Menu
homeClutch 

Patriarch Kirill. Kirill, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' (Gundyaev Vladimir Mikhailovich) Who is the Metropolitan now

The new work of Archimandrite Macarius is dedicated to the All-Russian Metropolitans of the X-XVI centuries. The author examines the holy ministry of all the Primates of the Russian Church from 988 to 1586. This period of time can be called the Metropolitan period, which turned out to be the longest in the history of the Russian Church and preceded the Patriarchal period. At the first stage of its history, the Russian Church was a metropolitanate of the Greek Church, and Russian Metropolitans were appointed by the Patriarchs of Constantinople. Subsequently, starting from 1448, the Moscow Primates became autocephalous and were installed on the All-Russian throne in Moscow itself. The book is equipped with an extensive bibliography and publications of the handwritten heritage of Russian saints - spiritual letters, district messages, words and teachings. The publication is of interest to historians of the Church, as well as to all those who are interested in the spiritual history of our Fatherland.

Archimandrite Makariy (Veretennikov) was born in 1951 in the city of Magnitogorsk. He completed his secondary education in 1969 in the city of Karaganda. In 1972, with the blessing of Metropolitan Joseph of Alma-Ata and Kazakhstan († 1975), he applied for admission to the Moscow Theological Seminary. In 1974 he graduated from MDS and entered the Academy. In 1978 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy with a candidate of theology degree for the presented work “All-Russian Metropolitan Macarius and his church-educational activities.” Since September 1978 he taught History of the Russian Church at the seminary. On March 17, 1982, the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Jerome († 1982), in the Trinity Cathedral, tonsured a monk in honor of the Monk Macarius of Egypt. From September 1982 to July 1985 he studied at the Faculty of Theology of the University. Martin Luther in Halle (GDR) and at the same time served in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles in the historical cemetery in the city of Weimar. Upon returning from Germany, he taught at the MDSiA.

In 2004, Archimandrite Macarius was confirmed with the rank of professor. From June 2001 to March 2010 he was Head of the Regency School at the MDA. In 2013 - honorary professor at the Yekaterinburg Theological Seminary, in 2014 awarded the academic title of Doctor of Church History. He took part in the preparation of the publication of “The History of the Russian Church” by Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov), and participated as a speaker in various foreign, international, All-Russian and regional conferences. Awarded orders of the Russian Orthodox Church, since 1989 a member of the Synodal Liturgical Commission, with the beginning of the publication of the Orthodox Encyclopedia - a member of the Scientific Editorial Council of the Orthodox Encyclopedia, a member of the expert council on the Makaryev Readings. The author's bibliography includes more than 750 publications. In one of his latest publications, the author proposed a new periodization of the History of the Russian Church.

INTRODUCTION

  • Preface
  • The feat of the Apostle Andrew
  • Background of the Russian hierarchy

PART 1. METROPOLITANS OF ALL Rus' UNDER THE OMOPHORUS OF THE PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE

  • CHAPTER I. THE BEGINNING OF THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE RUSSIAN LAND
    • Saint Metropolitan Michael (988-992
    • Metropolitan Leonty (992-1008
    • Metropolitan John I (before 1018-1035
    • Metropolitan Theopempt (1035-1047
  • CHAPTER II. METROPOLITAN-THEOLOGIES
    • Saint Metropolitan Hilarion (1051-1054)
      • Confession of Faith of Metropolitan Hilarion of Kyiv
    • Metropolitan Ephraim (1055-1061)
      • Writing by Metropolitan Ephraim
    • Metropolitan George (1062-1076
      • George, Metropolitan of Kiev, competition with Latin; 70 wines
    • Saint Metropolitan John II (1076-1089)
      • Letter from Metropolitan John F. Prodromus About the instruction from the rules denouncing the Latin heresy of Metropolitan John of Russia to the Archbishop of Rome about unleavened workshop
    • Metropolitan John III (1090-1091)
    • Saint Metropolitan Nicholas (1093-1104)
    • Metropolitan Nikephoros I (1104-1121)
      • Teaching of Metropolitan Nikifor of Russia on Cheese Fat Week in the church to the abbot and to the entire priestly and deacon rank and to the worldly people
    • Metropolitan Nikita (1122-1126)
      • Prologue legend about the bringing of the finger of John the Baptist from Byzantium to
    • Metropolitan Michael II (1130-1145)
  • CHAPTER III. INCREASE OF PRINCE Strife IN Rus'
    • Metropolitan Clement (Smolyatich; 1147-1155)
    • Saint Metropolitan Constantine I (1156-1159)
      • Nikita Acominatus (Choniates). Treasure of the Orthodox faith. Book XXIV: Council
    • Metropolitan Theodore (1161-1163)
    • Metropolitan John IV (1164-1166)
    • Metropolitan Constantine II (1167-1170)
      • On the 1st day of the month of August, the word of Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubsky about the mercy of God
    • Metropolitan Michael III (1171-1174)
    • Metropolitan Nikephoros II (1175/76-1202)
    • Metropolitan Matthew (1209-1220)
    • Metropolitan Kirill I (1225-1233)
      • Certificate of the Patriarch of Nicaea to Metropolitan Kirill of Kyiv
    • Metropolitan Joseph (1236-1240)
  • CHAPTER IV. AFTER BATYEV’S RUIN
    • Saint Metropolitan Cyril II (dec. 1242-1281)
      • Message from Prince Svyatoslav of Mosia to Metropolitan Kirill
      • Label of the Horde Khan Mengu-Temir to the Russian clergy. Steppe
    • Saint Metropolitan Maximus (1283-1305)
      • Teachings of Saint Maximus
      • The month of December on the 15th day The Legend of the Holy and Blessed First See, Metropolitan Maxim of Vladimir and Moscow and all Russia
  • CHAPTER V. THE BEGINNING OF THE RISE OF MOSCOW
    • Wonderworker Metropolitan Peter (1308-1326)
      • Teachings of the humble Peter, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus', abbot, priest and deacon
      • 1308-1326 — Metropolitan Peter’s teaching to the clergy (about penances and widow priests) and to the laity (about zeal for the church)
      • Teachings of Peter Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus'
      • Teachings of Metropolitan Peter
      • Teachings of Metropolitan Peter, when Rev. Bishop Andrew of Tfera was in the Gathering
    • Saint Metropolitan Theognostos (1328-1353)
      • 1339 - Letter from Patriarch John XIV to Metropolitan Theognostus on the discovery of the relics of St. Peter
      • Teachings of Theognostus, Metropolitan of All Rus'
    • Wonderworker Metropolitan Alexy (1354-1378)
      • Teachings of Metropolitan Alexy from the Apostolic Acts to Christ-loving Christians
      • Instruction of the humble Alexy Metropolitan of All Rus' to the abbot and priest and deacon and to all faithful peasants, people named after the cross, who are in the Orthodox faith, of the entire region of Novgorod and Gorodets: grace to you and peace from God above
      • 1363 - Word of the blessed Alexei Metropolitan
      • 1378 - List of spiritual letters from our holy father Alexei, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus', a new miracle worker
  • CHAPTER VI. TROUBLES IN THE METROPOLIA
    • Archimandrite Michael († 1379) - candidate for the Russian Metropolis. Metropolitan Pimen (1380-1389)
    • Saint Metropolitan Dionysius I (1384-1385)
      • 1382 - Certificate of Suzdal Archbishop Dionysius to the Pskov Snetogorsk Monastery on compliance with the rules of monastic community
      • 1383 - Message from Saint Dionysius to Prince Demetrius Donskoy. From another message about the guilty
  • CHAPTER VII. TROUBLES AND SUCCESSES OF MOSCOW Rus'. THE SUBSEQUENT RISE OF THE MOTHER CITY
    • Saint Metropolitan Cyprian (1375-1390-1406)
      • Spiritual certificate of Metropolitan Cyprian
    • Saint Metropolitan Photius (1408-1410-1431)
      • [Letter from Monk Isidore] to Metropolitan of Russia [Photius]
      • 1420, January 24. — Letter of grant from Metropolitan Photius to the Goritsky Monastery
      • Letter of permission and prayer from Metropolitan Photius
  • CHAPTER VIII. Princely strife, the fight for the Great Reign
    • Metropolitan Gerasim (1433-1435)
      • 1414 - Desk letter from Metropolitan Photius to Bishop Gerasim of Vladimir-Volynsk
      • 1434, November. — Letter from Pope Eugene to Metropolitan Gerasim
    • Metropolitan Cardinal Isidore (1436-1441).
      • District message of Metropolitan-Cardinal Isidore
      • 1440, July 27. - Certificate of Metropolitan Cardinal Isidore
      • 1441, February 5. - Charter charter of the Kyiv prince Alexander Vladimirovich to the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv and Metropolitan Isidore of Kyiv and All Rus'
      • Message from Prince Vasily Vasilyevich to the monks of Svyatogorsk
      • The Tale of Simeon of Suzdal about the Eighth Council of Florence. Isidor's Cathedral and its circulation

