeacon Alexy was instructed to prepare for the opening of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the city of Tallinn for the resumption of divine services there (the cathedral was closed during the wartime occupation).
From May 1945 to October 1946 he was an altar boy and sacristan of the cathedral. Since 1946 he served as a psalm-reader in the Simeonovskaya, and since 1947 - in the Kazan churches of Tallinn. In 1946, Alexy Ridiger passed the exams at the St. Petersburg (Leningrad) Theological Seminary, but was not accepted because he was not yet eighteen years old at that time.
The following year, 1947, he was immediately enrolled in the 3rd year of the seminary, which he graduated with first class in 1949. While in his first year at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, on April 15, 1950, he was ordained a deacon, and on April 17, 1950, a priest and appointed rector of the Church of the Epiphany in the city of Johvi, Tallinn diocese.
For more than three years he combined serving as a parish priest with correspondence studies at the academy. In 1953, Father Alexy graduated from the Theological Academy in the first category and was awarded the degree of candidate of theology for his course essay “Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow as a dogmatist.”
On July 15, 1957, Father Alexy was appointed rector of the Assumption Cathedral in the city of Tartu (Yuryev) and for a year combined service in two churches. He served in Tartu for four years.
Tartu is a university city, quiet in the summer and lively in the winter when students arrive. His Holiness the Patriarch retained a good memory of the old Yuryev university intelligentsia, who actively participated in church life. It was a living connection with old Russia. On August 17, 1958, Father Alexy was elevated to the rank of archpriest.
In 1959, on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the mother of His Holiness the Patriarch died. She had a difficult cross in her life - to be the wife and mother of a priest in an atheistic state. Prayer was a reliable refuge and consolation - every day Elena Iosifovna read the akathist before the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of all who mourn.” The funeral service for Mother Elena Iosifovna was held in Tartu, and she was buried in Tallinn, at the Alexander Nevsky Cemetery - the resting place of several generations of her ancestors. Father and son were left alone.
Episcopal ministry
On March 3, 1961, in the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archpriest Alexy Ridiger took monastic vows. Soon, by a resolution of the Holy Synod of August 14, 1961, Hieromonk Alexy was determined to become the Bishop of Tallinn and Estonian with the assignment of temporary management of the Riga diocese.
On August 21, 1961, Hieromonk Alexy was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. On September 3, 1961, Archimandrite Alexy (Ridiger) was consecrated as Bishop of Tallinn and Estonia, temporarily governing the Riga diocese.
It was a difficult time - the height of Khrushchev's persecutions. The Soviet leader, trying to revive the revolutionary spirit of the twenties, demanded the literal implementation of the anti-religious legislation of 1929. It seemed that pre-war times had returned with their “five-year plan of godlessness.” True, the new persecution of Orthodoxy was not bloody - ministers of the Church and Orthodox laity were not exterminated, as before, but newspapers, radio and television spewed streams of blasphemy and slander against the faith and the Church, and the authorities and the “public” poisoned and persecuted Christians. There were massive closures of churches throughout the country. The already small number of religious educational institutions has sharply decreased.
In February 1960, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I, in his speech at the conference of the Soviet public for disarmament, addressed millions of Orthodox Christians over the heads of those gathered in the Kremlin. Calling on them to be steadfast in the face of new persecutions, His Holiness the Patriarch said: “In this position of the Church there is much comfort for its faithful members, for what can all the efforts of the human mind mean against Christianity, if its two thousand-year history speaks for itself, if hostile against Christ Himself foresaw his attacks and made a promise to the steadfastness of the Church, saying that “the gates of hell will not prevail against Her!”
In those difficult years for the Russian Church, the older generation of bishops who began their service in pre-revolutionary Russia left this world - confessors who went through Solovki and the hellish circles of the Gulag, archpastors who went into exile abroad and returned to their homeland after the war... They were replaced by a galaxy of young bishops, among whom was Bishop Alexy of Tallinn. These bishops, who did not see the Russian Church in power and glory, chose the path of serving the persecuted Church, which was under the yoke of a godless state. The authorities invented more and more new ways of economic and police pressure on the Church, but the faithfulness of the Orthodox to Christ’s commandment became an insurmountable strength for it: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
On November 14, 1961, Bishop Alexy was appointed deputy chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. Already at the very beginning of his episcopal service, the young bishop was faced with the decision of the local authorities to close and transfer the Pyukhtitsa Assumption Monastery to a rest home. However, he managed to convince the Soviet authorities that it was impossible for the bishop to begin his ministry by closing the monastery. At the beginning of 1962, already being the deputy chairman of the DECR, Bishop Alexy brought a delegation of the Evangelical Church of Germany to the monastery. At that time, his father was lying with a heart attack, but the bishop had to accompany foreign guests - after all, it was about saving the monastery. Soon, rave reviews about the Pukhtitsa Monastery appeared in the Neue Zeit newspaper. Then there was another delegation, a third, a fourth, a fifth... And the question of closing the monastery was dropped.
Recalling those years, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy says: “God alone knows how much each of the clergy who remained in Soviet Russia, and did not go abroad, had to endure... I had the opportunity to begin my church service at a time when there was no longer any support for the faith. “We were shot, but how much we had to endure while defending the interests of the Church will be judged by God and history.” During the 25 years of Bishop Alexy’s episcopal service in Estonia, with God’s help, he managed to defend a lot. But then the enemy was known - he was alone. And the Church had ways of internally opposing him.
Having ascended the Patriarchal throne, His Holiness was faced with a completely different situation: the Church in the modern complex world, with its social, political and national problems, found itself with many new enemies. On June 23, 1964, Bishop Alexy was elevated to the rank of archbishop and at the end of 1964 he was appointed Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate and became a permanent member of the Holy Synod.
His Holiness the Patriarch recalls: “For nine years I was close to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I, whose personality left a deep imprint on my soul. At that time, I held the post of Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchate, and His Holiness the Patriarch completely trusted me with the resolution of many internal issues. He suffered the most difficult trials: revolution, persecution, repression, then, under Khrushchev, new administrative persecution and the closure of churches. The modesty of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy, his nobility, high spirituality - all this had a huge influence on me. The last service he performed shortly before his death was in 1970 on Candlemas.
After his departure, in the Patriarchal residence in Chisty Lane, the Gospel remained, revealed in the words: “Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, in peace, according to Your word...”.”
From March 10, 1970 to September 1, 1986, he exercised general management of the Pension Committee, whose task was to provide pensions for the clergy and other persons working in church organizations, as well as their widows and orphans. On June 18, 1971, in consideration of the diligent work of holding the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1971, Metropolitan Alexy was awarded the right to wear the second panagia.
Metropolitan Alexy performed responsible functions as a member of the Commission for the preparation and conduct of the celebration of the 50th anniversary (1968) and 60th anniversary (1978) of the restoration of the Patriarchate in the Russian Orthodox Church; member of the Holy Synod Commission for the preparation of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1971, as well as chairman of the procedural and organizational group, chairman of the secretariat of the Local Council; since December 23, 1980, he has been the deputy chairman of the Commission for the preparation and conduct of the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' and the chairman of the organizational group of this commission, and since September 1986 - the theological group.
On May 25, 1983, he was appointed chairman of the Responsible Commission to develop measures for the reception of the buildings of the Danilov Monastery ensemble, the organization and implementation of all restoration and construction work to create the Spiritual and Administrative Center of the Russian Orthodox Church on its territory. He remained in this position until his appointment to the St. Petersburg (at that time Leningrad) department.
