Russia, Moscow, 1900-1999, 20th Century Folder, Bolsheviks, Revolution, Living Progressive Church.kmz

Russia, Moscow, 1900-1999, 20th Century Folder, Bolsheviks, Revolution, Living Progressive Church

Russia, Moscow, 1901-1937, New Hieromrtr Alexis, opposed Living Church in Communist Russia, martyr w Elias
Russia, Moscow, 1901-1937, New Hieromrtr Alexis, resisted Living Church in Communist Russia, 1917-1943, strongly opposed Living Church, arrested exiled 4times, Martyred wElias; New Hieromartyr Alexis (Benemanskii) of Tver, Commemorated on November 22; January 6, 1881 in the Tver region, the New Martyr Alexis Constantinovich Benemanskii was a priest of the Diocese of Tver, Russia, during the early 1900s. widely opposed the Living Church, which had been set up in the 1920s by the Soviet state to challenge the legitimacy of the Patriarchate of Moscow and, initially, Saint Tikhon himself. was tenacious in defending the canonical Church against the "renovationists," as proponents of the Living Church were called, and was unwilling to sacrifice his principles. the years, he had been arrested four times and imprisoned or exiled. December 4/November 21, 1937, he was arrested again, together with his coworker Archpriest Elias Gromoglasov, and martyred the following day, been accused of taking part in fictitious counter-revolutionary activities allegedly organized by the New Martyr Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, who was arrested three days later and subsequently martyred. was canonized by the Diocese of Tver in 1999 and was numbered among those glorified as new martyrs and confessors of the Soviet Yoke by the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000. Living Church in Communist Russia; Living Church (Russian: Живая церковь, also called Renovated Church or Russian: Обновленческая церковь or Renovationism, Russian: Обновленчество) was a theoretical, reformed "Orthodox church" set up in the old Soviet Union by the Bolshevik government after it confiscated all property of the Church of Russia. It was disbanded in 1943 when Stalin was desperate to bolster the morale of the Russian people in the Second World War. church had almost no following among the people, and a number of clergy who had been in the movement in good faith repented and returned to the Orthodox Church. The few who tried to exist in the state run church of the atheistic government were used by the state against those faithful to Patriarch Tikhon. The government knew the renovation (reformation) would cause division and weakening to government opposition. As the leader of the party said, "I will smite the shepherd and scatter the sheep", Patriarch Tikhon was arrested and isolated from the populace and the Church was given to the wolves. But even by the late twenties, it became of little use to the state. legacy of this movement, is that now all change is seen to be renovation of the faith. The Living Church used modern Russian, the revised calendar, and non monastic Bishops. the revolution of February 1917, the Russia Orthodox Church saw opportunity for the church reform long hoped for by many churchmen but delayed by the tsarist regime. In the All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918, called together in Moscow, the patriarchate that was abolished by Peter the Great, was restored. new patriarch, Tikhon, had an independent approach toward the communist regime that had overthrown the provisional government. Under the official pretext that there was starvation in large sections of the country, the government in 1922 decided to confiscate all church valuables. The patriarch cooperated, but insisted on control of some church property such as the sacred vessels, and other liturgical items. For this, Patriarch Tikhon was placed under house arrest and the offices of the patriarchate were closed. group of priests including Alexander Vvedensky and Vladimir Krasnitsky, organized a Temporary Higher Church Administration, which turned into a group aimed at deposing the patriarch and introducing radical church reforms. Some bishops supported the Temporary Administration, but mostly the support came from married clergy who were excluded from the episcopacy by canon law, progressive intellectuals, and the government. Renovated Church deposed Patriarch Tikhon at one of its councils, and reestablished the Holy Synod (originally proclaimed by Peter the Great in 1721 to replace the patriarchate) to rule the church. It introduced controversial reforms to the episcopate and to the liturgy. undoubtedly deceitful nature of the Church takeover was evident to the faithful. The Living Church struggled much against the patriarch and his followers. Living Church leaders cooperated with the secret police having hundreds of "Tikhonite" clergy executed as counterrevolutionaries. an apparent attempt to relieve the harsh pressures on the Church, Patriarch Tikhon publicly repented his anti-Soviet actions, and assured the regime of his loyalty. On June 25, 1923 he was set free. Worshippers flocked to the churches that had remained faithful to him, and the schism of the Living Church lost much ground. Only by government support did it keep going. schism collapsed completely during World War II, when Joseph Stalin changed his religious policies and allowed the election of a successor to Tikhon. Except for Vvedensky, the leaders of the Renovated Church repented, and its churches returned to the Patriarch.

Russia, Moscow, 1903-1912, Bolsheviks, (Majority, Reds, Workers, Communist Party of the Social Democrats)
Bolsheviks, 1903-1912, (Majority, Reds, Workers, Communist Party of the Social Democrats); St. George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21;

Russia, Moscow, 1903-1937, Demetrius M Benevolenskii, Tver priest i1911, imprisond s times fPastoral duties, shot i1937
Russia, Tver, 1903-1937, Demetrius Mikhailovich Benevolenskii oTver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4) priest in 1911, tOstrovno V, tPanoshino [today Udomlya V, tSinev V, imprisoned several times for pastoral duties, then shot in 1937; Tver; New Hieromartyr Demetrius (Benevolenskii) of Tver, Commemorated on November 14; Mikhailovich Benevolenskii was born on October 10, 1883 in Vishny Volochyok, Tver province. his ordination to the priesthood in 1911, he was assigned to the Church of the Great Martyr Demetrius in the village of Ostrovno in 1919, to the Church of All the Afflicted in the village of Panoshino [today Udomlya]. later served at the Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Sinev in the Dubrovo Sonkovskii District of the Tver region. a result of his intense dedication to his pastoral duties, he had been arrested and imprisoned several times by the communist regime. his final arrest, he was shot on November 27, 1937. September 19, 1999, he was numbered among the new martyrs and confessors of Russia.

Russia, Moscow, 1904-1905, Russo-Japanese War of 1904, 1905
Moscow, Russo-Japanese war in 1904, 1905; Liaodong Peninsula; St Nicholas, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Japan, Commemorated on February 16; Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1;

Russia, Moscow, 1905, All Blessed Icon Copy, sent to city oKazan, Russia
St. George's Cathedral, Istanbul; All Blessed Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on September 1; Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) The original “All Blessed” (Pammakaristos) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is in Constantinople in the patriarchal cathedral. is a mosaic icon dating from the middle of the eleventh century. 1905, Patriarch Joachim III presented a copy of the icon to the city of Kazan in Russia.

Russia, Moscow, 1905-1929, Hilarion, Vereiya, Kaluga, theologian, preacher, church defender, writer, 2 of 9 yrs freedom
Russia, Kaluga, 1905-1929, Hilarion, Vereiya, Kaluga, theologian, preacher, church defender, writer, 2 of 9 yrs freedom, wrote about The Unity otChurch, An Outline otHistory otChurch's Dogma, called for restoration Moscow Patriarchate, disolved bPerter I, Tikhon Patriarch, Hilarion Bishop 1920, so great lumiinary on the lampstand, only 6mos wTikhon, 1922 arrested, tArchangelisk 1yr, then 6yrs Solvoki labor camp, there aFilomonov Wharf catching fish mending nets, formerly fishermen became theologians now the reverse, popular inmate, tall robust brown hair, always gave, remained cheerful, 1925 Yaroslav prison, treated lenient, books plesant conversations wWarden, 1926 back tSolvoki, 1929 exiled Alma-Atu, robbed on the way, ill wParasites, dressed iRags, knew time oDeath, 1929; Vereiya; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; holy New Martyr Archbishop Hilarion (Vladimir Alexievich Troitsky in the world), outstanding theologian, an eloquent preacher, and a fearless defender of Christ’s holy Church, was born around 1885. Hilarion wrote many books and articles on various topics, including “The Unity of the Church.” His Master’s thesis, “An Outline of the History of the Church’s Dogma,” was over five hundred pages long, and was a well-documented analysis of the subject. the Council of 1917 he delivered a brilliant address calling for the restoration of the Moscow Patriarchate, had been dissolved by Tsar Peter I in the eighteenth century. Saint Tikhon (April 7) was chosen as Patriarch, Saint Hilarion became his fervent supporter. Hilarion was consecrated as bishop on May 20, 1920, so the great luminary was placed upon the lampstand (Luke 11:33). that time, he was to know less than two years of freedom. He spent only six months working with Patriarch Tikhon. was arrested and exiled in Archangelsk for a year, he spent six years (1923-1929) in a labor camp seven versts from Solovki. at the Filomonov Wharf he and at least two other bishops were employed in catching fish and mending nets. the hymns of Pentecost, Archbishop Hilarion remarked, “Formerly, the fishermen became theologians. Now the theologians have become fishermen.” Hilarion was one of the most popular inmates of the labor camp. is remembered as tall, robust, and with brownish hair. possessions meant nothing to him, so he always gave his things away to anyone who asked for them. never showed annoyance when people disturbed him or insulted him, but remained cheerful. the summer of 1925, Vladika was taken from the camp and placed in the Yaroslav prison. he was treated more leniently, and received certain privileges. example, he was allowed to receive religious books, and he had pleasant conversations with the warden in his office. Hilarion regarded his time at the Yaroslav Isolated Detention Center as the best part of his imprisonment. following spring he was back at Solovki. 1929 the Communists decided to exile Archbishop Hilarion to Alma-Atu in central Asia. his trip southward from the far north, Saint Hilarion was robbed and endured many privations. he arrived in Petrograd, he was ill with typhus, infested with parasites and dressed in rags. informed that he would have to be shaved, he replied, “You may now do with me whatever you wish.” wrote from the prison hospital, “My fate will be decided on Saturday, December 15. I doubt I will survive.” Hilarion died at the age of forty-four in the hospital of a Petrograd prison on December 15, 1929. body was placed in a coffin hastily made from some boards, and then was released to his family. once tall and robust Archbishop Hilarion had been transformed by his sufferings into a pitiful white-haired old man. One female relative fainted when she saw the body. Seraphim (Chichagov) provided a set of white vestments for the late Archbishop. He was also placed in a better coffin. Seraphim presided at the funeral of Saint Hilarion, assisted by six bishops and several priests. The saint was buried at Novodevichii Monastery. Hilarion is commemorated on December 15 (his repose in 1929); May 10 (his glorification in 1999); the Third Sunday after Pentecost (All Saints of St. Petersburg); July 11 (The Finding of his relics in 1998); and on the Sunday nearest to August 26 (All Saints of Moscow).