PART 2. AUTOCEPHALY OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH

  • CHAPTER I. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INDEPENDENT EXISTENCE OF THE RUSSIAN CHURCH
    • Wonderworker Metropolitan Jonah (1448-1461)
      • 1459 - Message from Metropolitan [Jonah] to all rulers in Lithuania about the Orthodox faith, and about strengthening, and about Gregory the Metropolitan, Sidorov’s disciple
      • 1459, December 13. - Messenger from all the Russian rulers to the Lithuanian rulers, who received ordination from Metropolitan Jonah, about Metropolitan Gregory, who left Rome for the metropolis of Kyiv
      • [Address to Saint Jonah by Hieromonk Athanasius]
      • Before 1461 - L. Korytkov’s resignation letter to Metropolitan Jonah
      • Blessed letter from Metropolitan [Jonah] to the parishioners of the cathedral
    • Saint Metropolitan Theodosius (1461-1464)
      • 1462, January. — Teaching of Metropolitan Theodosius on the miracle of healing at the relics of St. Alexis of Moscow
      • The word is commendable to the holy supreme apostles Peter and Paul. Creation of Theodosius, Archbishop of All Rus'
      • 1462, August 4. — Desk letter of Metropolitan Theodosius to Hegumen Parthenius, rector of the monastery of the Archangel Michael in Suzdal 1464, April 4. — Desk letter of Metropolitan Theodosius to Metropolitan Joseph of Caesarea Philippi
      • *Message* [to former Metropolitan Theodosius]
    • Saint Metropolitan Philip I (1464-1473)
      • 1465 - Certificate of Metropolitan Philip to the rector of the Intercession Monastery “on Bogon”, Abbot Leo
      • 1467 - List of Dionysius Patriarch of Constantinople written to Moscow
      • [Life of Metropolitan Philip I]
  • CHAPTER II. STRENGTHENING THE PRINCE'S INFLUENCE ON CHURCH AFFAIRS. FIGHTING HERESY
    • Saint Metropolitan Gerontius (1473-1489)
      • 1480, November 13. - Conciliar message of the clergy of the Russian Church to Grand Duke John Vasilyevich on the Ugra
      • [Certificate of V.F. Sample given to Metropolitan Gerontius]
      • On the 27th day of the month of August, the presentation of the relics of His Holiness Metropolitans Theognostus, Cyprian, Photius, Jonah and Philip
      • The Legend of the Blessed and Right Reverend Saint Gerontius, Metropolitan of Moscow
      • Heresy of the Judaizers. Metropolitan Zosima (1490-1494)
      • Council verdict of 1490
    • Saint Metropolitan Simon (1495 - † 1511)
      • Letter from a monk deacon, prayer to the archbishop
      • 1501, February 1st. — The charter of Metropolitan Simon, given to the Venerable Cornelius of Komel
      • 1503, August 6. - Council resolution on the non-collection of bribes from clergy during ordination
      • 1503, September 12. — Conciliar resolution on widowed priests and deacons and on the prohibition for monks and nuns to live in the same monasteries
  • CHAPTER III. DESTRONED
    • Metropolitan Varlaam (1511-1521)
      • 1516, July. — Message from Patriarch Theoliptus of Constantinople to Metropolitan Varlaam on almsgiving
      • 1516-1517 — Message from the Athos Vatopedi Monastery of Hegumen Anthimius to Metropolitan Varlaam about the departure of the Svyatogorsk Elder Maxim the Greek with his companions to Moscow
      • 1516-1517 — Message from the Athos Panteleimon Monastery from Hegumen Paisius to Metropolitan Varlaam about almsgiving
    • Metropolitan Daniel (1522-1539)
      • 1537, May. — The order of Metropolitan Daniel, given to Bishop Dositheus of Sarsk and Podonsk and Archimandrite Philofey of Simonovsky about speeches to Prince Andrei Ioannovich Staritsky to summon him to Moscow and, in case of refusal, to condemn him to damnation
      • Message from Metropolitan Daniel
      • 1539, March 26. — Letter of renunciation of Metropolitan Daniel
    • Saint Metropolitan Joasaph (1539-1542)
      • 1526-1527 — An amorous journey of Mikhail Kuzmin Zubov and his son Andrei and the elders of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Sergius Kuzmin and Joasaph Skripitsin to the Zubov land of the village of Novy with the Trinity land of the village of Sknyatinov in the Kinel camp of the Pereyaslav district
      • 1548, November. — Correspondence of Metropolitans Macarius and Joasaph
      • From materials of the Stoglavy Cathedral
  • CHAPTER IV. THE FLOWING OF RUSSIAN CULTURE
    • Wonderworker Metropolitan Macarius (1542-1563)
      • 1547, January 16. — Congratulatory speech of Metropolitan Macarius to the newly crowned Tsar John IV
      • 1552, November. — Contribution entry of Metropolitan Macarius in the September Assumption Celebration Menea
      • 1555, August. — Certificate of Metropolitan Macarius to the Vilna Catholic Bishop Paul
      • On the 31st day of the month of December, a brief legend about the life and sojourn of our wonderful father Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, miracle worker.
      • The legend of the appearance of our reverend father Alexander of Svir, the miracle worker, and those like him in the saints of our father Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, when the church came to consecrate St. Nicholas
    • Metropolitan Afanasy (1564-1566)
      • 1564, February 2. - Cathedral charter on the white hood
      • Afterword of the Apostle, published in Moscow in 1564
      • 1564, September 29. — Letter of prayer from Metropolitan Athanasius to Bishop Matthew of Sarsk and Podonsk on the occasion of the war with Poland
  • CHAPTER V. ROYAL ARBITRARY
    • Wonderworker Metropolitan Philip II (1566-1568)
      • 1555, August 7. - Letter of Metropolitan Macarius to Veliky Novgorod
      • 1566, July 20. — Verdict on the election of Solovetsky Abbot Philip to the Moscow Metropolis
      • 1566 - Certificate of Metropolitan Philip to the Solovetsky Monastery
      • 1567, November 24. - Letter of prayer from Metropolitan Philip to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery on the occasion of the war with the Crimean Khan and the Polish King
    • Metropolitan Kirill III (1568-1572)
      • Letter of release from Metropolitan Kirill
      • 1571, March. — Certificate of Metropolitan Kirill to Patriarch Mitrofan of Constantinople
    • Metropolitan Anthony (1572-1581)
      • 1578 - Message from the pious Tsar and Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich and the entire consecrated Council to the great passion-bearer and confessor to the Grand Duke Mikhail of Chernigov and his boyar Fedor, who has the image of the Sits
      • 1575, December 20. - Letter of grant from Metropolitan Anthony to Saint Varlaam of Suzdal
      • 1580, December 27. — Certificate issued by Metropolitan Anthony
    • Metropolitan Dionysius II (1581-1586)
      • The rite of installation of Metropolitan Dionysius
      • 1581, August 1. - Certificate of Metropolitan Dionysius to Smolensk Bishop Sylvester
      • 1584, October 30. - Royal tarkhana letter to Metropolitan Dionysius for the settlement of Svyatoslavl
      • 1586, June 17. - Certificate of Metropolitan Dionysius for the construction of churches in the monastic villages of the Ipatiev Monastery
      • Life of Metropolitan Dionysius

Names of the Metropolitans of Kyiv from the baptism of Vladimirov

Conclusion

Some results of the study

Application

Ancient "horology"

List of abbreviations used in bibliographic references

Metropolitans of Moscow and All Rus'. The list of these primates begins in the 15th century and continues to the present day. The name “Moscow” indicates that the primates began their service in this very place. But all the papers were signed as “Metropolitan of All Rus'.”