In 1984, Bishop Alexy was awarded the title of Doctor of Theology. The three-volume work “Essays on the History of Orthodoxy in Estonia” was submitted to him for the degree of master of theology, but the Academic Council of the LDA unanimously decided that since “the dissertation in terms of depth of research and volume of material significantly exceeds the traditional criteria for master’s work” and “on the eve of 1000 anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', this work can form a special chapter in the study of the history of the Russian Orthodox Church,” then the author deserves a higher academic degree than the one for which he submitted it.
“The dissertation is a comprehensive work on the history of Orthodoxy in Estonia, it contains a wealth of church historical material, the presentation and analysis of events meet the high criteria for doctoral dissertations,” was the conclusion of the Council. On April 12, 1984, the solemn act of presenting the doctoral cross to Metropolitan Alexy of Tallinn and Estonia took place.
At the Leningrad department
On June 29, 1986, Vladyka Alexy was appointed Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod with instructions to manage the Tallinn diocese. Thus began another era in his life.
The reign of the new bishop became a turning point for the church life of the northern capital. At first, he was faced with complete disregard for the Church by the city authorities; he was not even allowed to pay a visit to the chairman of the Leningrad City Council - the commissioner of the Council for Religious Affairs harshly stated: “This has never happened in Leningrad and cannot happen.” But a year later, this same chairman, when meeting with Metropolitan Alexy, said: “The doors of the Leningrad Council are open for you day and night.” Soon, representatives of the authorities themselves began to come to receive the ruling bishop - this is how the Soviet stereotype was broken. Since January 24, 1990, Bishop Alexy has been a member of the board of the Soviet Charity and Health Foundation; since February 8, 1990 - member of the presidium of the Leningrad Cultural Foundation.
From the Charity and Health Foundation in 1989 he was elected people's deputy of the USSR. During his administration of the St. Petersburg diocese, Vladyka Alexy managed to do a lot: the chapel of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg at the Smolensk cemetery and the Ioannovsky Monastery on Karpovka were restored and consecrated.
During the tenure of His Holiness the Patriarch as Metropolitan of Leningrad, the canonization of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg took place, shrines, temples and monasteries began to be returned to the Church, in particular, the holy relics of the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, the Venerable Zosima, Savvaty and Herman of Solovetsky were returned.
International activities
During all the years of his episcopal service, the future His Holiness Patriarch Alexy took an active part in the activities of many international organizations and conferences.
As part of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, he participated in the work of the III Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in New Delhi (1961); elected member of the Central Committee of the WCC (1961-1968); was president of the World Conference on Church and Society (Geneva, Switzerland, 1966); member of the “Faith and Order” commission of the WCC (1964-1968).
As the head of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, he participated in theological interviews with the delegation of the Evangelical Church in Germany “Arnoldshain-II” (Germany, 1962), in theological interviews with the delegation of the Union of Evangelical Churches in the GDR “Zagorsk-V” (Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 1984 ), in theological interviews with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in Leningrad and the Pükhtitsa Monastery (1989).
For more than a quarter of a century, Archbishop and Metropolitan Alexy devoted his works to the activities of the Conference of European Churches (CEC). Since 1964, he has been one of the presidents (members of the presidium) of the CEC; At subsequent general assemblies he was re-elected president. Since 1971, Metropolitan Alexy has been vice-chairman of the Presidium and Advisory Committee of the CEC. On March 26, 1987, he was elected chairman of the Presidium and Advisory Committee of the CEC. At the VIII General Assembly of the CEC in Crete in 1979, Metropolitan Alexy was the main speaker on the topic “In the power of the Holy Spirit - to serve the world.” Since 1972, Metropolitan Alexy has been a member of the Joint Committee of the CEC and the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe (SECE) of the Roman Catholic Church. On May 15-21, 1989 in Basel, Switzerland, Metropolitan Alexy co-chaired the 1st European Ecumenical Assembly on the theme “Peace and Justice”, organized by CEC and SECE. In September 1992, at the X General Assembly of the CEC, the term of office of Patriarch Alexy II as chairman of the CEC expired. His Holiness spoke at the Second European Ecumenical Assembly in Graz (Austria) in 1997.
Metropolitan Alexy was the initiator and chairman of four seminars of the Churches of the Soviet Union - members of the CEC and Churches supporting cooperation with this regional Christian organization. Seminars were held at the Assumption Pyukhtitsa Convent in 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1989.
Metropolitan Alexy took an active part in the work of international and domestic peacekeeping public organizations. Since 1963 - member of the board of the Soviet Peace Foundation, participant in the founding meeting of the Rodina society, at which he was elected a member of the board of the society on December 15, 1975; re-elected on May 27, 1981 and December 10, 1987.
On October 24, 1980, at the V All-Union Conference of the Society of Soviet-Indian Friendship, he was elected vice-president of this Society.
Delegate to the World Christian Conference “Life and Peace” (April 20-24, 1983, Uppsala, Sweden). Elected at this conference one of its presidents.
It was up to the future High Hierarch in his Patriarchal service to revive church life on an all-Russian scale.
On May 3, 1990, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Pimen reposed in the Lord. An extraordinary Local Council was convened to elect a new Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. On June 7, 1990, the bell of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra announced the election of the fifteenth All-Russian Patriarch. The enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy took place on June 10, 1990 at the Epiphany Cathedral in Moscow.
The return of the Church to broad public service is largely the merit of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II. Truly providential events followed one after another: the discovery of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, their solemn transfer to Diveevo, when, according to the prediction of the saint, Easter was sung in the middle of summer; the discovery of the relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod and their return to Belgorod, the discovery of the relics of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon and their solemn transfer to the Great Cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery, the discovery in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra of the relics of St. Philaret of Moscow and St. Maxim the Greek, the discovery of the incorruptible relics of St. Alexander of Svir.
These miraculous discoveries indicate that a new, amazing period has begun in the life of our Church, and testify to God’s blessing on the ministry of Patriarch Alexy II.
As a co-chairman, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy joined the Russian Organizing Committee for preparations for the meeting of the third millennium and the celebration of the two thousandth anniversary of Christianity (1998-2000). On the initiative and with the participation of His Holiness the Patriarch, an interfaith conference “Christian faith and human enmity” was held (Moscow, 1994). His Holiness the Patriarch presided over the conference of the Christian Interfaith Advisory Committee “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). Christianity on the threshold of the third millennium" (1999); Interreligious Peacemaking Forum (Moscow, 2000).
His Holiness Patriarch Alexy was the chairman of the Patriarchal Synodal Biblical Commission, the editor-in-chief of the “Orthodox Encyclopedia” and the chairman of the Supervisory and Church Scientific Councils for the publication of the “Orthodox Encyclopedia”, the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Charitable Foundation for Reconciliation and Concord, and headed the Board of Trustees of the National Military Fund.
During the years of his episcopal service in the rank of Metropolitan and Patriarch, Alexy II visited many dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church and countries of the world, and took part in many church events. Several hundred of his articles, speeches and works on theological, church-historical, peacemaking and other topics have been published in the church and secular press in Russia and abroad. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy headed the Councils of Bishops in 1992, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2004 and 2008, and invariably presided over meetings of the Holy Synod.