Russia, Moscow, 1906-1914, Maxim Sandovich, Aust-Hung Catholic monk to Rus Orthodox priest, shot for continuing services
Poland, 1906-1914, Maxim Sandovich oZdynia, Poland in the Beskids (Vistula River Source), Austro-Hungarian Catholic Monk iKrakow, attempts to denationalize Russians and Latinize Eastern Rite, went tPochaev monastery, Orthodox, potential recognized, sent to Zhitomir seminary 1911, married&ordained, Lemko region Orthodox movement tAncestors faith, Home tHrab, Vysovatka, Dovhe, Dec 1911 Austrians ordered O services stop b Russian sympathies, M continued O services iHomes, repeatedly fined temp arrest, 1912 prison 2yrs Lviv, not guilty trial, continued O services, Aug 1914 WWI arrested, no trial, shot, family sent to Talerhof CCamp, son M born, future Lemko Rusyn priest, glorification 1994, relics transfered 2007; Zdynia, Poland; Hieromartyr Maxim Sandovich, Commemorated on September 6; Maxim was born in 1886 in Zdynia in the Lemko region of Carpatho-Rus which was then a part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in present day Poland. father, Tymofej, was the cantor of Zydnia’s Greek Catholic church. completing his education in the nearby town of Jaslo and Nowy Sacz, he entered the Greek Catholic Basilian monastery in Krakow. with the attempts to Latinize the Eastern rite to make it more acceptable to the Roman Catholic majority and also attempts to denationalize the Rusyns, he crossed the border into the Russian empire and entered the famed Orthodox monastery at Pochaev. was while at the monastery that his outstanding potential attracted the attention of the illustrious Bishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) who enrolled him in the Orthodox seminary in Zhitomir. completed his seminary studies in 1911 that same year married Pelagia Grigoryuk and was ordained to the Holy Priesthood. that time in the Lemko region there was a growing movement away from the Greek Catholic Church to the Orthodox Faith of their ancestors. Maxim returned home to serve the Orthodox faithful in the villages of Hrab, Vysovatka and Dovhe. serving his first Divine Liturgy in Hrab on December 2, 1911, the Austrian authorities, suspicious of the Orthodox Faith for its alleged “Russian sympathies,” issued an order forbidding any further Orthodox services. Maxim ignored the order and continued to conduct services in village homes. was repeatedly fined and held under temporary arrest. Before Pascha in 1912, he was again arrested with his friend and spiritual father, Father Ignatij Hudyma, held in prison for two years in a Lviv prison until their trial began on March 9, 1914. being found not guilty he immediately returned to his native village and continued minister to his Orthodox parishioners. the outbreak of World War I, Father Maxim was again arrested and imprisoned on August 4, 1914 along with his entire family. Maxim, his father, mother, brother, and wife were forced to travel on foot to the prison while being prodded by the bayonets of the soldiers. prison they were placed in separate cells and denied the opportunity to see each other. time, however, there would be no court trial. the morning of September 6, Father Maxim awoke in his cell and read his morning prayers as usual. soldiers led the twenty-eight year old priest from his cell to a wall in the prison courtyard where he was bound and blindfolded. he was being led from his cell Father Maxim realized where they were taking him and humbly and with dignity asked, “Be so good as not to hold me. I will go peacefully wherever you wish.” they ripped his priestly cross from his chest and threw it to the dirt, marking an “X” with chalk over his heart for a target. the command to execute the priest was given, Father Maxim was heard to shout: “Long live the Rus’ people, long live Orthodoxy!” the shots rang out the martyr slumped to the ground. To assure that he was dead three more blasts of a revolver were emptied into his head. September 12, Saint Maxim’s father, his pregnant wife, and brother were sent to the concentration camp at Talerhof in the far western part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. in the camp Pelagia gave birth to a son she named Maxim in honor of his father. his father, the younger Maxim also entered the priesthood serving the Lemko Rusyn people faithfully until his death in 1991. Canonization September 1994, the official glorification of Saint Maxim began in the courtyard of the Gorlice Court House where the saint had been martyred, a bronze plaque marking the tragic event was placed on the wall. this service, a procession of hierarchs, including our Metropolitan Nicholas of blessed memory, clergy and faithful entered the Holy Trinity Church in Gorlice for the service of glorification. the glorification of a saint, ordinarily the saint’s relics would be exhumed from their grave and transferred in procession to the church. bishops of the Orthodox Church of Poland decided to delay the transfer, fearing it would provoke the areas’ Roman Catholics who reluctantly tolerate the Orthodox presence. on September 5-6, 2007, the martyr’s relics were transferred from the village cemetery in Zdynia to the Holy Trinity Church in Gorlice, Poland where they are enshrined on the right side of the icon screen. Witness of Martyrs Lord said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). life of this new hieromartyr (priest-martyr) echo the words of Jesus. Maxim had no fear of threats from the government, imprisonment, abuse, insults and even a firing squad. this newly-ordained priest was arrested for serving an Orthodox Divine Liturgy his first action on being freed was to immediately return to his flock and resume his priestly ministry. Lord’s words in the Book of Revelation apply well to Saint Maxim: “Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). my many years working as a hospice chaplain I have often been summoned by doctors and nurses to the bedside of a terminally ill patient who is fearful of his approaching death. medical professionals assume, rightly so, that it is primarily an active faith that can help a person face this fear. promise of the Lord Jesus to us is that if we believe in Him and our lives are joined to His we have nothing to fear in death. while the death and resurrection of our Savior have removed our fear of death, Jesus does not desire that all of our fears vanish. does want us to be afraid of something! He wants us to be afraid of the right things, to be fearful of things that should be fear: “...fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). life of Saint Maxim Sandovich, faithful priest shines forth this truth! — Father Edward Pehanich