1. Theodosius (Byvaltsev). Years of service - from May 3, 1461 to September 13, 1464. He was a talented church leader and publicist. Before he assumed the rank of metropolitan, he served as an archimandrite at the Chudov Monastery. But for the first time, the Moscow prince, independently, without the Patriarch of Constantinople, appointed him metropolitan. He served for only 4 years, then due to illness he was forced to resign. After this, Theodosius lived another 10 years and died in 1475.

2. Philip the first. Years of service - from November 11, 1464 to April 5, 1473. Was in charge for 10 years. It was during his reign that great church events took place. For example, the construction of the Assumption Cathedral. Canonized by the Orthodox Church.

3. Gerontius. Years of service - from June 29, 1473 to May 28, 1489. The time of his reign was characterized by numerous constructions of cathedrals. Canonized by the Russian Church.

4. Zosima (Bradaty). Served as metropolitan from 1490 to 1495. He became known for being suspected of heresy.

5. Simon. Years of presidency - from September 22, 1495 to April 30, 1511. Councils met many times under him, where very important church issues were resolved. But he quickly left the metropolis and died.

6. Varlaam. Years of service - from August 3, 1511 to December 18, 1521. He actively defended Theophanes the Greek, for which he fell out of favor and resigned. Then he was sent to the Spaso-Kamenny Monastery.

7. Daniel. Served from 1522 to 1539. Known for his literary works. But for supporting the mother of Ivan the Terrible, Elena Glinskaya, he was exiled to the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery.

8. Joasaph (Skripitsyn). Years of reign - from February 6, 1539 to January 1542. For his intercession on behalf of Prince Belsky, he was deposed and sent to the Kirillov Monastery.

9. Macarius. Years of service - from March 19, 1542 to December 31, 1563. Under him, many icons and frescoes were restored and updated, the Church of St. Nicholas was erected, and the first printing house was opened for the publication of church literature. Helped in the preparation of a new lord's code.

10. Afanasy. Years of reign - from March 5, 1564 to May 16, 1566. The author of famous works and a good icon painter. He refused to serve and became a monk at the Chudov Monastery.

11. German (Sadyrev-Polev). He was appointed metropolitan in July 1566. He is revered as a saint because he was killed by an oprichnik.

12. Philip II (Kolychev). Reigned from July 25, 1566 to November 4, 1568. He denounced the guardsmen of Ivan the Terrible. By decision of the church court, he was removed from service and exiled to a monastery in the Tver province. There he was killed by Malyuta Skuratov.

13. Kirill (III/IV). He was metropolitan from November 11, 1568 to February 8, 1572. He didn’t interfere in anything and didn’t do anything. He died and was buried in Moscow.

14. Anthony. He was ordained in May 1572. Little information has been preserved about his activities. It is known that the time in which he happened to be a metropolitan was very alarming. He retired in 1581.

15. Dionysius. Years in office - from 1581 to 1587. It is known that he was an intelligent, educated speaker who received the nickname “The Wise Grammar.” For denouncing Godunov's brother-in-law, he was imprisoned in the Khutyn Monastery.

16. Job. He was ordained on December 11, 1586. He supported Boris Godunov in everything. But after his death he did not want to support False Dmitry. For this, his patriarchal robes were torn off and he was sent into exile. Even after his restoration to the rank by Shuisky, Job no longer became a patriarch, since he was blind, and soon died.

Patriarchal period No. 1 (1589-1721)

  1. Patriarch Job. In the world Ivan. He was ordained on December 11, 1586. Considered the first Moscow patriarch. He supported Boris Godunov in everything. After his death, he did not want to support False Dmitry, for which the patriarch's clothes were torn off from him and he was sent into exile. After his restoration to the rank of Shuisky, Job no longer became a patriarch, since he was blind, and soon died.
  2. Patriarch Ignatius. He was elevated to the rank on June 30, 1605. He received his rank under False Dmitry 2. But after the change of power he was deprived of the throne in 1634.

  3. Hermogenes. Years of patriarchate - from June 3, 1606 to February 17, 1612. He was a patriarch in an era of troubled times. He was a man of outstanding intelligence and literacy. After his reign, many works remained. Hermogenes died of starvation in Polish captivity.

  4. Metropolitan Ephraim. He was the first to sign the letter of election of Mikhail Romanov as Tsar. Reigned from February 17, 1612 to December 26, 1613.
  5. Metropolitan Jonah. The period of presidency was from 1614 to 1619. He established himself as a cruel person, often taking rash steps in the board.

  6. Patriarch Filaret. Worldly name - Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, the father of the first tsar of the Romanov family. Together with his wife, he was forcibly tonsured a monk. He was primate from June 24, 1619 to October 1, 1633. He paid much attention to book printing. Conducted church reform.

  7. Joseph 1. Was primate from 1634 to 1640. He put the Russian Church in order. During his short reign, he built 3 temples and restored 5 churches.

  8. Joseph. 1642–1652 During his reign, a large number of saints were canonized and many books were published.

  9. Nikon, in the world Nikita Minin. Period of presidency: 1652–1666 He had the official title “Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'”. Conducted large-scale church reforms. Due to his Old Believer views, he was defrocked. He became a simple monk.

  10. Joasaph II. He was primate from 1667 to 1672. Helped publish works against schismatics.

  11. Patriarch Pitirim (1672–1673) baptized the future Emperor Peter 1.

  12. Patriarch Joachim. The period of presidency was from July 26, 1674 to March 17, 1690. Under him, new dioceses were established and liturgical books were published. He was against everything foreign.

  13. Patriarch Adrian. Reigned from 1690 to 1700. Under him, many important sermons and liturgical books were published.

  14. Stefan Yavorsky. He was not elected, but only served as guardian of the throne from 1700 to 1721.

Patriarchal period No. 2 (1917 to the present day)

  1. Patriarch Tikhon (Bellavin Vasily Ivanovich). He was appointed primate in 1917. Issued the famous "Appeal". Died in 1925.

  2. Metropolitan Peter. (Polyansky Petr Fedorovich). Period of presidency: 1925–1936 Almost immediately he was arrested, and during interrogation he said that he did not approve of the revolutionary system. Was shot.

  3. Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky Nikolai Ivanovich). Years of reign -1936–1943 I. He blessed everyone for the fight against fascism. Wrote a petition for clergy who came under repression.

  4. Patriarch Sergius (Stragorodsky Ivan Nikolaevich). Author of many church works and spiritual poems. He was primate from 1943 to 1944.