His Holiness Patriarch Alexy paid great attention to the training of clergy for the Russian Orthodox Church, the religious education of the laity and the spiritual and moral education of the younger generation. For this purpose, with the blessing of His Holiness, theological seminaries, theological schools, and parochial schools are being opened; structures are being created for the development of religious education and catechesis. In 1995, the organization of church life made it possible to approach the reconstruction of the missionary structure.
His Holiness paid great attention to establishing new relationships in Russia between the state and the Church. At the same time, he firmly adhered to the principle of separation between the mission of the Church and the functions of the state, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. At the same time, he believed that the soul-saving service of the Church and the service of the state to society require mutually free interaction between church, state and public institutions.
After many years of persecution and restrictions, the Church was restored to the opportunity to carry out not only catechetical, religious, educational and educational activities in society, but also to carry out charity towards the poor and the ministry of mercy in hospitals, nursing homes and places of detention.
The pastoral approach of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy relieved the tension between the institutions of the state system for the preservation of cultural monuments and the Church, which was caused by unjustified fears, narrow corporate or personal interests. His Holiness signed a number of joint documents with the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the management of individual museum complexes located on the territory of ecclesiastical, historical and spiritually significant monasteries, which resolve these problems and give the monasteries new life.
His Holiness Patriarch Alexy called for close cooperation between representatives of all areas of secular and church culture. He constantly reminded of the need to revive morality and spiritual culture, to overcome artificial barriers between secular and religious culture, secular science and religion.
A number of joint documents signed by His Holiness laid the foundation for the development of cooperation of the Church with health and social security systems, the Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies, justice authorities, cultural institutions and other government agencies. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, a coherent church system of caring for military personnel and law enforcement officers has been created.
During the political, social and economic reforms, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II constantly spoke about the priority of moral goals over all others, about the advantage of serving the good of society and the individual in political and economic activities.
Continuing the tradition of Christian peacemaking service, during the socio-political crisis in Russia in the fall of 1993, fraught with the threat of civil war, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II took upon himself the mission of pacifying political passions, inviting the parties to the conflict to negotiations and mediating on these negotiations
The Patriarch came up with many peacemaking initiatives in connection with conflicts in the Balkans, the Armenian-Azerbaijani confrontation, military operations in Moldova, events in the North Caucasus, the situation in the Middle East, the military operation against Iraq, the military conflict in South Ossetia in August 2008, and so on. Further.
During the Patriarchal ministry, a large number of new dioceses were formed. Thus, many centers of spiritual and church-administrative leadership arose, located closer to the parishes and contributing to the revitalization of church life in remote regions.
As the ruling bishop of the city of Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II paid a lot of attention to the revival and development of intra-diocesan and parish life. These works in many ways became a model for the organization of diocesan and parish life in other places. Along with the tireless internal church structure, in which he constantly called for more active and responsible participation of all members of the Church without exception on a truly conciliar basis, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church paid great attention to the issues of fraternal interaction of all Orthodox Churches for the joint witnessing of the Truth of Christ to the world.
His Holiness Patriarch Alexy considered cooperation between various Christian denominations for the sake of the needs of the modern world as a Christian duty and the path to fulfilling Christ’s commandment of unity. Peace and harmony in society, for which Patriarch Alexy tirelessly called, necessarily included benevolent mutual understanding and cooperation between adherents of different religions and worldviews.
On January 27, 2009, the 16th Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' was elected at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. This was Metropolitan Kirill.
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill
One hundred years ago, on November 18, 1917, at the All-Russian Local Council, the eleventh Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, St. Tikhon (Belavin), was elected - this is how the institution of the Patriarchate, abolished for more than two hundred years by the church reform of Peter I, was restored in Russia. According to the modern Charter Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' is the Primate of the Russian Church. He has primacy of honor among the episcopate of the Russian Church and is accountable to the Local and Bishops' Councils. The Patriarch has care for the internal and external welfare of the Russian Orthodox Church and governs it together with the Holy Synod, being its chairman. The Patriarch, together with the Holy Synod, convenes Councils of Bishops, and in exceptional cases, Local Councils, and presides over them. Meetings of the Holy Synod are convened by the Patriarch.
Initially, the newly formed Russian Church was not independent, but was canonically dependent on the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Russian Church had the status of just one of the metropolises of the Church of Constantinople. Russian metropolitans, bearing the title “Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus',” were appointed and consecrated in Constantinople. The overwhelming majority of them were appointed from the Greeks. The site of the metropolitan residence was also approved in Constantinople, which was later moved to Moscow. In 1448, the Council of Russian Bishops elected Bishop Jonah of Ryazan as Metropolitan of the Russian Church without confirmation in Constantinople. This decision was caused by the fact that the Greek Metropolitan Isidore, sent to Rus', like other hierarchs of the Greek Church, signed a union with the Roman Church at the Ferraro-Florence Council. Soon Byzantium was conquered by the Turks, and the Russians, on the contrary, freed themselves from the yoke of the Golden Horde. So in 1448 the Russian Church gained independence or autocephaly. According to Archpriest V. Tsypin, a modern Russian specialist in canon law, the essence of autocephaly lies in the fact that “the autocephalous Church has an independent source of power. Its first bishop, its head is appointed by its bishops.” The successor of Saint Jonah began to bear the title Metropolitan of Moscow. The patriarchate in Rus' was established in 1589 under Tsar Theodore Ioannovich. Boyar Boris Godunov took an active part in this enterprise. Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremiah II, who collected donations for his Church within the Moscow kingdom (at that time this was a common practice among the Eastern Patriarchs, whose flock was under the rule of the Turks), participated in the naming of the first Moscow Patriarch - St. Job, Metropolitan of Moscow, elected by the Council Russian bishops. Before leaving, Jeremiah II signed the “Laid Charter”, which confirmed the fact of the establishment of the Patriarchate in Russia. At the Councils of Constantinople in 1590 and 1593, the establishment of the Patriarchate in Rus' was recognized by other Eastern Patriarchs. In the diptych of the Primates of the Orthodox Local Churches, the Moscow Patriarch was given fifth place, after the Patriarchs of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. In total, the Russian Church was headed by 17 Patriarchs, including the living one, but it is generally accepted that there were 16 of them, since Patriarch Ignatius (1605-1606), a protege of False Demetrius I, was deprived of the patriarchal rank and episcopal dignity. The history of the Patriarchate in Russia can be divided into two periods: pre-synodal (1589-1700) and post-synodal (1917 - present).
Let's remember some particularly noteworthy Russian Patriarchs.
Patriarch Job(1589-1605) was born in the city of Staritsa, Tver province in the 30s of the 16th century. His secular name was John. John received his initial education and upbringing in the Staritsky Dormition Monastery, here he took monasticism with the name Job and, after living for 15 years, became the abbot of this monastery. In 1571, Archimandrite Job was appointed rector of the Moscow Simonov Monastery. In the capital, the future saint becomes more closely acquainted with church and state affairs. In 1575 he became abbot of the ancient Moscow Novo-Spassky Monastery. In 1581, Job became Bishop of Kolomna. In 1586 - Archbishop of Rostov the Great. In 1587 - Metropolitan of Moscow. In 1589, Job became the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Under Patriarch Job, 4 metropolises were formed: Novgorod, Kazan, Rostov and Krutitsa, and a number of new dioceses and monasteries were created. The High Hierarch blessed the publication of printed liturgical books, the shortage of which was acutely felt, especially in the conquered lands of Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberia. The following were published for the first time: the Lenten Triodion, the Colored Triodion, the Octoechos, the General Menaion, the Official of the Bishop's Ministry and the Service Book. Work was carried out to identify and correct inaccuracies that existed in the liturgical books. Under the first Patriarch, Saint Basil the Blessed, Saint Joseph of Volokolamsk, Saints of Kazan Gury and Barsanuphius and some others were glorified. The end of the reign of Patriarch Job coincides with the beginning of the Time of Troubles. The High Hierarch sent letters to the cities of the country, calling for the defense of the faith and the Fatherland from the encroachments of the Polish-Lithuanian invaders. After the troops of False Dmitry I entered Russia, in January 1605, Patriarch Job anathematized the impostor and the traitors who had joined him. When False Dmitry I entered Moscow on June 20, 1605, Patriarch Job, who refused to swear allegiance to the impostor, was deposed and exiled to the Staritsky Monastery. After the overthrow of False Dmitry, Job, due to illness, could no longer return to the patriarchal throne, so he blessed Metropolitan Hermogenes of Kazan to take it, and he himself died peacefully on June 19, 1607.