Russia, Moscow, 1908-1931, Nikon of Optina, lived through terrible times
Russia, Kaluga, 1908-1931, Nikon of Optina; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; Nikon was born on September 26, 1888, the son of Metrophanes and Vera Belyaev, and was named Nicholas at his Baptism. His parents, who were both very devout, belonged to one of Moscow’s merchant families. Belyaev family received a visit from Saint John of Kronstadt when Nicholas was in his first year. He blessed Vera and gave her a signed photograph of himself. Nicholas and his brother John loved going to church and reading the Holy Scriptures and other spiritual books. When John and Nicholas decided to embrace monasticism, they cut up a list of Russia’s monasteries from an old book, and Nicholas was asked to pick one of the strips after praying to God. The strip he selected read, “The Optina Hermitage of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple, Kozelsk.â€ Until that moment, neither of them had ever heard of this monastery. brothers traveled to Optina on February 24, 1907 with their mother’s blessing, and were accepted into the monastery on December 9, the commemoration of the “Unexpected Joyâ€ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. was assigned as secretary to Father Barsanuphius, the Superior of the Skete, in October 1908. Except for reading and serving in church, this became his chief monastic obedience for the rest of his life. Saint Barsanuphius (April 1) foresaw that he would become an excellent monk as well as a worthy disciple. Nicholas was devoted to the Elder, and followed his will in all matters. Father Barsanuphius gave him the benefit of his knowledge and experience, guiding him to ascend the spiritual ladder of virtues. was tonsured into the Lesser Schema on May 24, 1915 with the new name Nikon in honor of the martyr Saint Nikon (September 28). He was ordained as a deacon on April 30, 1916, and as a priest on November 3, 1917. Father Nikon could not help but remember the prophecy of Father Barsanuphius made several years before the Russian Revolution. Saint Barsanuphius foresaw times of difficulty for monasteries when Christians would be persecuted and suffer martyrdom. He predicted that he himself would be dead before this happened, and that Father Nikon would live through those terrible times. Nikon was arrested and jailed on September 18, 1919 without the benefit of a trial, just because he was a monk. He was later released and permitted to return to Optina, where the monks had formed a farming cooperative. Soviets closed the cooperative in 1923, and the monastery was turned into a museum. Two monks were allowed to stay and work in the museum, while the others were expelled and told to go wherever they wished. Father Nikon was blessed by Father Isaac to serve in the church dedicated to the Kazan Icon and to receive visitors. When people came to him for advice, he always quoted the words of the Optina Elders. last church at Optina was closed early in 1924, and Father Nikon was obliged to leave in June. He went to live at Kozelsk with Father Cyril Zlenko. There he continued to receive visitors and offer spiritual counsel, sharing money and food with those who were too old, or too sick to work. Father Nikon was a wise spiritual Father, who was able to help people overcome their shame and reveal the sins which had troubled them for a long time. People would leave Father Nikon feeling cleansed and renewed. Nikon, Father Cyril, and Father Agapitus Taub were arrested and thrown into prison in June of 1927. Father Nikon and Father Agapitus were sent to the “Kemperpunktâ€ camp, where Father Nikon was assigned the duty of guarding the storehouses. Nikon wrote to his spiritual children from the camp with cheerful words of encouragement. Although he accepted his imprisonment as God’s will, it was nevertheless difficult for him to endure. When their prison term ended, the two monks were sent into exile at Archangelsk. Before leaving the camp, Father Nikon was examined and found to have tuberculosis. The doctors advised him to request that his place of exile be changed to a place with a more suitable climate. asked the advice of Father Agapitus, who told him not to make such a request. At Archangels, Father Nikon lodged in the home of an elderly woman who gave him little rest or peace. Every week he had to travel three kilometers to present himself before the authorities in the city of Pinyega. shoveling snow at the beginning of Great Lent, Father Nikon’s leg began to hemorrhage, and he developed a high fever. His landlady did not feel any pity for him, but told him that he must leave her house so that the others would not become infected with tuberculosis. Father Nikon was visited by Father Peter, who had once lived at Optina. He begged Father Peter to take him in, which he did. Father Peter cared for the Elder to the best of his ability. For the last two months of his life, Father Nikon received Holy Communion almost every day, and his sufferings seemed to grow less severe. He often dictated letters to his spiritual children to Father Peter. One day, Father Nikon saw Saint Macarius of Optina (September 7) in a vision and told Sister Irene to pull up a chair for him. She was slow to obey him so he said, “Forgive her, Father, for she is not very experienced.â€ June 25, 1931 Father Nikon was so weak that he could not speak. Archimandrite Niká¸—tas was called to bring him Communion, and to read the Canon for the Departure of the Soul. That night the Elder fell asleep in the Lord at the age of forty-three. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996, glorifying them for universal veneration on August 7, 2000. Unexpected Joy Icon of the Mother of God, Commemorated on December 9; Unexpected Joy Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is painted in this way: in a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of Saint Demetrius of Rostov, The Fleece of Prayer [See Judges 6: 36-40]. sinful youth, who was nevertheless devoted to the Theotokos, was praying one day before the icon of the All-Pure Virgin before going out to commit a sin. Suddenly, he saw that wounds appeared on the Lord’s hands, feet, and side, and blood flowed from them. In horror he exclaimed, “O Lady, who has done this?â€ The Mother of God replied, “You and other sinners, because of your sins, crucify My Son anew.â€ Only then did he realize how great was the depth of his sinfulness. For a long time he prayed with tears to the All-Pure Mother of God and the Savior for mercy. Finally, he received the unexpected joy of the forgiveness of his sins. “Unexpected Joyâ€ icon is also commemorated on January 25 and May 1. Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina, Commemorated on April 1; I. Plikhanov was born in the city of Samara on July 5,1845, the son of John and Natalia Plikhanov. His mother died in childbirth, and his father later remarried so that his son would have a mother. Although his stepmother was very strict, she was a real mother to him, and he loved her very much. a descendant of the Orenburg Cossacks, Paul was enrolled in the Polotsk Cadet Corps. He completed his studies at the Orenburg Military School and received an officer’s commission. He later graduated from the Petersburg Cossack Staff Officers’ School, and also served at the headquarters of the Kazan military district and eventually rose to the rank of colonel. as he was sick with pneumonia, Paul sensed that he was about to die. He asked his orderly to read the Gospel to him, and passed out. Then he had a vision in which the heavens seemed to open, and he was afraid because of the great light. His whole sinful life passed before him, and he was overcome with repentance. A voice told him he should go to Optina Monastery, but the doctors did not think he would recover. His health did improve, however, and the colonel visited Optina. In August 1889 the Elder of the Monastery was Saint Ambrose (October 10), who told Paul to set his worldly affairs in order. Two years later, Saint Ambrose blessed him to cut all ties to the world and told him to enter Optina within three months. was not easy for the colonel to resign his commission within the specified three month period, because obstacles were placed in his way. In fact, he was offered a promotion to the rank of general, and was asked to delay his retirement. Some people even tried to arrange a marriage for him, laughing at his intention to go to the monastery. Only his stepmother was happy that he wished to become a monk. On the very last day of the three months he concluded his affairs and arrived at Optina. However, Saint Ambrose was already laid out in his coffin in the church. Anatole I (January 25) succeeded Father Ambrose as Elder, and he assigned Paul to Hieromonk Nectarius (April 29) as his cell attendant. He was accepted as a novice in 1892, and tonsured as a rassophore in 1893. Over the next ten years he advanced through the various stages of monastic life, including ordination as deacon (1902), and as priest (1903). The monk Paul was secretly tonsured into the mantiya in December of 1900 because of a serious illness. When they asked him what name he wished to receive, he said it did not matter. They named him in honor of Saint Barsanuphius of Tver and Kazan (April 11). Although he recovered, they did not give him the mantiya until December of 1902 after the Liturgy when it was revealed that he had been tonsured on his sickbed. September 1, 1903 Father Barsanuphius was appointed to assist Elder Joseph, the skete Superior, in the spiritual direction of the skete brethren and the sisters of the Shamordino convent. the beginning of the Russo-Japanese war in 1904, Father Barsanuphius was sent to the Far East as a military chaplain, where he ministered to wounded soldiers. The war ended in August 1905, and Saint Barsanuphius returned to Optina on November 1, 1905. Elder Joseph had become too old and frail to administer the skete’s affairs, Father Barsanuphius was appointed as Superior of the skete in his place. Father Barsanuphius soon reestablished order and discipline, paid off debts, repaired buildings, etc. As Superior, he combined strictness with paternal concern and tenderness for those under him. Barsanuphius, like the other Elders of Optina, possessed the gifts of clairvoyance and of healing people afflicted with physical and spiritual ailments. One of his spiritual sons, Father Innocent Pavlov, recalled his first Confession with the Elder. He became fearful because Father Barsanuphius seemed to know his innermost thoughts, reminding him of people and events which he had forgotten. The saint spoke gently and told him that it was God who had revealed to him these things about Father Innocent. “During my lifetime, do not tell anyone about what you are experiencing now,â€ he said, “but you may speak of it after my death.