  5. Alexy 1 (Simansky Sergey Vladimirovich). Years of presidency: 1944–1970. Doctor of Theology, Candidate of Legal Sciences. He served as primate for the longest period - 25 years. Made the first pilgrimage to holy places. During his reign, many church affairs were accomplished that were of great importance for the state.
  6. Patriarch Alexy 2 (Ridiger Alexey Mikhailovich). Years of presidency: 1990–2008. Brings together the interests of the state and the church.

  7. Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev Vladimir Mikhailovich). From 2008 to 2009 - Patriarchal Locum Tenens, and from February 1, 2009 to the present, he is the Patriarch of All Rus'. Conducts extensive government and public activities. He united the state and the church.

All metropolitans of Moscow and all Rus' are listed here. The list of these primates is very detailed - with the years of their reign and the main deeds that were accomplished during their service.

Job(in the world John) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. On the initiative of Saint Job, transformations were carried out in the Russian Church, as a result of which 4 metropolises were included in the Moscow Patriarchate: Novgorod, Kazan, Rostov and Krutitsa; New dioceses were established, more than a dozen monasteries were founded.
Patriarch Job was the first to put the business of printing on a broad basis. With the blessing of Saint Job, 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.
During the Time of Troubles, Saint Job was actually the first to lead the Russians’ opposition to the Polish-Lithuanian invaders. On April 13, 1605, Patriarch Job, who refused to swear allegiance to False Dmitry I, was deposed and, having suffered many reproaches, was exiled to the Staritsa Monastery. After the overthrow of False Dmitry I, Saint Job was unable to to return to the First Hierarchal Throne, he blessed Metropolitan Hermogenes of Kazan to his place. Patriarch Job died peacefully on June 19, 1607. In 1652, under Patriarch Joseph, the incorrupt and fragrant relics of St. Job were transferred to Moscow and placed next to the tomb of Patriarch Joasaph (1634-1640). Many healings occurred from the relics of Saint Job.
His memory is celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church on April 5/18 and June 19/July 2.

Hermogenes(in the world Ermolai) (1530-1612) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. The patriarchate of St. Hermogenes coincided with the difficult times of the Time of Troubles. With special inspiration, His Holiness the Patriarch opposed the traitors and enemies of the Fatherland who wanted to enslave the Russian people, introduce Uniateism and Catholicism in Russia, and eradicate Orthodoxy.
Muscovites, under the leadership of Kozma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky, raised an uprising, in response to which the Poles set fire to the city and took refuge in the Kremlin. Together with the Russian traitors, they forcibly removed the holy Patriarch Hermogenes from the Patriarchal Throne and took him into custody in the Miracle Monastery.” Patriarch Hermogenes blessed the Russian people for their liberation feat.
Saint Hermogenes languished in severe captivity for more than nine months. On February 17, 1612, he died a martyr from hunger and thirst. The liberation of Russia, for which Saint Hermogenes stood with such indestructible courage, was successfully completed by the Russian people through his intercession.
The body of the Holy Martyr Hermogenes was buried with due honor in the Chudov Monastery. The holiness of the Patriarchal feat, as well as his personality as a whole, was illuminated from above later - during the opening in 1652 of the shrine containing the relics of the saint. 40 years after his death, Patriarch Hermogenes lay as if alive.
With the blessing of Saint Hermogenes, the service to the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was translated from Greek into Russian and the celebration of his memory was restored in the Assumption Cathedral. Under the supervision of the High Hierarch, new presses were made for printing liturgical books and a new printing house was built, which was damaged during the fire of 1611, when Moscow was set on fire by the Poles.
In 1913, the Russian Orthodox Church glorified Patriarch Hermogenes as a saint. His memory is celebrated on May 12/25 and February 17/March 1.

Filaret(Romanov Fedor Nikitich) (1554-1633) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', father of the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty. Under Tsar Theodore Ioannovich, a noble boyar, under Boris Godunov he fell into disgrace, was exiled to a monastery and tonsured a monk. In 1611, while on an embassy in Poland, he was captured. In 1619 he returned to Russia and until his death he was the de facto ruler of the country under his sick son, Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich.

Joasaph I- Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, notifying the four Ecumenical Patriarchs of the death of his father, also wrote that “Pskov Archbishop Joasaph, a prudent, truthful, reverent man and taught all virtue, was elected and installed Patriarch of the Great Russian Church as Patriarch.” Patriarch Joasaph I was elevated to the chair of the Moscow Patriarch by with the blessing of Patriarch Filaret, who himself designated a successor.
He continued the publishing works of his predecessors, doing a great job of collating and correcting liturgical books. During the relatively short reign of Patriarch Joasaph, 3 monasteries were founded and 5 previous ones were restored.

Joseph- Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Strict adherence to church statutes and laws became a characteristic feature of the ministry of Patriarch Joseph. In 1646, before the onset of Lent, Patriarch Joseph sent out a district order to the entire clergy and all Orthodox Christians to observe the upcoming fast in purity. This district message of Patriarch Joseph, as well as the tsar’s decree of 1647 banning work on Sundays and holidays and limiting trade on these days, contributed to the strengthening of faith among the people.
Patriarch Joseph paid great attention to the cause of spiritual enlightenment. With his blessing, a theological school was founded in Moscow at the St. Andrew's Monastery in 1648. Under Patriarch Joseph, as well as under his predecessors, liturgical and church teaching books were published throughout Russia. In total, under Patriarch Joseph, over 10 years, 36 book titles were published, of which 14 had not been published previously in Rus'. During the years of Patriarchate Joseph, the relics of the holy saints of God were repeatedly discovered and miraculous icons were glorified.
The name of Patriarch Joseph will forever remain on the tablets of history due to the fact that it was this archpastor who managed to take the first steps towards the reunification of Ukraine (Little Russia) with Russia, although the reunification itself took place in 1654 after the death of Joseph under Patriarch Nikon.

Nikon(in the world Nikita Minich Minin) (1605-1681) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' since 1652. The Patriarchate of Nikon constituted an entire era in the history of the Russian Church. Like Patriarch Philaret, he had the title of “Great Sovereign,” which he received in the first years of his Patriarchate due to the special favor of the Tsar towards him. He took part in solving almost all national affairs. In particular, with the active assistance of Patriarch Nikon, the historical reunification of Ukraine with Russia took place in 1654. The lands of Kievan Rus, once seized by Polish-Lithuanian magnates, became part of the Moscow state. This soon led to the return of the original Orthodox dioceses of Southwestern Rus' to the bosom of the Mother - the Russian Church. Soon Belarus was reunited with Russia. The title of the Patriarch of Moscow “Great Sovereign” was supplemented by the title “Patriarch of All Great and Little and White Russia”.
But Patriarch Nikon showed himself to be especially zealous as a church reformer. In addition to streamlining the divine service, he replaced the two-fingered sign with the three-fingered one during the sign of the cross, and corrected the liturgical books according to Greek models, which is his immortal, great service to the Russian Church. However, the church reforms of Patriarch Nikon gave rise to the Old Believer schism, the consequences of which darkened the life of the Russian Church for several centuries.
The high priest encouraged church construction in every possible way; he himself was one of the best architects of his time. Under Patriarch Nikon, the richest monasteries of Orthodox Rus' were built: Resurrection Monastery near Moscow, called the “New Jerusalem”, Iversky Svyatoozersky in Valdai and Krestny Kiyostrovsky in Onega Bay. But Patriarch Nikon considered the main foundation of the earthly Church to be the height of the personal life of the clergy and monasticism. Throughout his life, Patriarch Nikon never ceased to strive for knowledge and learn something. He collected a rich library. Patriarch Nikon studied Greek, studied medicine, painted icons, mastered the skill of making tiles... Patriarch Nikon strove to create Holy Rus' - a new Israel. Preserving a living, creative Orthodoxy, he wanted to create an enlightened Orthodox culture and learned it from the Orthodox East. But some of the measures carried out by Patriarch Nikon infringed on the interests of the boyars and they slandered the Patriarch before the Tsar. By the decision of the Council, he was deprived of the Patriarchate and sent to prison: first to Ferapontov, and then, in 1676, to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. At the same time, however, the church reforms he carried out were not only not canceled, but received approval.
The deposed Patriarch Nikon remained in exile for 15 years. Before his death, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich asked Patriarch Nikon for forgiveness in his will. The new Tsar Theodore Alekseevich decided to return Patriarch Nikon to his rank and asked him to return to the Resurrection Monastery he founded. On the way to this monastery, Patriarch Nikon peacefully departed to the Lord, surrounded by manifestations of the great love of the people and his disciples. Patriarch Nikon was buried with due honors in the Resurrection Cathedral of the New Jerusalem Monastery. In September 1682, letters from all four Eastern Patriarchs were delivered to Moscow, releasing Nikon from all punishments and restoring him to the rank of Patriarch of All Rus'.