Patriarch Hermogenes(1606-1612) was born around 1530 into a family of Don Cossacks. It is known that Hermogenes (Ermolai) served as a parish priest in Kazan. In 1579, he witnessed the miraculous appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. In 1589, Hermogenes was elevated by Patriarch Job to the rank of Metropolitan of Kazan and Astrakhan. The saint was engaged in active missionary work among pagans and Muslims, leading them to the Orthodox faith. In 1606, Saint Hermogenes was installed as Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. During the Time of Troubles, when False Dmitry II approached Moscow in June 1608 and stopped in Tushino, Patriarch Hermogenes sent two messages to the rebels calling for admonition. When famine began in Moscow, the High Hierarch ordered the breadbaskets of the Sergius Monastery to be opened for the hungry. In September 1608, a large Polish-Lithuanian detachment surrounded the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. The Patriarch inspired the monks to courageously defend the monastery, which lasted for 16 months. In January 1610, having failed to capture the monastery, the enemy retreated. Patriarch Hermogenes did not cease in his messages to convince the people that False Demetrius II was an impostor. In 1610, False Dmitry II was killed, Tsar Vasily Shuisky was overthrown by the boyars, and Polish troops were in Moscow. The boyars wanted to call the Polish prince Vladislav, son of Sigismund III, to the Russian throne, and demanded that the High Hierarch issue a corresponding letter to the people. The Patriarch resolutely refused and threatened with anathema. On the contrary, Hermogenes called on the Russian people to stand up to fight the invaders. The Kazan Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary was transferred from Kazan, which became the main shrine of the militia. When Muscovites, led by Kozma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, rebelled against the Poles, the invaders set fire to the city and took refuge in the Kremlin. The Patriarch was imprisoned in the Chudov Monastery. The Poles, threatening death, demanded that the Patriarch recall the militia, which began the siege of the Kremlin. Hermogenes refused. He managed to send the last message, calling on the Russian people to fight the interventionists to the end. For more than nine months Saint Hermogenes was in prison. On February 17, 1612, he died a martyr from hunger and thirst. On October 27, 1612, the fierce resistance of the Polish-Lithuanian troops was finally broken.
Patriarch Filaret(1619-1633). Feodor Nikitich Romanov-Yuryev was born around 1553 into a noble boyar family. He was the nephew of Ivan the Terrible. After the death of Tsar Feodor Ioannovich, Feodor Nikitich was a legitimate contender for the throne, but at the insistence of Boris Godunov, he was tonsured a monk with the name Filaret. The disgraced monk accepted his fate and began to worthily undergo the school of monastic asceticism. In 1606, Filaret was ordained Metropolitan of Rostov. False Dmitry II held Philaret captive near Moscow. Then Metropolitan Filaret, as an important participant in the Russian embassy to the Polish king Sigismund III, was captured by the Poles for refusing to accept Polish conditions and was held captive for 9 years. In 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Romanov, the son of Metropolitan Philaret, to the Russian kingdom. In captivity, Filaret showed courage and perseverance, urging his son not to give even an inch of Russian land to the Poles as a ransom. When Filaret received freedom in 1619, he was immediately installed as Patriarch. The High Hierarch was the closest adviser and de facto co-ruler of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich. The Patriarch knew the system of public administration well and had rich life experience. In government decrees, next to the name of the tsar was the name of Filaret, who bore the title “Great Sovereign, His Holiness Patriarch Filaret Nikitich.” Patriarch Filaret did a lot to restore order in the country after the Time of Troubles: a land census was carried out, taxes were distributed, economic and cultural ties with foreign countries were restored, and the army was reformed. Filaret created Patriarchal orders designed to streamline church affairs, organized schools at bishops' houses, and took care of supplying dioceses with printed liturgical books. A Greek-Latin school was opened in the Miracle Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin. In 1620, a new Tobolsk diocese was established, which was of great importance for the spread of Christianity among the peoples of Siberia. Relations with the Eastern Patriarchs, interrupted by the turmoil, were restored. The Patriarch zealously cared for the purity of Orthodoxy, taking strict measures against heterodox influences that penetrated the country. On October 1, 1633, Patriarch Filaret Nikitich reposed in the Lord.
Patriarch Nikon (1652-1666). Nikita Minich Minin was born in 1605 into a peasant family in the village of Veldemanova, Nizhny Novgorod province. At the age of 12, he secretly went to the Makariev Zheltovodsk Monastery, but with the blessing of his dying father he returned and got married. At the age of 20, Nikita became a parish priest. Nikita's moral qualities and education became known in Moscow, and soon he and his family moved to the capital. Having lived 10 years of marriage, after the death of three children, the couple accepted monasticism. At the age of 30, Nikita was tonsured in Solovki with the name Nikon. At the insistence of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Nikon was appointed archimandrite of the Novo-Spassky Monastery in Moscow. A close friendship began between the king and the archimandrite. On Fridays, Nikon came to the palace for a conversation. He began to intercede with the king on behalf of the oppressed. In 1649 Nikon became Metropolitan of Novgorod. The future Patriarch showed a lot of wisdom to save the Novgorodians from punishment for the hunger riot of 1650. In 1651, Metropolitan Nikon convinced the Tsar and Patriarch Joseph to transfer the relics of Saints Philip, Job and Hermogenes to the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. In 1652 Nikon was elected Patriarch. On his knees, Nikon was asked to accept the election by the tsar himself, the boyars and the people. Due to the Tsar’s special affection for the Patriarch, Nikon took part in solving almost all national affairs. Like Patriarch Filaret, Nikon bore the title “Great Sovereign.” With the assistance of Patriarch Nikon, the historical reunification of Ukraine with Russia took place in 1654. Soon Belarus was reunited with Russia. The Patriarch streamlined divine services, corrected liturgical books according to Greek models, replaced two-fingered with three-fingered ones, and took care of raising the moral level of the clergy. Unfortunately, Nikon's church reforms caused a split in the Old Believers. Under Patriarch Nikon, wonderful monasteries were built: Voskresensky near Moscow (“New Jerusalem”), Iversky Svyatoozersky in Valdai and Krestny Kiyostrovsky in Onega Bay. The Patriarch himself collected a rich library. The boyars, whose interests were affected by the Patriarch, slandered Nikon before the Tsar. By the decision of the Moscow Council of 1666, Nikon was deprived of the Patriarchate and sent to prison for 15 years. At the same time, however, the church reforms he carried out were approved by the Council. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich asked Nikon for forgiveness before his death. Tsar Feodor Alekseevich wanted to return Nikon to the patriarchal rank, but on August 17, 1681, Patriarch Nikon died. In 1682, four Eastern Patriarchs sent letters to Moscow restoring Nikon to the rank of Patriarch.