â€ Barsanuphius loved spiritual books, especially the Lives of the Saints. He often told people that those who read these Lives with faith benefit greatly from doing so. The answers to many of life’s questions can be found by reading the Lives of the Saints, he said. They teach us how to overcome obstacles and difficulties, how to stand firm in our faith, and how to struggle against evil and emerge victorious. Although the Lives of the Saints were widely available, it saddened the Elder that more people did not read them. Barsanuphius commemorated many saints each day during his Rule of prayer, and this was not accidental. Each saint, he once explained, had some particular importance in his life. If, for example, some significant event took place, he would look to see which saints were commemorated on that day, then he would begin to commemorate them each day. Later he noticed that on their Feast Day, they would often deliver him from some danger or trouble. On December 17, 1891, the commemoration of the Prophet Daniel and the three holy youths, he left Kazan and never returned. That was the day he decided to leave the world, and Saint Barsanuphius felt that God had delivered him from a furnace of passions. Just as the three youths were delivered from the fiery furnace because they would not bow down before idols, the Elder always believed that he left the world unharmed because he refused to bow down before the idols of lust, pride, gluttony, etc. 1908, Saint Barsanuphius seemed to fall ill more frequently, and began to speak of his approaching death. In April of that year, someone sent him a package containing the Great Schema. Father Barsanuphius had long desired to be tonsured into the Great Schema before his death, but he had told no one of this except for the archimandrite. Therefore, he regarded this as a sign that he would soon die. night in July 1910, the Elder became so ill that he had to leave church during Vigil and return to his cell. The next morning, July 11, he was so weak that he could not sit up by himself. That evening he was tonsured into the Great Schema. Barsanuphius began to recover, but there were new problems in the monastery. New monks came in from spiritually lax environments. They did not understand the ascetical nature of monasticism or the whole notion of eldership, and so they began to clamor for reform and change. They wanted to assume positions of authority, and to close the skete. Because of their complaints, Father Barsanuphius was removed from Optina and assigned as igumen of the Golutvinsky Monastery. When he arrived to take up his duties, Father Barsanuphius found the monastery in a state of physical and spiritual decline. Nevertheless, he did not lose heart, and soon the monastery began to revive. More people began to visit, once they heard that an Optina Elder had come to Goluvinsky, and the monastery’s financial position also began to improve. However, the rebellious brethren caused him great sorrow, and he had to expel some of them the beginning of 1913, Saint Barsanuphius became ill again and asked Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow for permission to retire to Optina, but that was not to be. He fell asleep in the Lord on April 1, and his body remained in the church of Golotvino until April 6 (which was also Lazarus Saturday). After the funeral, his body was placed on a train and sent to Optina for burial. The train arrived at Kozelsk Station on April 8, and the coffin was carried to Optina by clergy. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13, 1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Saints Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Moscow, 1911-1945, Maria Skobtsova, Riga, Latvia, athiest a14, radical ideas nAction, Orthodox Social Work
Latvia, 1911-1945, Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova) Riga, Latvia (Westerb Dvina River 19, Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea), Russian Empire, tBlack Sea shore, Anapa, wNun a7, Athiest a14, 1906 St Petersburg, radical ideas, but do nothing, married Bolshevik, politics poetry theology, no connection to ordinary people, above actual Church, any old beggar woman's prostrations, church wIdea not community, read lives oSaints, concluded need not revolutionary theories but Christ, accepted by Theological Academy, 1913 marriage collapsed, daughter born, WWI, back to Southern Russia, lead weights, needs oOther people not self mortification, 1917 iSt Pete for Bolshevik overthrow, Trotsky's dismissing people from the party, actual revolution vs dreams, 1918 elected deputy mayor Anapa, arrested, defense loyalty to tPeople, married tJudge Daniel Skobtsov, fled to Georgia1921, tYugoslavia, tParis1923, dolls&scarves money, Orthodox lectures, 1926 daughter death grief devoted self to mother for all, social work theological writing, retold saints lives, 1930 Christian Movement traveling secretary, in contact wRussian Refugees, taught personal alms giving, vision new type community, monastic&fraternal, free church can perform miracles, devotion to social work&wanning marriage, Nun suggestion, Daniel accepted, 1932 ordination, monasticism itWorld, house oHospitality, young Russian women guests, chapel upstairs wIconostasis she painted, dining room lecture hall, new location from 25 people to 100, each person icon of God incarnate, venerate that image, other locations&rural sanatorium, not all responded to trust, theft common, said money found and thief cried, they sought the homeless, 1939 WWII German Occupation fFrance, Jews ask for babtismal certificates, arrested for helping Jews, several camps & gas chamber; Riga; Righteous Martyr Maria (Skobtsova), Commemorated on July 20; Pilenko, the future Mother Maria, was born in 1891 in Riga, Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire, and grew up in the south of Russia on the shore of the Black Sea. Her father was mayor of the town of Anapa, while on her mother's side, she was descended from the last governor of the Bastille, the Parisian prison destroyed during the French Revolution. parents were devout Orthodox Christians whose faith helped shape their daughter's values, sensitivities and goals. As a child she once emptied her piggy bank in order to contribute to the painting of an icon that would be part of a new church in Anapa. At seven she asked her mother if she was old enough to become a nun, while a year later she sought permission to become a pilgrim who spends her life walking from shrine to shrine. the age of 14, her father died, an event that seemed to her meaningless and unjust and led her to embrace atheism. "If there is no justice," she said, "there is no God." decided God's nonexistence was well known to adults but kept secret from children. For her, childhood was over. her widowed mother moved the family to Saint Petersburg in 1906, she found herself in the country's political and cultural center — also a hotbed of radical ideas and groups — and became part of radical literary circles that gathered around such symbolist poets as Alexander Blok, whom she first met at age 15. many of her contemporaries, she was drawn to the left, but was often disappointed at the radicals she encountered. Though regarding themselves as revolutionaries, they seemed to do nothing but talk. spirit longed to engage in heroic feats, even to perish, to combat the injustice of the world," she recalled. Yet no one she knew was actually laying down his or her life for others. her friends hear of someone dying for the Revolution, she noted, "they will value it, approve or not approve, show understanding on a very high level, and discuss the night away till the sun rises and it's time for fried eggs. But they will not understand at all that to die for the Revolution means to feel a rope around one's neck." 1910, she married Dimitri Kuzmin-Karaviev, a Bolshevik and part of a community of poets, artists and writers, but she later commented that it was a marriage born "more of pity than of love." addition to politics and poetry, she and her friends also talked theology, just as their political ideas had no connection at all to the lives of ordinary people, their theology floated far above the actual Church. There was much they might have learned, she reflected later in life, from "any old beggar woman hard at her Sunday prostrations in church." many intellectuals, the Church was an idea or a set of abstract values, not a community in which one actually lives. still regarding herself an atheist, gradually her earlier attraction to Christ revived and deepened, not yet Christ as God incarnate but Christ as heroic man. time, she found herself drawn toward the religious faith she had abandoned after her father's death. prayed and read the Gospel and the lives of saints and concluded that the real need of the people was not for revolutionary theories but for Christ. wanted "to proclaim the simple word of God," she told Blok in a letter written in 1916. Desiring to study theology, she applied for admission to Saint Petersburg's Theological Academy of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, in those days an entirely male school whose students were preparing for ordination. surprising as her wanting to study there was the rector's decision that she could be admitted. 1913, her marriage collapsed. Later that year, her first child, Gaiana, was born. as World War I was beginning, she returned with her daughter to southern Russia, where her religious life grew more intense. a time she secretly wore lead weights sewn into a hidden belt as a way of reminding herself both "that Christ exists" and also to be more aware that minute-by-minute many people were suffering and dying in the war. realized, however, that the primary Christian asceticism was not self-mortification, but caring response to the needs of other people. October 1917, she was present in Saint Petersburg when Russia's Provisional Government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks. part in the All-Russian Soviet Congress, she heard Lenin's lieutenant, Leon Trotsky, dismiss people from her party with the words, "Your role is played out. Go where you belong, into history's garbage can!" grew to see how hideously different actual revolution was from the dreams of revolution that had once filled the imagination of so many Russians! February 1918, she was elected deputy mayor of Anapa. she was arrested, jailed, and put on trial for collaboration with the enemy. court, she rose and spoke in her own defense: "My loyalty was not to any imagined government as such, but to those whose need of justice was greatest, the people. Red or White, my position is the same — I will act for justice and for the relief of suffering. I will try to love my neighbor." It was thanks to Daniel Skobtsov, a former schoolmaster who was now her judge, that she avoided execution. After the trial, she sought him out to thank him. Eventually they married. the course of the civil war was turning in favor of the Bolsheviks, the Skobtsovs fled to Georgia, where she gave birth to a son, Yura, in 1920. year later, having relocated to Yugoslavia, she gave birth to Anastasia, long journey ended with their arrival in Paris in 1923, where to supplement their income she made dolls and painted silk scarves, often working ten or twelve hours a day. friend introduced her to the Russian Student Christian Movement, an Orthodox association founded in 1923. She began attending lectures and other activities and felt herself coming back to life spiritually and intellectually. 1926, she grieved the death of her daughter Anastasia. She emerged from her mourning determined to seek a "new road before me and a new meaning in life, to be a mother for all, for all who need maternal care, assistance, or protection." devoted herself to social work and theological writing. 1927 two volumes, Harvest of the Spirit, were published, in which she retold the lives of many saints. 1930, she was appointed traveling secretary of the Russian Student Christian Movement, work which put her into daily contact with impoverished Russian refugees throughout France and neighboring countries. often lectured, but she was quick to listen to others as they related some terrible grief that had burdened them for years. She took literally Christ's words, that He was always present in the least person. "Man ought to treat the body of his fellow human being with more care than he treats his own," she wrote. "Christian love teaches us to give our fellows material as well as spiritual gifts. We should give them our last shirt and our last piece of bread. Personal alms-giving and the most wide-ranging social work are both equally justified and needed." time, she began to envision a new type on community, "half monastic and half fraternal," that would connect spiritual life with service to those in need, in the process showing "that a free Church can perform miracles." Sergei Bulgakov, her confessor, was a source of support and encouragement, as was her bishop, Metropolitan Evlogy [Georgievsky], who was responsible from 1921 to 1946 for the many thousands of Russian expatriates scattered across Europe. her devotion to social work, and knowing of her waning marriage, he suggested to her the possibility of becoming a nun. time, Daniel came to accept the idea after meeting with Metropolitan Evlogy. the spring of 1932, in the chapel at Paris' Saint Sergius Theological Institute, she was professed as a nun with the name Maria. made her monastic profession, Metropolitan Evlogy recognized, "in order to give herself unreservedly to social service." Mother Maria called it simply "monasticism in the world." "to share the life of paupers and tramps," she began to look for a house of hospitality and found it at 9 villa de Saxe in Paris, which she leased with financial assistance from Metropolitan Evlogy. began receiving guests, mainly young Russian women without jobs, giving up her own room to house them while herself sleeping on a narrow iron bedstead in the basement. A room upstairs became a chapel — she painted the iconostasis icons — while the dining room doubled as a hall for lectures and dialogues. need of larger facilities, a new location was found two years later in an area of Paris where many impoverished Russian refugees had settled. While at the former address she could feed only 25, here she could feed a hundred. her guests could regain their breath "until the time comes to stand on their two feet again." Her credo was: "Each person is the very icon of God incarnate in the world." this recognition came the need "to accept this awesome revelation of God unconditionally, to venerate the image of God" in her brothers and sisters. her ministry evolved, she rented other buildings, one for families in need, and another for single men. A rural property became a sanatorium. 