Joasaph II- Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. The Great Moscow Council of 1666-1667, which condemned and deposed Patriarch Nikon and anathematized the Old Believers as heretics, elected a new Primate of the Russian Church. Archimandrite Joasaph of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra became the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
Patriarch Joasaph paid very significant attention to missionary activity, especially on the outskirts of the Russian state, which were just beginning to be developed: in the Far North and Eastern Siberia, especially in Transbaikalia and the Amur basin, along the border with China. In particular, with the blessing of Joasaph II, the Spassky Monastery was founded near the Chinese border in 1671.
The great merit of Patriarch Joasaph in the field of healing and intensifying the pastoral activity of the Russian clergy should be recognized as the decisive actions he took aimed at restoring the tradition of delivering a sermon during the service, which by that time had almost died out in Rus'.
During the patriarchate of Joasaph II, extensive book publishing activities continued in the Russian Church. During the short period of the primacy of Patriarch Joasaph, not only numerous liturgical books were printed, but also many publications of doctrinal content. Already in 1667, “The Tale of the Conciliar Acts” and “The Rod of Government,” written by Simeon of Polotsk to expose the Old Believer schism, were published, then the “Big Catechism” and “Small Catechism” were published.

Pitirim- Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Patriarch Pitirim accepted the rank of First Hierarch at a very old age and ruled the Russian Church for only about 10 months, until his death in 1673. He was a close associate of Patriarch Nikon and after his deposition became one of the contenders for the Throne, but he was elected only after the death of Patriarch Joasaph II.
On July 7, 1672, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, Metropolitan Pitirim of Novgorod was elevated to the Patriarchal Throne; already very ill, Metropolitan Joachim was called to administrative affairs.
After a ten-month, unremarkable patriarchate, he died on April 19, 1673.

Joachim(Savelov-First Ivan Petrovich) - Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Due to the illness of Patriarch Pitirim, Metropolitan Joachim was involved in the affairs of the Patriarchal administration, and on July 26, 1674 he was elevated to the Primate See.
His efforts were aimed at fighting against foreign influence on Russian society.
The High Hierarch was distinguished by his zeal for the strict fulfillment of church canons. He revised the rites of the liturgy of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom, and eliminated some inconsistencies in liturgical practice. In addition, Patriarch Joachim corrected and published the Typicon, which is still used in the Russian Orthodox Church almost unchanged.
In 1678, Patriarch Joachim expanded the number of almshouses in Moscow, supported by church funds.
With the blessing of Patriarch Joachim, a theological school was founded in Moscow, which laid the foundation for the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, which in 1814 was transformed into the Moscow Theological Academy.
In the field of public administration, Patriarch Joachim also showed himself to be an energetic and consistent politician, actively supporting Peter I after the death of Tsar Theodore Alekseevich.

Adrian(in the world? Andrey) (1627-1700) – Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' since 1690. On August 24, 1690, Metropolitan Adrian was elevated to the All-Russian Patriarchal Throne. In his speech during the enthronement, Patriarch Adrian called on the Orthodox to keep the canons intact, maintain peace, and protect the Church from heresies. In the “District Message” and “Admonition” to the flock, consisting of 24 points, Patriarch Adrian gave spiritually useful instructions to each of the classes. He did not like barbering, smoking, the abolition of Russian national clothing and other similar everyday innovations of Peter I. Patriarch Adrian understood and understood the useful and truly important initiatives of the Tsar, aimed at the good dispensation of the Fatherland (building a fleet, military and socio-economic transformations). supported.

Stefan Jaworski(Yavorsky Simeon Ivanovich) - Metropolitan of Ryazan and Murom, patriarchal locum tenens of the Moscow throne.
He studied at the famous Kiev-Mohyla Collegium, the center of southern Russian education at that time. In which he studied until 1684. To enter the Jesuit school, Yavorsky, like his other contemporaries, converted to Catholicism. In southwest Russia this was commonplace.
Stefan studied philosophy in Lviv and Lublin, and then theology in Vilna and Poznan. In Polish schools he became thoroughly acquainted with Catholic theology and acquired a hostile attitude towards Protestantism.
In 1689, Stefan returned to Kyiv, repented of his renunciation of the Orthodox Church and was accepted back into its fold.
In the same year he became a monk and underwent monastic obedience at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.
At the Kyiv College he worked his way up from a teacher to a professor of theology.
Stefan became a famous preacher and in 1697 was appointed abbot of the St. Nicholas Desert Monastery, which was then located outside of Kyiv.
After a sermon delivered on the occasion of the death of the royal governor A.S. Shein, which was noted by Peter I, he was ordained a bishop and appointed Metropolitan of Ryazan and Murom.
On December 16, 1701, after the death of Patriarch Adrian, by order of the Tsar, Stefan was appointed locum tenens of the patriarchal throne.
Stephen's church and administrative activities were insignificant; the power of the locum tenens, compared with the patriarch, was limited by Peter I. In spiritual matters, in most cases, Stephen had to confer with the council of bishops.
Peter I kept him with him until his death, carrying out under his sometimes forced blessing all the reforms that were unpleasant for Stephen. Metropolitan Stephen did not have the strength to openly break with the tsar, and at the same time he could not come to terms with what was happening.
In 1718, during the trial of Tsarevich Alexei, Tsar Peter I ordered Metropolitan Stephen to come to St. Petersburg and did not allow him to leave until his death, thereby depriving him of even that insignificant power that he partially enjoyed.
In 1721 the Synod was opened. The Tsar appointed Metropolitan Stefan as President of the Synod, who was least sympathetic to this institution than anyone else. Stefan refused to sign the protocols of the Synod, did not attend its meetings and had no influence on synodal affairs. The tsar, obviously, kept him only in order, using his name, to give a certain sanction to the new institution. During his entire stay in the Synod, Metropolitan Stephen was under investigation for political matters as a result of constant slander against him.
Metropolitan Stefan died on November 27, 1722 in Moscow, on Lubyanka, in the Ryazan courtyard. On the same day, his body was taken to the Trinity Church at the Ryazan courtyard, where it stood until December 19, that is, until the arrival of Emperor Peter I and members of the Holy Synod in Moscow. On December 20, the funeral service for Metropolitan Stephen took place in the Church of the Assumption of the Most Pure Mother of God, called Grebnevskaya.

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. 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)
Patriarch Tikhon aroused the hatred of representatives of the new government, who 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. 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.