Patriarch Tikhon(1917-1925). Vasily Ivanovich Belavin was born in 1865 in the city of Toropets, Pskov province, into the family of a priest. In 1888 he graduated from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Then Vasily Ivanovich taught at the Pskov Theological Seminary for three and a half years. In 1891, Vasily took monastic vows with the name of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. In 1897 he was ordained Bishop of Lublin. In 1898, Bishop Tikhon was appointed to the United States with the title "Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska." Under Tikhon, a cathedral was built in New York in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, where the see of the American Diocese was moved from San Francisco. Bishop Tikhon organized the Minneapolis Theological Seminary, parochial schools and orphanages. Thanks to the works of Bishop Tikhon in America, Christians of other denominations are beginning to become acquainted with Orthodoxy. In 1907 he was transferred to the Yaroslavl department. In 1914 he became Archbishop of Vilna. On June 23, 1917, Archbishop Tikhon was elected Metropolitan of Moscow. At the All-Russian Local Council, Saint Tikhon was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. On November 21, 1917, on the day of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, the enthronement of the new Patriarch took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. It fell to the lot of Saint Tikhon to govern the Russian Church in completely new conditions, when state power was hostile and aggressive towards the Church. The saint denounced the atrocities of the Civil War, condemned the shameful Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and the execution of Emperor Nicholas II. When a terrible famine began in the country, Patriarch Tikhon called on parish councils to donate precious church decorations, unless they had liturgical use. The Famine Relief Committee, headed by the Patriarch, raised large funds and greatly alleviated the situation of the starving. However, on May 5, 1922, the Soviet government arrested the Patriarch in the case of “resistance to the seizure of church valuables.” The persecution of Saint Tikhon began in the Soviet press. But the world community, in particular Great Britain, came to the defense of the High Hierarch. On June 26, 1923, the Patriarch was released. Patriarch Tikhon was a figure who stood as an insurmountable obstacle to the “renovationist” schism, inspired by the Bolsheviks to decompose the Church from within. On April 7, 1925, on the feast of the Annunciation, the Patriarch died at the age of 60.
Patriarch Sergius (1943-1944). John Nikolaevich Stragorodsky was born in 1867 in the city of Arzamas, Nizhny Novgorod province, into the family of an archpriest. After graduating from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, in 1890, Hieromonk Sergius was appointed to Japan as a member of the Orthodox Spiritual Mission. In 1894, Father Sergius received the rank of archimandrite and was appointed rector of the Russian Embassy Church in Athens. In 1895, he defended his famous master's thesis “The Orthodox Doctrine of Salvation.” In 1897, Archimandrite Sergius was reappointed to Japan as assistant to the head of the Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission. In 1899 he became rector of the St. Petersburg Academy. In 1901 he was consecrated bishop. Since 1911 - member of the Holy Synod. Participant of the All-Russian Local Council of 1917-1918. In January 1921, Metropolitan Sergius was arrested and spent a long time in Butyrka prison. He was exiled to Nizhny Novgorod. Since 1924 - Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod. After the Patriarchal Locum Tenens, Metropolitan Peter (Polyansky), was arrested in December 1925, Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) in fact became the head of the Moscow Patriarchate as the Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens. Metropolitan Sergius several times appealed to the NKVD with a request to legalize the highest church administration, diocesan councils, and allow the holding of Bishops' Councils, but was invariably refused. The Russian Church was in a very difficult situation. The country was flooded with a mass of schismatic movements. The renovationists intensified their activities. In November 1926, Bishop Sergius was arrested again, accused of having connections with emigration and preparing illegal elections for the Patriarch. The OGPU, in exchange for state legalization of the entire church-administrative structure of the Moscow Patriarchate, set strict demands for Metropolitan Sergius: a statement in support of the Soviet government, commemoration of it during worship, condemnation of counter-revolutionary actions in the USSR and abroad, approval of candidates for bishops with the NKVD, dismissal from the administration of the diocese arrested bishops, removal from administration of bishops objectionable to the authorities. Metropolitan Sergius, wanting to save the Church, accepted the proposed conditions. On March 30, 1927, he was released. On July 29, 1927, the “Declaration of 1927” signed by Metropolitan Sergius was made public, which confirmed unconditional loyalty to the Soviet government and in which there was no criticism of the government’s church policy. In August 1927, the Patriarchal Synod was registered by the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. In the first days of the Great Patriotic War, Metropolitan Sergius wrote the patriotic “Message to the Pastors and Flock of Christ’s Orthodox Church.” The Russian Church did its best to help the army and the people win: prayer was performed, clothes and valuables were collected for soldiers, wounded, and orphans. Funds were raised to create a tank column for Dimitri Donskoy. From the autumn of 1941 to the summer of 1943, Metropolitan Sergius was in Ulyanovsk. During the war years, church policy in the USSR began to soften. On September 8, 1943, a Council of Bishops took place in Moscow, in which nineteen hierarchs participated. Eighteen years after the death of Patriarch Tikhon, Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) of Moscow and Kolomna was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Patriarch Sergius died nine months later, on May 15, 1944.
Patriarch Alexy I (1945-1970). Sergei Vladimirovich Simansky was born in 1877 in Moscow. He graduated from the Nikolaev Lyceum with a silver medal. In 1896 he entered the Faculty of Law of Moscow University, which he graduated in three years. In 1904 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy. In 1913, Archimandrite Alexy was ordained Bishop of Tikhvin. During the revolutionary years, Bishop Alexy remained a faithful shepherd. He tried to follow two principles: loyalty to the canonical principles and loyalty to the new system. In the second half of the 20s, Bishop Alexy became a member of the Synod and the closest assistant to Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky). In 1933, Metropolitan Alexy headed the Leningrad See. Bishop Alexy remained with his flock all the time in besieged Leningrad, testifying to the patriotic position of the Russian Church. The Metropolitan did not cease to serve and console people, despite the bombing, frost, hunger and powerlessness. The collection of funds for the defense of the Motherland and to help the wounded and orphans continued in the churches of Leningrad. Metropolitan Alexy was awarded the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad.” At the Local Council in February 1945, Bishop Alexy was unanimously elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. The main goal of the twenty-five-year ministry of Patriarch Alexy I was to preserve the Church under the conditions of a totalitarian atheistic regime. In the post-war period, the Soviet government, taking into account both the patriotic role of the Russian Church and its foreign political interests, decided to soften church policy. Under His Holiness Alexy I, churches began to be restored. Monthly church publications appear. Church structures were given permission to purchase transport and produce utensils. The Moscow and Leningrad theological academies, as well as 8 seminaries, were opened. Prayer life has resumed in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. In 1946, renovationism finally disappeared. Despite these positive developments, arrests and persecution of the Church continued. Under N.S. Under Khrushchev, atheistic propaganda and anti-church politics are again gaining momentum, but the methods of brutal physical destruction of the clergy, characteristic of the Stalinist period, are no longer used. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I contributed to the restoration of relations with the Polish and Finnish Churches. Under Patriarch Alexy I, contacts between the Russian Church and other Local Orthodox Churches are being intensified. Religious educational institutions are beginning to accept students from abroad. Relations are being established with the Roman Catholic Church, non-Chalcedonian Ancient Eastern Churches, and the Protestant world. Patriarch Alexy I was a member of the Soviet Peace Committee for many years. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I died on April 17, 1970.