1937, she housed several dozen women, serving up to 120 dinners every day. Every morning, she would beg for food or buy cheaply whatever was not donated. a seemingly endless array of challenges, Mother Maria was sustained chiefly by those she served — themselves beaten down, people in despair, cripples, alcoholics, the sick, survivors of many tragedies. not all responded to trust with trust. Theft was not uncommon. On one occasion a guest stole 25 francs. Everyone guessed who the culprit was, a drug addict, but Mother Maria refused to accuse her. Instead she announced at the dinner table that the money had not been stolen, only misplaced, and she had found it. "You see how dangerous it is to make accusations," she commented. At once the girl who stole the money burst into tears. Maria and her collaborators would not simply open the door when those in need knocked, but would actively seek out the homeless. place to find them was an all-night café at Les Halles where those with nowhere else to go could sit for the price of a glass of wine. also were cared for, and a part-time school was opened at several locations. her attention toward Russian refugees who had been classified insane, Mother Maria began a series of visits to mental hospitals. In each hospital five to ten percent of the Russian patients turned out to be sane and, thanks to her intervention, were released. Language barriers and cultural misunderstandings had kept them in the asylum. time, she and her associates helped establish clinics for TB sufferers and a variety of other ministries. Another landmark was the foundation in September 1935 of a group named "Orthodox Action" — a name proposed by her friend, philosopher Nicholas Berdyaev. Cofounders included Father Sergei Bulgakov, historian George Fedotov, the scholar Constantine Mochulsky, the publisher Ilya Fondaminsky, and her long-time coworker Fedor Pianov, with Metropolitan Evgoly serving as honorary president. financial support from supporters across Europe and the United States, a wider range of projects and centers were made possible: hostels, rest homes, schools, camps, hospital work, help to the unemployed, assistance to the elderly, publication of books and pamphlets, etc. all of these growing ministries, Mother Maria's driving concern was that it should never lose its personal or communal character. October 1939, Father Dimitri Klepinin, then 35 years old, began to assist Mother Maria as she began the last phase of her life — a series of responses to World War II and Germany's occupation of France. Mother Maria could have fled Paris when the Germans were advancing, or even sought refuge in America, she would not budge. "If the Germans take Paris, I shall stay here with my old women. Where else could I send them?" She had no illusions about the Nazi threat, which to her represented a "new paganism" bringing in its wake disasters, upheavals, persecutions and wars. defeat came greater poverty and hunger, and the local authorities in Paris declared her house an official food distribution point, where volunteers sold at cost price whatever food Mother Maria had bought in that morning. refugees were among the particular targets of the occupiers. June 1941, a thousand were arrested, including several close friends and collaborators of Mother Maria and Father Dimitri, who launched an aid project for prisoners and their dependents. in 1942, their registration now underway, Jews began to knock at Mother Maria's door, asking Father Dimitri if he would issue baptismal certificates to them. The answer was always yes. names of those "baptized" were also duly recorded in his parish register in case there was any cross-checking by the police or Gestapo, as indeed did happen. Father Dimitri was convinced that in such a situation Christ would do the same. the Nazis issued special identity cards for those of Russian origin living in France, with Jews being specially identified, Mother Maria and Father Dimitri refused to comply, though they were warned that those who failed to register would be regarded as citizens of the USSR — enemy aliens — and be punished accordingly. the subsequent mass arrest of Jews — 12,884, of whom 6,900 (two-thirds of them children) were brought to the Velodrome d'Hiver sports stadium and held for five days before being sent to Auschwitz — Maria entered the stadium and for three days offered comfort to the children and their parents, distributing what food she could bring in. even managed to rescue a number of children by enlisting the aid of garbage collectors and smuggling them out in trash bins. her house house was bursting with people, many of them Jews. "It is amazing," Mother Maria remarked, "that the Germans haven't pounced on us yet." Father Dimitri, Mother Maria and their coworkers set up routes of escape to the unoccupied south. It was complex and dangerous work. Forged documents had to be obtained. A local resistance group helped secure provisions for those Mother Maria's community was struggling to feed. February 8, 1943, while Mother Maria was traveling, Nazi security police entered the house and found a letter in her son Yura's pocket in which Father Dimitri was asked to provide a Jew with a false baptismal document. now actively a part of his mother's work, was taken to the office of Orthodox Action, soon after followed by his distraught grandmother, Sophia Pilenko. The interrogator ordered her to bring Father Dimitri. Once the priest was there, said the interrogator, they would let Yura go. His grandmother Sophia was allowed to embrace Yura and give him a blessing. It was last time she saw him in this world. following morning, after celebrating the Divine Liturgy, Father Dimitri set off for the Gestapo office, where he was interrogated for four hours, making no attempt to hide his beliefs. The next day, February 10, Mother Maria was arrested and her quarters were searched. Several others were called for questioning and then held by the Gestapo. She was confined with 34 other woman at the Gestapo headquarters in Paris. Her son Yura, Father Dimitri and their coworker of many years, Feodor Pianov, were held in the same building. Pianov later recalled witnessing Father Dimitri being prod and beaten by an SS officer while Yura stood by, weeping. Father Dimitri "began to console him, saying the Christ withstood greater mockery than this." April, the prisoners were transferred to Compiegne, where Mother Maria was blessed with a final meeting with Yura, who said his mother "was in a remarkable state of mind and told me ... that I must trust in her ability to bear things and in general not to worry about her. Every day [Father Dimitri and I] remember her at the proskomidia ... We celebrate the Eucharist and receive Communion each day." Hours after their meeting,Mother Maria was transported to Germany. December 16, Yura and Father Dimitri were deported to Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, followed several weeks later by Pianov. In January 1944, Father Dimitri and Yura were sent to another camp, Dora. Within ten days of arrival, Yura contracted furunculosis. On February 6, "dispatched for treatment" — a euphemism for "sentenced to death." Four days later Father Dimitri, lying on a dirt floor, died of pneumonia. His body was disposed of in the Buchenwald crematorium. Mother Maria — now "Prisoner 19,263" — was sent in a sealed cattle truck to the Ravensbruck camp in Germany, where she endured for two years, an achievement in part explained by her long experience of ascetic life. was assigned to Block 27 and befriended the many Russian prisoners who were with her. Unable to correspond with friends, little testimony in her own words has come down to us, but prisoners who survived the war remembered her. of them, Solange Perichon, recalls: "She was never downcast, never. She never complained.... She was full of good cheer, really good cheer. We had roll calls which lasted a great deal of time. We were woken at three in the morning and we had to stand out in the open in the middle of winter until the barracks [population] was counted. She took all this calmly and she would say, 'Well that's that. Yet another day completed. And tomorrow it will be the same all over again.' ... She allowed nothing of secondary importance to impede her contact with people." that her own exit point from the camp might be via the crematoria, Mother Maria asked a fellow prisoner whom she hoped would survive to memorize a message to be given at last to Father Sergei Bulgakov, Metropolitan Evlogy and her mother: state at present is such that I completely accept suffering in the knowledge that this is how things ought to be for me, and if I am to die, I see this as a blessing from on high." work in the camp varied. There was a period when she was part of a team of women dragging a heavy iron roller about the camp's pathways for 12 hours a day. In another period she worked in a knitwear workshop. legs began to give way. As her health declined, friends no longer allowed her to give away portions of her own food, as she had done in the past to help keep others alive. the Red Army approaching from the East, the concentration camp administrators further reduced food rations while greatly increasing the population of each block from 800 to 2,500. serious decline, Mother Maria accepted a pink card freely issued to any prisoner who wished to be excused from labor because of age or ill health. January 1945, those who had received such cards were transferred to what was called the Jugendlager — the "youth camp" — where the authorities said each person would have her own bed and abundant food. Mother Maria's transfer was on January 31. the food ration was further reduced and the hours spent standing for roll calls increased. Though it was mid-winter, blankets, coats and jackets were confiscated, and then even shoes and stockings. The death rate was at least fifty per day. Next all medical supplies were withdrawn. Those who still persisted in surviving now faced death by shootings and gas, the latter made possible by the construction of a gas chamber in March 1945, in which 150 were executed every day. Mother Maria survived five weeks in the "youth camp" before she was returned to the main camp on March 3. Though emaciated and infested with lice, with her eyes festering, she began to think she might actually live to return to Paris, or even go back to Russia. was not to be the case. On March 30, 1945 — Great, Holy and Good Friday that year — Mother Maria was selected for the gas chambers, in which she perished the following day, on Great and Holy Saturday. are at odds about what happened. According to one, she was one of the many selected for death that day. According to another, she took the place of another prisoner, a Jew, who had been chosen. perishing in the gas chamber, she did not perish in the Church's memory. Survivors of the war who had known her would again and again draw attention to the ideas, insights and activities of the unusual nun who had spent so many years coming to the aid of people in desperate straits. after the end of World War II, essays and books about her began to appear in France and Russia. A Russian film, "Mother Maria," was made in 1982. There have been two biographies in English and, little by little, the translation and publication in English of her most notable essays. January 18, 2004, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized Mother Maria Skobtsova as a saint, along with her son Yuri; the priest who worked closely with her, Fr. Dimitri Klépinin; and her close friend and collaborator Ilya Fondaminsky. Their glorification took place in Paris' Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky.