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, Agathangel or Peter were to become locum tenens. Since Metropolitans Kirill and Agathangel were in exile, Metropolitan Peter of Krutitsky became the locum tenens. As a locum tenens he provided great assistance to prisoners and exiles, especially clergy. Vladyka Peter resolutely opposed renewal. He refused to make a call for loyalty to the Soviet regime. Endless prisons and concentration camps began. During interrogation in December 1925, he stated that the Church could not approve of the revolution: “The social revolution is built on blood and fratricide, which the Church cannot admit.”
He refused to relinquish the title of patriarchal locum tenens, despite threats to extend his prison sentence. In 1931, he rejected the offer of the security officer Tuchkov to sign an agreement to cooperate with the authorities as an informant.
At the end of 1936, the Patriarchate received false information about the death of Patriarchal Locum Tenens Peter, as a result of which on December 27, 1936, Metropolitan Sergius assumed the title of Patriarchal Locum Tenens. In 1937, a new criminal case was opened against Metropolitan Peter. On October 2, 1937, the NKVD troika in the Chelyabinsk region sentenced him to death. On October 10 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon he was shot. The burial place remains unknown. Glorified as New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia by the Council of Bishops in 1997.

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 primate 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 emigrants. In 1943, at the turning point of the Great Patriotic War, the government decided to restore the patriarchate, and at the Local Council Sergius was elected Patriarch. He took an active patriotic position, called on all Orthodox Christians to tirelessly pray for victory, and organized a fundraiser to help the army.

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.

The content of the article

PATRIARCHES OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. In 1453, the great Orthodox empire, Byzantium, fell under the blows of the Turks. The Muscovite kingdom, on the contrary, remaining the only independent Orthodox power, acquired the authority of a stronghold of the Orthodox faith. The once powerful Church of Constantinople quickly lost its power and fell into decay. Its authority in Moscow was finally undermined by the conclusion by the Greeks of a union with the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Florence ( cm. UNIA). Distrust of the Greeks and doubts about their Orthodoxy led to the fact that Russian bishops decided in 1480 not to admit Greeks to episcopal sees. Russian bishops no longer went to Constantinople to ask for the blessing of the patriarch for elevation to the metropolitan rank and were installed in Moscow. In fact, the Russian Church gained complete independence, however, according to the canons of the ancient church, the real independence of the church, headed by the patriarch, is possible only if there is an institution of the kingdom accompanying the priesthood. When Ivan IV was crowned king in 1547 according to the Byzantine rite, the last formal obstacle was removed.

The implementation of this idea took place during the reign of Ivan IV’s son, Fyodor Ivanovich. In 1586, Patriarch Joachim of Antioch came to Moscow for royal alms. Deciding to take advantage of the circumstances of this visit, the tsar declared in the Duma that he wanted to establish “the highest patriarchal throne” in Moscow. Patriarch Joachim volunteered to bring the king’s desire to the attention of the Greek Church, so that when establishing a new patriarchate, the canonical rules, which provided for the participation of all eastern patriarchs, would be observed. In 1588, Patriarch Jeremiah of Constantinople arrived in Russia. The tsar expected that he would bring with him the resolution of the ecumenical council on the establishment of the patriarchate in the Russian state, but at the very first audience it turned out that the main purpose of the visit was to receive financial assistance. Then it was decided to detain the patriarch in Moscow and force him to bless the establishment of the Moscow patriarchal throne. Jeremiah was offered to become the Patriarch of Russia, stipulating that he would not live under the sovereign in Moscow, but in ancient Vladimir, and thus the Russian metropolitan would remain the de facto head of the church. As expected, Jeremiah rejected such a humiliating offer. He also refused to appoint any of the Russian metropolitans as patriarch. Then the Greek was made to understand that he would not be released from Moscow until he conceded. On January 26, 1589, Jeremiah elevated Metropolitan Job to the patriarchal throne, whose candidacy was proposed to the Tsar by Boris Godunov. After this, the Greeks were released from Moscow, having given them rich gifts.

Two years later, Moscow received a letter signed by three patriarchs, 42 metropolitans and 20 bishops, approving the patriarchate in Russia. Recent research has shown that most of the signatures were not genuine. Apparently, the Patriarchate of Constantinople, interested in receiving material support from the Russian Tsar, hastened to confirm the act of the Moscow Council, and therefore the signatures of some patriarchs were reproduced, who were unable, for one reason or another, to sign the letter in person. From now on, the Patriarch of Moscow was to occupy fifth place (after the Patriarch of Jerusalem) and was appointed by a council of Russian bishops. Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich was extremely dissatisfied with the latter circumstance and sent a letter to Constantinople, in which he reminded of the promised third place, after the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Alexandria. However, on this issue the Ecumenical Council remained adamant and in 1593 confirmed its decision on the fifth place of the Moscow Patriarch. All the signatures of the hierarchs on the charter of this cathedral are authentic.

The founding of the patriarchate was an important milestone in the history of the Russian Church. The transformation of the Moscow Metropolis into a patriarchate consolidated the fact of the independence of the Russian Church in the norms of canon law and significantly strengthened the influence of the Russian Church in the international arena. From now on, the ritual of ordination to the rank of Patriarch of Moscow took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Election of the Patriarch.

The order of delivery was as follows. On behalf of the tsar or the guardian of the patriarchal throne, letters were sent to all the highest church hierarchs and abbots of the most significant monasteries, notifying them of the death of the saint and inviting them to Moscow to elect a new patriarch. On the appointed day, all those invited were to appear in the Kremlin in the Golden Chamber, where the Tsar opened the cathedral. The patriarch was elected by lot. The king named six candidates. Papers with their names were doused in wax in the presence of the Tsar, sealed with the Tsar's seal and sent to the church where the Council of Bishops met. The lots were placed on the panagia (breast icon of the Mother of God, a sign of the episcopal rank) of the deceased patriarch and were taken out one by one until the last one remained. This lot was handed over unopened to the king, who opened it and named the name of the new patriarch.

In a liturgical sense, the patriarch received certain advantages. During ceremonial exits, not only a cross, but also candles were carried in front of him. Entering the temple, he put on liturgical clothes in the middle of the church, and while in the altar, he sat on a high place and gave communion to the bishops from his own hands. The high priest's vestments were also somewhat different. Like the Metropolitan, he wore a white hood, but the patriarch's headdress was decorated with a cross or cherubs. The patriarchal miter had a cross at the top. Over the priestly vestments, the patriarch was supposed to wear a colored robe.

The introduction of the patriarchate in Russia was accompanied by a reform of the church structure, which was due to the need to bring it into line with that established in the eastern patriarchates. The Church was divided into metropolitan districts, which included several dioceses. All hierarchs in their dioceses were equal and subordinate to the patriarch, as before to the metropolitan.

Job (d. 1607)

He actively began to implement the conciliar decisions, but he did not manage to implement all the decisions. The time of Job's patriarchate was marked by the establishment of several new church holidays in honor of Russian saints (St. Basil, Cornelius of Komel, Roman Ugletsky, Joseph of Volotsky, etc.). The patriarch worked hard and effectively to preserve Orthodoxy among the newly baptized Tatars, in poverty-stricken Georgia, and in the conquered lands of Siberia and Karelia. Despite the fact that Job was actually Boris Godunov’s protege and subsequently contributed greatly to his ascension to the throne, he greatly valued Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich and was extremely devoted to him. After the death of the sovereign, the patriarch compiled his life, glorifying the meek disposition and mercy of the king. When the first False Dmitry appeared on the historical stage, Patriarch Job firmly opposed him. He anathematized him and in his messages proved that False Dmitry was none other than the runaway Miracle monk Grishka Otrepiev. Having taken the Russian throne, the impostor removed Job from the patriarchate and sent him to Staritsa. The procedure for depriving Job of his dignity was reminiscent of the removal of Philip from the metropolitan throne by Ivan the Terrible. Job died in Staritsa on June 19, 1607.

In 1605, False Dmitry, despite the fact that Job formally remained the head of the Russian Church, independently elected a new patriarch. He became Archbishop Ignatius of Ryazan, a Greek by birth, who before coming to Russia occupied the episcopal see in Cyprus. He recognized False Dmitry as prince and was loyal to Latinism (Catholicism). After the overthrow of False Dmitry, Ignatius was defrocked and exiled to the Chudov Monastery.