Deacon Dmitry TROFIMOV
Russian Patriarchs
On the monument “Millennium of Russia”, erected in Veliky Novgorod in 1862, among the images of outstanding commanders, rulers, politicians and church leaders, there are sculptures of Patriarchs Philaret and Nikon.
Perhaps there are few people in Russian history who are so closely connected not only with our past, but also with our present. Patriarch Filaret (1619-1633) - the first Patriarch after the Time of Troubles, and Patriarch Nikon (1652-1666), from whom the time of the Schism is traditionally counted, lived in a turning point in Russia, when events took place that determined the further course of the life of Russian society for centuries to come.
Secular and church historians quite often do not agree in their assessments of these works. 
Patriarchs. And this should not be surprising. That time itself is contradictory and mysterious. In the same way, its people are complex and multifaceted. So it can completely unintentionally deceive any opinion about them. Moreover, they often try to judge the past using modern standards. And who proved that they are true?
Whatever you want, it seems that man (in essence) has not changed since the days of Adam and Eve, but still the inhabitants of Russia in the 17th century differ from the descendants spinning in the mill wheel of the 21st century, not by special kindness or toughness, but by their rootedness on the earth. And if we think figuratively, then those people are seen as mighty oak trees digging into the earth’s firmament, and we, today, are like tumbleweeds, rushing, driven by the gusty winds of change, across the expanse of the steppe. Therefore, we do not always understand what happened once. That’s why we attribute features of the present to the past. That's why we don't see what is obvious. From the perspective of a tumbleweed, it is difficult to understand the meaning of the existence of an oak forest. But if so, then caution never hurts, especially when thinking about our history.
"Spare family"
Fyodor Nikitich Romanov hardly aspired to a monastic life in his youth. He belonged to a noble boyar family. And after the death of his father he became its head. He regularly served the Moscow sovereigns. Loved hunting. He did not shy away from books, including foreign ones. But he was a deeply religious man.
His career at court was quite successful. However, the storm came suddenly. Although the harbingers of the latter hung over the Romanovs constantly under Tsar Boris Godunov.
Theorists and historians of the monarchy (of which there are a modest number among scientists, compared with researchers of democracy and republicanism) know that in Europe, since the early Middle Ages, there has been a tradition of a “reserve dynasty”, or “reserve clan”. Something similar was observed in the monarchies of China, India and, probably, the Islamic world. The idea is briefly stated as follows: “The ruling dynasty brings a certain family closer to itself through marriage, which, if it is suppressed, must occupy the empty throne.”
Oh, how many absurd nonsenses have been said about monarchs and the monarchy. But no one thinks that the monarch is obliged before God to take care of the country and even provide for the death of his family.
The Moscow Rurikovichs chose the Romanovs as a “spare clan”. In 1547, not only John IV Vasilyevich became king (by the way, the British repeatedly called him “emperor” in diplomatic correspondence), but also at the Moscow Council of the same year, the righteous Procopius of Ustyug, the holy fool for Christ’s sake, was officially glorified as a saint. Which is no coincidence. Coming from Lübeck, a former Catholic, a prince or a well-born merchant (which is not known for certain), who took the name John in Orthodox baptism, and then became Procopius when he was tonsured, as historians established already in 1913, he was the first ancestor of the Romanovs and a number of noble families in Russia. However, the Romanovs and Rurikovichs, apparently, knew this very well, but did not spread it widely. And there is no hiding from the fact that Procopius the Righteous was honored by Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich and had his icon.
Let us note that the oprichnina almost did not affect the Romanovs. And Tsar Ivan the Terrible, before leaving for a better world, “entrusted his children” to Nikita Romanovich (that is, to the protection of the Romanov-Yuryev family). It is not for nothing that after the suppression of the Moscow Rurik dynasty, Fyodor Romanov was considered one of the most likely candidates for the throne. But at the Zemsky Sobor of 1598, Boris Godunov was elected sovereign (his sister was married to the late Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich).
The “spare family” in this case seemed especially dangerous for Godunov. The reprisal against the Romanovs happened quite quickly. In 1600, the Romanovs were accused of witchcraft against the Tsar by denunciation. Fyodor Nikitich was forcibly tonsured a monk and sent in 1601 to a remote monastery. The wife was also tonsured and sent into exile with the children. And the entire family (even the side branches!) were subjected to torture and exile.
But everything has changed. The Godunov dynasty ended. And the son of Tsar Boris, Fedor, was brutally killed by traitors.
Patriarch Filaret. Overcoming the Troubles
During the Time of Troubles, Filaret (Fyodor Nikitich) turns out to be the Metropolitan of Rostov and, together with the residents of the city, resists the troops of the “Tushinsky Thief”. He is captured and taken to False Dmitry II. The ruler is rescued from captivity almost a year and a half later.
In 1610, the situation in Moscow was desperate. Poland entered the war. Smolensk is besieged. Troubles are in full swing. Blood, robbery and destruction cover one land after another. Under these conditions, the boyars decide to invite Prince Vladislav to the throne, but with the obligatory acceptance of Orthodoxy.
Metropolitan Filaret and Prince V. Golitsyn go to Smolensk to the military camp of King Sigismund.
King Sigismund demanded the surrender of Smolensk. Metropolitan Filaret saw through the Polish king (who wanted to subjugate Russia to himself, not his son) and categorically refused to call on the Smolensk people to open the gates of the fortress. In 1611, his long Polish captivity began.
And only in 1619, Metropolitan Philaret returned to Moscow and was elected Patriarch.
This is how a “symphony of authorities” develops in Russia, when secular and spiritual authorities go together. For since 1613, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, the son of Fyodor Nikitich, has been on the Russian throne.
Patriarch Filaret, together with Tsar Michael, were forced to solve many problems. Cities and villages are devastated. The population has almost halved. It was necessary to restore the army and besiege the “dashing people.” And there was no peace on the borders of the state.
Zemsky Sobors meet periodically. All classes are taking an active part in the revival of the country.
The Patriarch provides special care to the Church. Temples and monasteries are being restored. The Troubles seriously thinned out the layer of literate people. And they are extremely necessary for both the state and the Church. Patriarch Filaret is also concerned about education. Only, unlike Boris Godunov, the Patriarch does not rely on European (Lutheran and Catholic) models, but on Orthodox ones.
Under Filaret, they are seriously engaged in correcting liturgical books. But carefully and carefully.
We also have to fight manifestations of heresies and imaginary freethinking. The Troubles and contacts with Europe spurred the formation in Russia of a group of people who were anti-Orthodox and Russophobic. Patriarch Filaret promptly stopped the activities of Prince Ivan Khvorostinin, who openly mocked Orthodoxy and forced his servants to do this.
It should be noted that part of the ruling layer did not really like this. The nobility gradually became infected with the habits of the Polish gentry. But anyone was afraid to speak out against the Patriarch.
By the end of the life of Patriarch Filaret, Rus' had become sufficiently strong and was prepared to respond to the aggressive encroachments of its “good” neighbors.
Patriarch Nikon. Victory and tragedy
Anyone who has studied even a little of the biographies of the Russian Patriarchs will never believe the slander about the lack of social justice in the Russian kingdom. In the list of Patriarchs we find people from boyars, nobles, Cossacks, priests, townspeople and peasants. The Russian Orthodox Church before the “reforms” of Peter the Great was completely all-class. Nobility does not give advantages. This is a striking difference from the Catholic Church.