Russia, Moscow, 1913, Hieromartyr Hermogenes, 300 yrs after his death in 1612 (time of troubles) became intercessor
Russia, Moscow, 1913, Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, relics in Chudov (Archangel Michael, Passions) Monastery, Moscow Kremlin, 300 yrs after his death in 1612 (time of troubles) became intercessor ; Chudov Monastery ; Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Commemorated on May 12; Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus, was glorified on May 12, 1913. memory of Patriarch Hermogenes as a holy martyr was passed on from generation to generation for three centuries, and people increasingly regarded him as an intercessor and supplicant for the Russian land before the Throne of the Almighty. terrible years of national hardship, the nation turned to the memory of the heroic Patriarch. The Russian people came to his tomb with their personal tribulations, sicknesses and infirmities, reverently asking the help of Saint Hermogenes, and the All-Merciful Lord rewarded their faith. from all ends of Russia began to flock to Moscow for the glorification of the hieromartyr Hermogenes 300 years after his death. Pilgrims hastened to venerate the relics of the holy Patriarch, in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kremlin, where panikhidas were served almost without interruption. the eve of the glorification there was a procession with an icon of Saint Hermogenes, and after it a grave cover, on which the saint was depicted full-length in mantiya and holding a staff. Beside the icon of the Patriarch they carried an icon of Saint Dionysius of Radonezh, his fellow-struggler in spiritual and patriotic deeds for the liberation of the Russian land from Polish-Lithuanian usurpers. the bell tower of Ivan the Great hung a tremendous banner, “Rejoice, Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Great Intercessor of the Russian land.” A hundred thousand candles blazed in the hands of believers. At the end of the procession, they began to chant the Paschal Canon and a Canon to Saint Hermogenes, at the shrine where the relics of the Patriarch rested. all-night Vigil took place under the open skies at all the Kremlin squares. On this night a number of healings occurred through the prayers of Saint Hermogenes. For example, a certain sick person came to the Dormition Cathedral on crutches, and was healed as he approached the shrine with the relics of the saint. Another sick person was healed, who had suffered from terrible crippling disease. They brought him to the reliquary of the hieromartyr Hermogenes on a stretcher, where he was completely cured. These and other similar healings, witnessed by a multitude of the faithful, were remarkable proofs of the holiness of the new Russian wonderworker. Sunday May 12, Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Dormition Cathedral. Presiding at the celebration of the solemn glorification of the new saint was His Beatitude Gregorios, Patriarch of Antioch. At the finish of Liturgy in all the churches of Moscow, Moliebens were served to Saint Hermogenes and a procession made to the Moscow Kremlin, in which more than twenty hierarchs took part. They accompanied the procession singing, “O Holy Hierarch Father Hermogenes, pray unto God for us.” From this day the liturgical veneration of Saint Hermogenes began. Thus, the wish of the faithful Russian people was fulfilled. Through their prayers the Russian Orthodox Church received a heavenly patron. Holy Synod of the Russian Church established the commemoration of the hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus for February 17, the day of his repose (his life and works are found under this day), and May 12, the day of his glorification. is the national significance of Saint Hermogenes, a tireless struggler for the purity of Orthodoxy and the unity of the Russian land. His ecclesial and civil activity during several centuries serves as an outstanding example of his ardent faith and love for the Russian people. ecclesial activity of the archpastor is characterized by an attentive and strict regard for church services. Under him were published a GOSPEL, a MENAION for September (1607), October (1609), November (1610), and for the first twelve days of December. The “Great Primary Rule” was printed in 1610. Saint Hermogenes did not merely give his blessing for this book, but carefully oversaw the accuracy of the text. With the blessing of Saint Hermogenes the Service to the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (November 30) also was translated from Greek into the Russian language, and his Feast began to be celebrated in the Dormition Cathedral. the supervision of the Archpastor, new presses were made for printing service books, and a new print shop was built. This was damaged during the 1611 conflagration, when Moscow was burned by the Poles. Concerned about the order of divine services, Saint Hermogenes compiled a “Letter to all the People, Especially Priests and Deacons, on the Improvement of Church Singing.” The “Letter” chastizes the clergy for performing Church services not according to the Typikon, for unnecessary talking, and lay people for their irreverent attitude toward the divine services. literary activity of the first hierarch of the Russian Church is widely known. He wrote “An Account of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the Service to this Icon (1594);” “A Letter to Patriarch Job, Containing an Account of the Kazan Martyrs” (1591), a collection of articles in which questions about divine services (1598) are examined; there are patriotic documents and appeals, directed to the Russian nation (1606-1613), and other works. contemporaries speak of Patriarch Hermogenes as a man of outstanding intellect and erudition, “a Master of great reason and thought,” “very remarkable,” “very accomplished in wisdom and refined in learning,” “ever concerning himself about divine literature, and all the books about the Old Law and the New Grace, and pursuing to the end various Church rules and principles of law.” Saint Hermogenes spent a lot of time in monastery libraries, especially in the library of the Moscow Chudov monastery, where he copied precious historical accounts from ancient manuscripts. the seventeenth century they called the Chronicle by His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes the “Resurrection Chronicle.” In the collected works of the saint and his archpastoral documents there are many quotations from Holy Scripture, and examples taken from history, which testify to his profound knowledge of the Word of God and his familiarity with the Church literature of his time. Hermogenes incorporated his research in his preaching and teaching. The saint’s contemporaries regard the Archpastor as “a man of reverence,” “purity of life,” “a true shepherd of the flock of Christ,” and “a sincere upholder of the Christian faith”. qualities of Saint Hermogenes were quite especially apparent during the Time of Troubles, when the Russian land was overwhelmed by internal chaos, and worsened by Polish-Lithuanian intrigue. During this dark period, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church selflessly protected the Russian realm, by word and by deed defending the Orthodox Faith from Latinism, and also national unity from internal and external enemies. In saving his native land, Saint Hermogenes won the crown of a martyrdom, becoming a heavenly intercessor for Russia before the Throne of the Holy Trinity. Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow, Wonderworker of All Russia, Commemorated on February 17 Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus, was born in Kazan around 1530, and was descended from the Don Cossacks. According to the Patriarch’s own testimony, he served as priest in Kazan in a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas (December 6 and May 9), near the Kazan bazaar. Soon he became a monk, and from 1582 was archimandrite of the Savior-Transfiguration monastery at Kazan. On May 13, 1589 he was consecrated bishop and became the first Metropolitan of Kazan. he was the priest at Saint Nicholas, the wonderworking Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (July 8) was discovered in Kazan in 1579. With the blessing of Archbishop Jeremiah of Kazan, he carried the newly-appeared icon from the place of its discovery to the Church of Saint Nicholas. Having remarkable literary talent, the saint in 1594 compiled an account describing the appearance of the wonderworking icon and the miracles accomplished through it. In 1591 the saint gathered newly-baptized Tatars into the cathedral church and for several days he instructed them in the Faith. relics of Saint Germanus, the second archbishop of Kazan (September 25, November 6, and June 23), who died at Moscow on November 6, 1567 during a plague, were transfered and buried in Saint Nicholas Church in 1592. With the blessing of Patriarch Job (1589-1605), Saint Hermogenes reburied the relics at the Sviyazhsk Dormition monastery. January 9, 1592 Saint Hermogenes addressed a letter to Patriarch Job, in which he asked for permission to commemorate in his See of Kazan those Orthodox soldiers who gave their lives for the Faith and the nation in a battle against the Tatars. In the past, it was customary to enter into the diptychs the names of all Orthodox warriors who had fallen in battle, and to commemorate them. the same time he mentioned three martyrs who had suffered at Kazan for their faith in Christ, one of whom was a Russian named John (January 24) born at Nizhny Novgorod and captured by the Tatars. The other two, Stephen and Peter (March 24), were newly-converted Tatars. saint expressed regret that these martyrs were not inserted into the diptychs read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, and that “Memory Eternal” was not sung for them. In answer to Saint Hermogenes, the Patriarch issued a decree on February 25, which said: “to celebrate at Kazan and throughout all the Kazan metropolitanate a panikhida for all the Orthodox soldiers killed at Kazan and the environs of Kazan, on the Saturday following the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 1), and to inscribe them in the great Synodikon read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy,” and also ordered that the three Kazan martyrs be inscribed in the Synodikon, leaving it to Saint Hermogenes to set the day of their memory. Saint Hermogenes circulated the Patriarchal decree throughout his diocese, and required all the churches and monasteries to serve Liturgies, Panikhidas and Lityas for the three Kazan martyrs on January 24. Hermogenes displayed zeal in the faith and firmness in the observance of Church traditions, and he devoted himself to the enlightenment of Kazan Tatars with the faith of Christ. 1595, with the active participation of the Saint Hermogenes, the relics of the Kazan Wonderworkers Saint Gurias, the first archbishop of Kazan (October 4, December 5, June 20), and Saint Barsanuphius bishop of Tver (October 4, April 11) were discovered and uncovered. Tsar Theodore Ioannovich (1584-1598) had given orders to erect at the Kazan Savior-Transfiguration monastery a new stone church on the site of the first one, where the saints were buried. the graves of the saints were discovered, Saint Hermogenes came with a gathering of clergy. He commanded the graves to be opened and, when he saw the incorrupt relics and clothing of the saints, he notified the Patriarch and the Tsar. With the blessing of Patriarch Job and by order of the Tsar, the relics of the newly-appeared wonderworkers were placed in the new church. Saint Hermogenes himself compiled the lives of hierarchs Gurias and Barsanuphius. been found worthy of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Hermogenes was elected to the primatial See, and on July 3, 1606 he was installed as Patriarch by the assembly of the holy hierarchs at Moscow’s Dormition cathedral. Metropolitan Isidore handed the Patriarch the staff of the holy hierarch Peter, Moscow Wonderworker (October 5, December 21, August 24), and the Tsar gave as a gift to the new Patriarch a panagia, embellished with precious stones, a white klobuk and staff. In the ancient manner, Patriarch Hermogenes made his entrance riding upon a donkey. activity of Patriarch Hermogenes coincided with a difficult period for the Russian state: the appearance of the false Tsarevich Demetrius and the Polish king Sigismund III. The first hierarch devoted all his powers to the service of the Church and the nation. Hermogenes was not alone in this exploit: his self-sacrificing fellow-countrymen followed his example and assisted him. With special inspiration His Holiness the Patriarch stood up against the traitors and enemies of the nation, who wanted to spread Uniatism and Western Catholicism throughout Russia and to wipe out Orthodoxy, while enslaving the Russian nation. the imposter arrived at Moscow and settled himself at Tushino, Patriarch Hermogenes sent two letters to the Russian traitors. In one of them he wrote: “...You have forgotten the vows of our Orthodox Faith, in which we are born, baptized, nourished and raised. You have violated your oath and the kissing of the Cross to stand to the death for the house of the Most Holy Theotokos and for the Moscow realm, but have fallen for your false would-be Tsarevich ... My soul aches, my heart is sickened, all within me agonizes, and all my frame shudders; I weep and with sobbing I lament: Have mercy, have mercy, brethren and children, on your own souls and your parents departed and living ... Consider, how our nation is devastated and plundered by foreigners, who offer insult to the holy icons and churches, and how innocent blood is spilled, crying out to God. Think! Against whom do you take up arms: is it not against God, Who has created you? Is it not against your own brothers? Do you not devastate your own country?... I adjure you in the name of God, give up your undertaking, there is yet time, so that you do not perish in the end.” In the second document the saint appeals: “For the sake of God, come to your senses and turn around, gladden your parents, your wives and children; and we stand to pray God for you...” the righteous judgment of God fell upon the Brigand of Tushino: he was killed by his own close associates on December 11, 1610. But Moscow continued to remain in peril, since the Poles and traitors, loyal to Sigismund III, remained in the city. The documents sent by Patriarch Hermogenes throughout the cities and villages, exhorted the Russian nation to liberate Moscow from the enemies and to choose a lawful Russian Tsar. Muscovites rose up in rebellion, and the Poles burned the city, shutting themselves up in the Kremlin. Together with Russian traitors they forcefully seized Patriarch Hermogenes from the patriarchal throne and imprisoned him in the Chudov monastery. Bright Monday in 1611, the Russian militia approached Moscow and began the seige of the Kremlin, which continued for several months. Besieged within the Kremlin, the Poles often sent messengers to the Patriarch with the demand that he order the Russian militia to leave the city, threatening him with execution if he refused. saint firmly replied, “What are your threats to me? I fear only God. If all our enemies leave Moscow, I shall bless the Russian militia to withdraw from Moscow; but if you remain here, I shall bless all to stand against you and to die for the Orthodox Faith.” still in prison, the hieromartyr Hermogenes sent a final epistle to the Russian nation, blessing the liberating army to fight the invaders. The Russian commanders could not come to an agreement over a way to take the Kremlin and free the Patriarch. He languished more than nine months in dreadful confinement, and on February 17, 1612 he died a martyr’s death from starvation. liberation of Russia, for which Saint Hermogenes stood with such indestructible valor, was successfully achieved. The body of the hieromartyr Hermogenes was buried in the Chudov monastery, but in 1654 was transferred to the Moscow Dormition cathedral. The glorification of Patriarch Hermogenes as a saint occurred on May 12, 1913.