Hermogenes (1606–1612)

Metropolitan Hermogenes of Kazan, who under False Dmitry was a member of the Senate established by the Tsar and most consistently opposed his pro-Catholic policies, was elected as the new patriarch. Despite the fact that discord soon emerged in the relations of the new patriarch with the boyar tsar Vasily Shuisky, Hermogenes supported him in every possible way as a crowned tsar. In 1609, when the boyars, dissatisfied with Shuisky, seized Hermogenes and at the place of execution demanded his consent to change the king, the patriarch defended Vasily Shuisky. During the Time of Troubles, the patriarch remained one of the few statesmen who remained faithful to Orthodoxy and the national idea. When trying to elevate Prince Vladislav to the Russian throne, Hermogenes made it an indispensable condition for Vladislav to accept the Orthodox faith and protested against the entry of the Polish army into Moscow. From the Kremlin, he sent letters to Russian cities, in which he blessed the militia units that were being formed there. The Poles put the patriarch into custody and imprisoned him in the Chudov Monastery, where he suffered a painful death from hunger. Patriarch Hermogenes is canonized. Cm. HERMOGENES, ST.

Filaret (1619–1634)

From the moment of the death of Hermogenes (1612), for seven years the Russian Church remained without a patriarch. In 1619, Metropolitan Filaret, the father of the newly elected Tsar Mikhail Romanov, returned from Polish captivity. Mikhail elevated his father to the rank of patriarch. Patriarch Theophan IV, who was then in the capital of Jerusalem, elevated him to the rank of Patriarch of Moscow. The accession of Mikhail Romanov and the enthronement of the patriarch marked the restoration of Russian statehood. The power of the patriarch under Mikhail Romanov reached unprecedented heights, but it was during this period that the consonant actions of the tsar and the patriarch, connected by blood ties, most fully corresponded to the ideal ideas about the “symphony” of the kingdom and the priesthood. As the father of the tsar and his de facto co-ruler, Filaret was called the “great sovereign” and took an active part in state affairs. From Polish captivity, Filaret brought out a firm conviction about the inadmissibility of union for the Russian Church and during the years of his patriarchate he made a lot of efforts to protect Russia from Western religious influences. At the same time, Filaret closely followed the development of theological literature in neighboring countries and hatched plans to create a Greek-Latin school and printing house in Moscow. Worried that the unlimited power he had acquired in the future could be identified with the patriarchal rank and this would introduce complications into the relationship between the successors to the throne and the high priestly throne, he himself chose as his successor the Pskov Archbishop Joasaph, whose main virtue was “insolent” loyalty to to the king. Cm. FILARET.

Joasaph (1634–1640)

no longer occupied such a high position as belonged to the tsar’s father, Patriarch Filaret, and did not bear the title of great sovereign.

Joseph (1640–1652)

After Joasaph, Joseph took the patriarchal see. Under him, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued Code, aimed at reducing the role of the church hierarchy and the patriarch in government. The Patriarch humbly accepted the document.

Nikon (1652–1666)

Patriarchal power again achieved its former power under Patriarch Nikon. Born into a peasant family, Nikon (in the world Nikita Minov) made a dizzying career from a village priest to the head of the Russian Church and the “lover” and “companion” of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. At first, Nikon imagined the relationship between royal and patriarchal power in the general structure of state life as a co-government of two equal forces. Trusting the patriarch, the tsar left the appointment of bishops and archimandrites at his complete discretion. The will of the patriarch was the final authority in all church matters. The monastic order, which previously limited the judicial power of the patriarch, was inactive under Alexei Mikhailovich. During the Polish-Lithuanian campaigns, Nikon remained the king's deputy. The most important documents were sent to him for signature, in which, with the consent of the tsar, the patriarch was called, as Filaret once was, a great sovereign. Gradually, contradictions emerged in the relationship between the young tsar and the patriarch, primarily due to the fact that Nikon tried to place the patriarchal power above the royal one. Disagreements led to Nikon voluntarily leaving the patriarchal throne in the hope that he would be asked to return. However, this did not happen. After a long period of doubts and hesitations, in 1666 the Council of Bishops, which was attended by the Patriarchs of Antioch and Jerusalem, deposed Nikon, who had voluntarily left the see, and deprived him of his bishopric and priesthood. Alexei Mikhailovich himself acted as the accuser at the council. The “competition” between the patriarch and the tsar for primacy in power, unprecedented in Russian history, led to the fact that in the future the policy of the sovereigns was aimed at limiting the power of the high priest. Already the Council of 1666–1667 paid special attention to the relationship between state and spiritual authorities. The Council decided that the king had primacy in worldly affairs. The spiritual life of the state was given to the patriarch. The resolution of the Council that the patriarch is not the sole ruler of the church organization, but only the first among equal bishops, was dictated by the sharply negative attitude of the bishops to Nikon’s attempt to demand for himself the special status of the patriarch as the highest and not subject to anyone’s jurisdiction. Cm. NIKON.

Joasaph II (1667–1673).

At the end of the Council, they elected a new patriarch, the quiet and modest Joasaph II. From this moment on, the patriarchate begins to lose the state significance that it previously had.

Pitirim (1673), Joachim (1673–1690), Adrian (1690–1700)

occupied the patriarchal throne after Joasaph II. These were patriarchs who did not interfere in state politics, aiming to preserve at least some of the privileges of the clergy, which were consistently attacked by state power. In particular, Joachim managed to achieve the closure of the monastery order. Patriarchs of the second half of the 17th century. They did not welcome Russia’s rapprochement with the West and tried in every possible way to limit the growing influence of foreigners on Russian life and culture. However, they were no longer able to really resist the power of the young Tsar Peter Alekseevich. At the beginning of his patriarchate, the last patriarch Adrian enjoyed the support of the tsar's mother, Natalya Kirillovna, who, in turn, had influence on her son. After her death in 1694, the conflict between the patriarch and the tsar became inevitable. The beginning of their open confrontation was Adrian’s refusal to forcibly tonsure Evdokia Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter Alekseevich, into a nun, and its culmination was the tsar’s public insult of the patriarch, who came to him as an intercessor for the Streltsy sentenced to execution. Peter expelled the high priest in disgrace, thus destroying the ancient custom of the patriarch grieving for the condemned. Consistently pursuing a policy of undermining the authority and power of the church, in 1700 the tsar ordered the preparation of a new code that would destroy all its privileges.

Abolition of the patriarchate.

After the death of Adrian, the tsar, by his will, placed the Ryazan Metropolitan Stefan Yavorsky at the head of the administration of the church with the title of locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, effectively abolishing the institution of the patriarchate. Peter viewed the church exclusively as a governmental institution, so he subsequently replaced the power of the patriarch with the Spiritual College (the Holy Governing Synod), turning the church into one of the state departments that were under the constant control of the monarch. Until 1917, the Holy Synod remained the highest church and government institution in Russia. Cm. JOAKIM.

Restoration of the patriarchate in Russia.

A new era in the history of the Russian patriarchate began in 1917. After the February Revolution, the Holy Synod addressed the archpastors and pastors of Russia with a message, which stated that with the changed political system, “the Russian Orthodox Church can no longer remain with those orders that have outlived their time.” " The main issue in the planned reorganization was the restoration of the ancient form of church governance. By the decision of the Synod, the Local Council of 1917–1918 was convened, which restored the patriarchate. The cathedral opened on the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary and was the longest lasting in the history of the Russian Church.

Tikhon (1917–1925)

On October 31, 1917, elections were held for three candidates for the patriarchal throne: Archbishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kharkov, Archbishop Arseny (Stadnitsky) of Novgorod and Metropolitan Tikhon (Belavin) of Moscow. On November 5, 1917, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, after the Divine Liturgy and prayer service, Elder Alexy of the Zosimov Hermitage drew lots, and the name of the new patriarch was announced, who became Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow.