Patriarch Nikon (Minov) came from the family of a Mordvin peasant. At the age of 12, he ran away to a monastery, but then returned home at the request of his relatives. At the age of 21 he becomes a priest. And only at the age of 31 he took monastic vows at Solovki (Anzersky monastery).
In 1649 Nikon was installed as Metropolitan of Novgorod.
In 1652, at the Consecrated Council, Nikon was elected Patriarch. Friendly relations with Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich again lead to the formation of a “symphony of powers” that existed under Patriarch Filaret.
In the middle of the 17th century, contacts between Russia and co-religionists in Constantinople and the Balkans intensified. Orthodox Christians from Egypt to Bulgaria honor the Russian Tsar as their protector. And it couldn’t have been any other way. Russia remained the last independent Orthodox power.
The Tsar and Patriarch reflect on the liberation of Orthodox Christians from the Ottoman yoke. This must be recognized as the main reason for the church reforms of Patriarch Nikon. And, of course, correction of services and church books was required. By the way, this was obvious to Nikon’s future opponents. The same archpriest Avvakum Petrov, together with Nikon, was part of the group of “zealots of piety.”
The split did not appear suddenly. Patriarch Nikon was guided by the idea of unifying all Orthodox Churches, while the Old Believers took a narrower position and rather adhered to a purely national understanding of the Russian Orthodox Church. This was not overcome. Moreover, non-church forces also intervened in the conflict. But the key opposition here was the nobility, which simultaneously intrigued both for the Old Believers and for Nikon and, accordingly, against.
It is possible that intentional mistakes were made when editing the books. This reflected the influence of a variety of anti-patriarchal forces.
But all the same, it was the nobility who sought the removal of the Patriarch. That’s why she sometimes supported the Old Believers. Although the Schism went much deeper, into the very depths of society. Refusal from the usual rituals and books was regarded by people as a rejection of Orthodoxy. This reflected the horror of the Troubles, which had not yet been fully experienced.
One should not think that this argument is far-fetched. Like, how many years have passed? Not much really. In the modern Russian Federation there are still “reds” and “whites”. This means that we did not emerge from the 1917 revolution. And between the end of the Troubles and the Schism, much less than tens of years passed...
Yet history has shown that the Patriarch was right, and not Archpriest Avvakum. The Old Believers were constantly divided into sects and even went so far as to reject the Church by some sectarians. And the “Nikonian” Church went through many troubles and persecutions, but did not disintegrate under any blows of fate and dark forces. And the saints testify to the truth of the Church. In a graceless Church, neither St. Seraphim of Sarov nor Father John of Kronstadt would be possible. God gives us saints for a reason!
The nobility still managed to quarrel between the Tsar and the Patriarch through gossip, slander and rumors.
Patriarch Nikon first retired to his favorite monastery, leaving his staff behind. And then he was condemned at the Council of 1666-1667.
The ever-memorable Metropolitan John (Snychev) quite correctly noted: “For all his natural intelligence and wealth of reading, the tsar did not like arguments; in relations with those close to him, he was pliable and weak. Taking advantage of his kindness, the surrounding boyars became self-willed, sometimes taking power over the quiet sovereign. This, perhaps, is the key to the dramatic relationship between the tsar and the patriarch. The sovereign did not find the strength to resist the boyar pressure, and Nikon did not consider it possible to adapt to the interests of the nobility, sacrificing - even temporarily - the legitimate interests of the Church.”
In historical assessments of past eras, people tend to show maximalism and intolerance. From the heights of the past centuries, everything seems simple and clear, the temptation to divide people into “good” and “bad,” “ours” and “theirs” turns out to be so strong that, unnoticed by oneself, the living and complex historical fabric of Russian life begins to be mercilessly cut and crumpled into to please a biased, lifeless scheme. The pain of the human soul, the struggle of the spirit with the sinful, passionate impulses of fallen human nature, which lies at the basis of all human existence, turn out to be completely out of sight of would-be researchers with this approach.
Only by enriching ourselves with the spiritual experience of the Church, with knowledge of the secrets underlying the life of the restless and truth-hungry human heart, can we break the vicious circle of “black and white” historical consciousness, approaching an understanding of its real, uncontrived multicoloredness. Looking into the past, let us kindle in ourselves love and mercy, repentance and sympathy - and it will give us its secrets, seeing in us friends and successors, and not prosecutors and judges.”
Alexander Goncharov,
Candidate of Philology
Good afternoon friends!
Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church (Biographical Index) Patriarch (from gr. father and rule) is the highest title (san) of the head of an independent Orthodox Church. This title was established by the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451). After the division of the Church into Western and Eastern (1054), the title was assigned to the hierarchs of the Eastern Church. In the Byzantine Empire, the Orthodox Church was headed by four patriarchs (Constantinople (“ecumenical”), Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem). After the fall of the Byzantine Empire (1453), the patriarchs became heads. self-governing (autocephalous) local Churches. With the emergence of independent Slavic states, patriarchs also became the heads of their Churches. In Russia, the first patriarch was elected in 1589, and the institute existed until its liquidation in 1721 by Peter I. Restored at the Council of the Russian Church in 1917-1918.
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In 1587-1589. - Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus'. Boris Godunov, in political interests, put forward the idea of establishing a patriarchal throne in Russia. Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich supported this proposal and turned to the Eastern patriarchs with a request to establish the Moscow Patriarchate, installing a Russian patriarch. The consent of the eastern patriarchs was obtained in 1588 after long and persistent negotiations. The Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremiah, who came to Moscow for “alms” (money to pay tribute to Turkey), was actually forced to establish a patriarchal throne here. Job was named on January 23, 1589, and made patriarch on January 26; IGNATIUS(1605-1606) - second Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
Greek origin. First he was an archbishop in Cyprus, then he lived in Rome. Arrived in Moscow as an envoy of the Patriarch of Constantinople for the royal wedding of Boris Godunov. In 1603 he became bishop of Ryazan and Murom. In 1605, he was the first of the Russian archbishops to meet False Dmitry in Tula as a tsar. After the accession of False Dmitry I, a council of the Russian clergy removed Job from the throne, unanimously electing Ignatius as patriarch. After the murder of False Dmitry in 1606, the council of hierarchs deprived Ignatius of not only the patriarchal, but also the priesthood, sending him as a simple monk to the Chudov Monastery. In 1611, during the Polish rule in Moscow, Ignatius was released from the monastery and again recognized as patriarch. A few months later he fled to Poland, settled in Vilna and accepted the union (that is, while maintaining almost all the dogmas and rituals of the Orthodox Church, he recognized the primacy of the Pope). Publicly renounced Orthodoxy. Subsequently, Ignatius’s grave was destroyed during the capture of Vilna by Russian troops. HERMOGENES(in the world - Ermolai) (1606-1612) - third Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
From the metropolitans of Kazan. He was elevated by Tsar Vasily Shuisky to the place of the deposed Patriarch Ignatius. During the uprising of Ivan Bolotnikov, he convinced the people to stand for Shuisky, placing a curse on Bolotnikov and his supporters. After the deposition of Shuisky, he became an active opponent of the Poles and was imprisoned in the Chudov Monastery, where he died of hunger. Hermogenes was an outstanding church writer and preacher, one of the most educated people of his time. Under him, a new printing house was erected in Moscow, a printing press was installed, and books were printed. FILARET(Romanov Fedor Nikitich) (1619-1633) - fourth Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