Russia, Moscow, 1914-1918, Russo-Turkish War (1914-18), Caucasus Campeign of WWI
Moscow, 1914-1918, Russo-Turkish War (1914-18), Caucasus Campeign of WWI;

Russia, Moscow, 1916-1966, John oSan Francisco, tBelgrade&ROCOR, tShanghai bCathedral, 5k exodus tPhillipines, DC lobbyng, Paris
Russia, Kiev, 1916-1966, St John oSan Francisco, fKharkov, Ukraine (High Point, Three Rivers source of the Seversky Donets, Vorskla River), born to pious aristocrats, sickly youth, poor appetite, intense religious interest, military school ed, Kharkiv U, law degree 1918, theological ed Belgrade 1925, Bishop Russian Church Outside Russia ROCOR, fled Bolsheviks, emigrated tYugoslavia, tonsured monk by ROCOR primate, taught iSerbian High School, hieromonk 1926, served iGreek, Bishop i1934, tShanghai, 1946 China Archbishop, ONationalities unity, built large cathedral w large Bell tower& lParish house, Churches, hospitals, orphanages, intensely active, barefoot Fool, end WWII exodus fCommunists 1949, 5,000 refuges Tubabao, Philippines, Wash DC lobbing tEnter US, parish in DC, 1951 Western Europe Archdiocese from Paris, restored Gaullican liturgy, consecrated ordained Bishops, 1962 Diocese San Francisco after friend Tikhon, sorrowful disunity days there, but peace there & new cathedral; Kharkov; Saint John [Maximovitch], Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco, Commemorated on July 2; Father among the Saints John (Maximovitch), Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966), a diocesan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) served widely from China to France to the United States. John departed this life on June 19 (O.S.) / July 2 (N.S.), 1966, was officially glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad on July 2, 1994. glorification was later recognized for universal veneration by the Patriarchate of Moscow on July 2, 2008. future Saint John was born on June 4, 1896, in the village of Adamovka in Kharkiv province pious aristocrats, Boris and Glafira Maximovitch. was given the baptismal name of Michael, after the Holy Archangel Michael. In his youth, Michael was sickly and had a poor appetite, but he displayed an intense religious interest. was educated at the Poltava Military School (1907-14); Kharkiv Imperial University, from which he received a law degree (in 1918); and the University of Belgrade (where he completed his theological education in 1925). and his family fled their country as the Bolshevik revolutionaries descended on the country, emigrating to Yugoslavia. he enrolled in the Department of Theology of the University of Belgrade. was tonsured a monk in 1926 by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kharkov the first primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia). Anthony later in 1926 ordained him hierodeacon. Gabriel of Chelyabinsk ordained him hieromonk on November 21, 1926. to his ordination he began an active life of teaching in a Serbian high school serving, at the request of local Greeks and Macedonians, in the Greek language. the growth of his popularity, the bishops of the Russian Church Aboard resolved to elevate him to the episcopate. John was consecrated bishop on May 28, 1934, with Metropolitan Anthony serving as principal consecrator, which he was assigned to the Diocese of Shanghai. years later he was named Archbishop of China. his arrival in Shanghai, Bishop John began working to restore unity among the various Orthodox nationalities. time, he worked to build a large cathedral church that was dedicated to Surety of Sinners Icon to the Mother of God, with a bell tower and large parish house. he inspired many activities: building of churches, hospitals, and orphanages among the Orthodox and Russians of Shanghai. was intensely active, constantly praying and serving the daily cycle of services, while also visiting the sick with the Holy Gifts. often would walk barefooted even in the coldest days. Yet to avoid the appearance of secular glory, he would pretend to act the fool. the end of World War II and the coming to power of the communists in China, Bishop John led the exodus of his community from Shanghai in 1949. Initially, he helped some 5,000 refugees to a camp on the island of Tubabao in the Philippines, he travelled successfully to Washington, D.C., to lobby to amend the law to allow these refugees to enter the United States. was while on this trip that Bishop John took time to establish a parish in Washington dedicated to Saint John the Forerunner. 1951, Archbishop John was assigned to the Archdiocese of Western Europe with his cathedra in Paris. his time there, he also served as archpastor of the Orthodox Church of France, restored Gallican liturgy he studied and then celebrated. was the principal consecrator of the Orthodox Church of France's first modern bishop, Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis, ordained to the priesthood the man who would become its second bishop, Germain (Bertrand-Hardy) of Saint-Denis. 1962, Archbishop John was assigned to the Diocese of San Francisco, his long time friend Archbishop Tikhon. John's days in San Francisco were to prove sorrowful as he attempted to heal the great disunity in his community. was able to bring peace such that the new cathedral, dedicated to the Joy of all Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God, was completed. revering Saint John of Kronstadt, Archbishop John played an active role in preparation of his canonization. reposed during a visit to Seattle on July 2, 1966, accompanying a tour of the Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God. was laid to rest in a crypt chapel under the main altar of the new cathedral. CREDIT: www.monasteryofstjohn.org/?p=about_st_john