In accordance with church canons, the Local Council of 1917–1918 granted the patriarch the right to convene church councils and preside over them, communicate with other autocephalous churches on issues of church life, take care of the timely replacement of episcopal sees and bring guilty bishops to church court. The local council also adopted a document on the legal position of the church in the state system. However, the October Revolution of 1917 entailed fundamental changes in the relationship between the church and the new atheistic state of the Soviets. By decree of the Council of People's Commissars the church was separated from the state, which was regarded by the council as the beginning of persecution of the church.

Patriarch Tikhon occupied the cathedral during a difficult period for the Russian Orthodox Church. The main direction of his activity was the search for a way to establish relations between the church and the Bolshevik state. Tikhon defended the right of the church to remain the One Catholic and Apostolic Church, emphasizing that it should be neither “white” nor “red.” The most important document aimed at normalizing the position of the Russian Church was Appeal Patriarch Tikhon dated March 25, 1925, in which he called on the flock to understand that “the destinies of nations are arranged by the Lord,” and to accept the advent of Soviet power as an expression of the will of God.

Despite all the efforts of the patriarch, an unprecedented wave of repression hit the church hierarchy and the believing people. By the outbreak of World War II, the church structure throughout the country was almost destroyed. After Tikhon's death, there could be no talk of convening a council to elect a new patriarch, since the church existed in a semi-legal position, and most of the hierarchs were in exile and imprisonment.

Sergius (d. 1944)

According to the will of the saint, Metropolitan Peter (Polyansky) of Krutitsky took over the management of the Church as the patriarchal locum tenens. Then this feat was taken upon by Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) of Nizhny Novgorod, who called himself the deputy of the patriarchal locum tenens. The official act of transferring the duties of locum tenens to him took place only in 1936, when the news of the death of Metropolitan Peter (who was shot in 1937) arrived, which later turned out to be false. Nevertheless, in 1941, on the very first day of the war with Nazi Germany, Metropolitan Sergius wrote a message to his flock, in which he blessed the believers to defend the Motherland and called on everyone to help the country’s defense. The danger looming over the country prompted the Soviet state, led by Stalin, to change its policy towards the church. Churches were opened for worship, many clergy, including bishops, were released from the camps. On December 4, 1943, Stalin received the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius, as well as Metropolitans Alexy (Simansky) and Nikolai (Yarushevich). During the conversation, Metropolitan Sergius announced the church’s desire to convene a council to elect a patriarch. The head of government said that there would be no obstacles on his part. The Council of Bishops took place in Moscow on September 8, 1943, and on September 12 the newly elected Patriarch Sergius was enthroned. Cm. SERGY.

Alexy I (1945–1970)

In 1944, the high priest of the Russian Church died. In 1945, the Moscow Council elected Metropolitan Alexy (Simansky) as Patriarch. At the same council it was decided Regulations on the management of the Russian Orthodox Church, which finally legalized the institution of the church and streamlined the relationship between the church and the Soviet state. During Alexy's patriarchate, relations between the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and other autocephalous churches were restored, and the publishing activities of the Moscow Patriarchate were resumed, but during his presidency there was a difficult period of new persecution of the church under N.S. Khrushchev. Cm. ALEXIY I.

Pimen (1970–1990)

After the death of Alexy (1970), Metropolitan Pimen of Krutitsky and Kolomna was elevated to the rank of patriarch. During the patriarchate of Pimen in 1988, under the conditions of “perestroika,” the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus' took place. The celebrations dedicated to this event took on a nationwide character and marked the onset of a new era in the history of the Russian Church, which, after a long period of direct and hidden persecution, found hope for freedom. Cm. PIMEN.

Alexy II (1990–2009)

Since 1990, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church has been Patriarch Alexy II - the fifteenth patriarch from the beginning of the patriarchate, whose activities were aimed at reviving and strengthening the traditions of church life in the context of the beginning of the process of democratization of society. Cm. ALEXI II.

Kirill (2009)

In 2009, by the decision of the Local Council, the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, was elected Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church - the sixteenth Patriarch from the beginning of the Patriarchate.

Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev Vladimir) is the bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, and also after the elections in 2009 by the Local Council - the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', chairman of the DECR and permanent member of the Holy Synod. Before his enthronement, he held the position of Metropolitan of the Smolensk and Kaliningrad churches.

Born in the fall of 1946 in Leningrad. In high school I combined study with work. After completing his studies, he entered the clergy seminary.

At the end of the 60s he took monastic vows, and a year later he graduated with honors from the Academy of the Clergy. Two years later he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and during the same period became a representative of the capital Patriarchate in Geneva.

In the mid-70s, he was elevated to the rank of bishop of the Vyborg diocese, and subsequently assumed the office of archbishop. Since the early 90s, he has been chairman of the commission of the Holy Synod, and a year later he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan.

At the beginning of 2009, he became a candidate for the post of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', and two days later he won the vote with 75% of the votes.

A significant event in 2016 was his meeting with Pope Francis, which took place on neutral territory in Havana.

Family

His mother worked as a foreign language teacher, and his father as a chief mechanic at a factory, but in the end he decided to take the rank of clergy. My grandfather was also close to the Orthodox faith and fought against the destruction of churches during Soviet times.

The elder brother, Nikolai, holds the position of archpriest and is the rector of one of the cathedrals, worked as a professor at the academy of the clergy. The younger sister, Irina, works as a director in a gymnasium with Orthodox education.

Where does Patriarch Kirill live?

The main residence is considered to be an estate located in the village of Peredelkino. On a plot of two and a half hectares there is a main three-story building and adjacent separate buildings, including: personal apartments, reception rooms, a house church, a hotel, household premises and a health complex, as well as a parking lot and a food storage box.

In addition, on the territory there is a pond and a park area with sculptures and household appliances. buildings for domestic purposes.

The estate itself is furnished with luxury interior items brought from Italy, and the facade of the building is reminiscent of the Terem Palace in the Kremlin.

The DECR chairman travels a lot around Russian cities and conducts educational activities, so he does not have a permanent place of residence. The main places where he stops are considered to be: the St. Daniel Monastery, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, residences on Valaam and in Chisty Lane for work meetings, as well as several mansions: on Solovki, in Trinity-Lykovo and on Rublyovka.

Several years ago in Gelendzhik, in the village of Praskoveevka, on an area of ​​just over 16 hectares, construction began on the Spiritual Educational Center at the Russian Orthodox Church. This construction was covered differently by different media.

According to some reports, meetings and sessions of the Holy Synod will be held here, for whose members living quarters are also being built. In addition, this center will conduct educational work with young people and receive Primates and delegations from other churches.

According to other reports, this estate will largely serve as a summer residence and is being built primarily for the patriarch’s summer vacation.

Apartment of Patriarch Kirill

While still a metropolitan, he lived for a long time in Serebryany Bor in a small wooden house. The area of ​​the land is about seven thousand square meters. On the territory there are outbuildings and buildings for educational and church activities, but the main house is small and already quite dilapidated.

During this period, President Boris Yeltsin and his entourage decided to improve living conditions and presented the clergyman with a five-room apartment measuring 140 square meters. meters. The living space is located in the famous “House on the Embankment” at 2 Serafimovicha Street.

He does not live here and never has lived. Initially, the donated property was in very poor condition and unsuitable for habitation. Over time, the apartment was put in order and a collection of rare books, which Kirill’s father began collecting back in Soviet times, was moved here for storage.

The apartment is located on the top floor of the building and has a magnificent view of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. This is the only real estate officially owned by Vladimir Gundyaev.

According to CIAN, the apartments at Serafimovicha, 2 are more than 100 square meters in size. meters cost from 95 to 300 million rubles.