From the metropolitans of Rostov and Yaroslavl. A major statesman. Father and co-ruler of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov, nephew of Ivan the Terrible's first wife Anastasia. False Dmitry II was “named” patriarch and in this capacity in 1608-1610. ruled the church on lands subject to the impostor. In October 1610, Filaret became part of the embassy upon the calling of the Polish prince Vladislav to the Russian throne. For his irreconcilable position on the issue of the unconditional preservation of Orthodoxy in Rus', he was arrested and sent to Poland, where he remained until the summer of 1619. In 1613, Philaret’s son Mikhail Fedorovich reigned on the Russian throne. Until his return from Poland, the name of the “Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia,” the “great sovereign” Filaret Nikitich, was commemorated in churches along with the name of the tsar and his mother, the “great old nun Marfa Ivanovna” (Filaret’s wife). At the same time, Metropolitan Jonah of Krutitsa “observed” the patriarchal throne for his arrival. IOASAF I(1634-1640) - fifth Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
From the archbishops of Pskov. He was recommended by Patriarch Filaret as a successor to the patriarchal throne. Under Joasaph I, the importance of patriarchal power decreased. The name of the patriarch ceased to be mentioned in royal decrees on state and even church affairs. Under Joasaph I, the correction and publication of liturgical books continued: 23 editions were published. To stop disputes about places between hierarchs, the Patriarch published the “Ladder to Powers,” in which he determined the procedure for occupying places during worship and at councils JOSEPH(1642-1652) - sixth Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
From the archimandrites of the Simonov Monastery. He was elected patriarch “by lot, and not by royal will.” He began his activity with the publication of “Instructions” for the clergy and laity. In 1644 he took part in a famous dispute about faith with Lutherans, caused by the alleged marriage of Princess Irina Mikhailovna with the Danish prince Voldemar (a Lutheran). NIKON(Nikita Minov) (1652-1666) - seventh Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
From the Metropolitans of Novgorod. One of the most striking and tragic figures in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. Having been elected patriarch, Nikon repeatedly refused this honor, until the tsar himself knelt before him with a plea to become the archpastor of the entire Russian people. To this, Nikon demanded that Alexei Mikhailovich and the bureaucratic people swear before the shrines of the Assumption Cathedral to uphold the faith and laws, “to obey us in everything as a boss and a shepherd, and the redest father.” The king swore an oath, and so did everyone else. Only after this Nikon became patriarch. IOASAF II(1667-1672) - eighth Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
From the archimandrites of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. Nikon's successor. Under him, the famous Moscow Council of 1667 (Great Church Council of the Russian and Eastern clergy) took place. The Council solemnly cursed the Old Believers, while simultaneously subjecting them to state criminal prosecution. The Patriarch addressed the Old Believers with a stern Letter of Exhortation. The priests who refused to conduct church services according to the new books and performed the liturgy on prosphora with an eight-pointed cross were stripped of their positions by Joasaph II and put on trial. He continued to defend Nikon's case regarding the immunity of the clergy from secular power. At the patriarchal court, the Order of Church Affairs was established, where only judges of ecclesiastical rank sat. PITIRIM(1672-1673) - ninth Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
From the metropolitans of Krutitsky. Closer to Patriarch Nikon. After Nikon left the throne, he was his confidant in negotiations with Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Having entrusted Pitirim with the management of church affairs, Nikon hoped to maintain his influence during his demonstrative departure from Moscow. Pitirim, on the instructions of the king, completely took over the church administration. To this, Nikon in the New Jerusalem Monastery solemnly anathematized Pitirim as having arbitrarily seized the patriarchal throne. At the request of the tsar, the Moscow bishops declared in writing that they would not recognize the anathema “against the patriarch.” In 1667, Nikon was condemned at the Great Church Council, but not Pitirim, but Joasaph II was elected patriarch. Only after his death Pitirim received the throne of the head of the Russian church, which he occupied for less than a year. During his patriarchate he did not commit any significant acts. JOAKIM(Ivan Savelov) (1674-1690) - tenth Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
From the Metropolitans of Novgorod. In 1675, he convened a council, which decided that secular judges should not judge or rule clergy in anything, that secular plaintiffs should not summon clergy to Moscow, that diocesan bishops should have clergy on their orders and collect ADRIAN(in the world Andrey) (1690-1700) - the eleventh and last pre-Synodal Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
From the metropolitans of Kazan and Sviyazhsk. He was elevated to patriarch by the will of Tsarina Natalia Kirillovna. Adrian wrote several teachings, epistles, letters, a significant number of sermons and denunciations. Under him, two councils were held: one (in 1697) against the sexton Mikheev, who proposed to adopt new dogmas regarding baptism and other rites; another (in 1698) against Deacon Peter, who argued that the pope is the true shepherd.
Stefan Jaworski(Yavorsky Simeon Ivanovich) - Metropolitan of Ryazan and Murom, patriarchal locum tenens of the Moscow throne. After four years of ruling the Kazan diocese, on August 24, 1690, Metropolitan Adrian was elevated to the All-Russian patriarchate. He was nominated for this high post as a representative of the Old Russian (Greek-Russian) party. Tikhon(Belavin Vasily Ivanovich) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. In 1917, the All-Russian Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church restored the Patriarchate. The most important event in the history of the Russian Church took place: after two centuries of forced headlessness, it again found its Primate and High Hierarch. Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow and Kolomna (1865-1925) was elected to the Patriarchal Throne. Patriarch Tikhon was a true defender of Orthodoxy. Peter(Polyansky, in the world Pyotr Fedorovich Polyansky) - bishop, Metropolitan of Krutitsy, patriarchal locum tenens from 1925 until the false report of his death (late 1936). According to the will of Patriarch Tikhon, Metropolitans Kirill, Agafangel or Peter were to become locum tenens. Sergius(in the world Ivan Nikolaevich Stragorodsky) (1867-1944) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Famous theologian and spiritual writer. Bishop since 1901. After the death of the holy Patriarch Tikhon, he became the patriarchal locum tenens, that is, the actual head of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1927, during a difficult time both for the Church and for the entire people, he addressed the clergy and laity with a message in which he called on the Orthodox to be loyal to the Soviet regime. This message caused mixed assessments both in Russia and among the emigrants. Alexy I(Simansky Sergey Vladimirovich) (1877-1970) – Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Born in Moscow, graduated from the Faculty of Law of Moscow University and the Moscow Theological Academy. Bishop since 1913, during the Great Patriotic War he served in Leningrad, and in 1945 he was elected Patriarch at the Local Council. Pimen(Izvekov Sergey Mikhailovich) (1910-1990) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' since 1971. Participant of the Great Patriotic War. He was persecuted for professing the Orthodox faith. He was imprisoned twice (before the war and after the war). Bishop since 1957. He was buried in the crypt (underground chapel) of the Assumption Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. Alexy II(Ridiger Alexey Mikhailovich) (1929-2008) – Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Graduated from the Leningrad Theological Academy. Bishop since 1961, since 1986 - Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod, in 1990 elected Patriarch at the Local Council. Honorary member of many foreign theological academies. Kirill(Gundyaev Vladimir Mikhailovich) (born 1946) – Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Graduated from the Leningrad Theological Academy. In 1974 he was appointed rector of the Leningrad Theological Academy and Seminary. Bishop since 1976. In 1991 he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan. In January 2009, he was elected Patriarch at the Local Council.I will be happy to read your suggestions and comments if you send them to my email:
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