Russia, Moscow, 1917, Russian Revolution, Russian Civil War
Russia, Moscow, 1917, Russian Revolution Chariman, 1917-1924, Vladimir Lennin, Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Sergius the Archimandrite of Petrograd, Commemorated July 31 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, Commemorated on March 21; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated on December 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God œEnthroned, Commemorated on March 2; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Russia, Moscow, 1917, Chekists, Cheka, first Soviet State Police
Chekists, Cheka, first Soviet State Police; St. George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21;

Russia, Moscow, 1917-1922, Benjamin of Petrograd, not resist consiscations, kicked L Church out, trial, shot
Russia, St Petersburg, 1917-1922, Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, 1922 Communists confiscating Church treasurers, for food for starving, he did not resist, wanted it to be voluntary, comission agreed but Moscow not, 12 living church priests called for unconditional surrender valuables, B met with authorities, substituted other property, L Church tried control from Tikhon, L Church outside C until repent, Soviets enraged, B ordered to rescind, did not, trial, false witnesses, shot; Petrograd: St Petersburg; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated on July 31; New Hieromartyr Benjamin (Kazansky) was appointed Metropolitan of Petrograd in the summer of 1917. those tumultuous times, he was one of the few people in Russia with no interest in politics. He was more concerned with caring for his diocese and his flock. 1922, the Communists began confiscating Church treasures. They professed that they wanted to sell them in order to buy food for the starving population. the people protested, there were bloody reprisals. Benjamin did not resist turning over the Church’s valuables, for he believed it was his duty to help save people’s lives. wanted this sacrifice to be voluntary, however, and not a plundering of church property by the government. March 6, 1922 Metropolitan Benjamin met with a commission which had been formed to help the starving. They agreed to his request that the dispersal of funds from voluntary contributions should be controlled by the parishes. Newspapers of that time praised the Metropolitan and his clergy for their charitable spirit. leaders in Moscow did not approve of the decision made by the Communists of Petrograd allowing voluntary contributions to be administered by the parishes, and declared that the confiscation of Church property would continue. gathered in Petrograd, shouting and throwing stones at those who were stealing from the churches. March 24, 1922 “Pravda” printed a letter from twelve priests who broke ranks with the other clergy, referring to them as “counter-revolutionaries” and blaming them for the famine. of these twelve would later be active in the “Living Church.” They called for unconditional surrender of all Church valuables to the Soviets. clergy of Petrograd were outraged by the letter from the twelve. Benjamin, hoping to avoid confrontations between the people and the Communists, tried to calm his priests. also asked for a meeting with the authorities. and Boyarsky, two of the twelve, were delegated to talk with Soviet leaders, and came to an agreement. Parishes would be permitted to keep their sacred vessels if they substituted other property of equal value. This program seemed to work well for a time. Boyarsky, and others tried to wrest control of the Church from Patriarch Tikhon and the bishops. informed Metropolitan Benjamin of the new state of affairs, declaring that Vvedensky had been appointed as the Petrograd representative of the new Church administration. Metropolitan could not accept this threat to Church order, so he proclaimed that Vvedensky would be regarded as being outside the Church until he repented of his error. decree was published in the newspapers, and served to enrage the Soviets. and the Petrograd commandant Bakaev went to see the Metropolitan and ordered him to rescind his decree. If he did not, they told him, he and others close to him would be placed on trial. They warned Metropolitan Benjamin that he and others would be put to death if he made the wrong choice. He refused to submit. courageous archpastor began meeting with his friends in order to say farewell. He also gave instructions for the administration of the diocese. A few days later, the Metropolitan was placed under house arrest. Not long after that, he was taken to prison. his trial began, the Metropolitan entered the courtroom with Bishop Benedict and other clergy. When everyone stood up for him, Metropolitan Benjamin blessed them. judges tried to get the Metropolitan to renounce the idea of the parishes voluntarily contributing church valuables in order to feed the hungry, or to provide the names of those who had conceived this idea. It would suit their purposes very well if he could be made to “repent” or back away from his previous statements and submit to the authorities. other clergy and civilians on trial with Metropolitan Benjamin did not try to ingratiate themselves with the court, and did not accuse others in order to win leniency for themselves. the trial, Archimandrite Sergius (Shein) explained that as a monk he had renounced the world in order to dedicate himself to God. Only the flimsiest of threads still connected him with the outside world, he asserted. “Does this tribunal imagine,” he said, “that severing this thread which connects me with life could frighten me? Do your deed. I pity you, and I pray for you.” trial lasted for two weeks, and the prosecutors presented witnesses who had been hired to bring false accusations against the defendants. witnesses were called, and their testimony seemed to support Metropolitan Benjamin and to weaken the government’s case against him. certain professor of the Technological Institute named Egorov angered the court by his testimony. He was accused of being a follower of the Metropolitan, so he was arrested on the spot. spite of all the evidence, the defendants were found guilty. Government supporters and members of the Red Army in the court broke into applause. defense attorney addressed the court, saying that he knew that any pleas he might offer would be useless. “Political considerations come first with you, and all verdicts must favor your policy,” he declared. though everyone understood that the trial was a farce, the Soviet government could not afford to make a martyr out of Metropolitan Benjamin. The example of history, he pointed out, should warn them against such a course. the defense attorney had finished, there was loud clapping. The judges tried to restore order, but found that many Communists in the audience had also joined in the applause. defendants were given a chance to speak, and the Metropolitan stood to address the court. He said it grieved him to be called an enemy of the people, for he had always loved the people and dedicated his life to them. The rest of his comments were a defense of the others on trial with him. the presiding judge asked him to say something about himself, he said that no matter what sentence the court decreed he would thank God by saying, “Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee for all things.” 9:00 P.M. on July 5, the chairman of the tribunal announced that ten defendants, including the Metropolitan, were to be shot. Benjamin and those with him (Archimandrite Sergius, George, and John of Petrograd) were executed on July 31, 1922. had been shaved and dressed in rags so that the firing squad would not know that they were shooting members of the clergy. saints are also commemorated at the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia (January 25 or the Sunday after the 25th).

Russia, Moscow, 1917-1989, Russian Communism
Russia, Moscow, 1917-1989, Russian Communism;

Russia, Moscow, 1917-1925, Tikhon, Metropolitan of all Russia, Bishop in US
Moscow, 1917-1925, Patriarch, Tikhon, Metropolitan of all Russia ; Tikhon of Moscow (31 January [O.S. 19 January] 1865-“ 7 April [O.S. 25 March] 1925), born Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin , was a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). On 5 November 1917 (OS) he was selected the 11th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,[Note 1] after a period of about 200 years of the Synodal rule in the ROC. He was canonised as a confessor by the ROC in 1989. Early life[edit] From 1878 to 1884, Bellavin studied at the Pskov Theological Seminary. In 1888, at the age of 23, he graduated from the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy as a layman. He then returned to the Pskov Seminary and became an instructor of Moral and Dogmatic Theology. In 1891, at the age of 26, he took monastic vows and was given the name Tikhon in honor of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. Tikhon was consecrated Bishop of Lublin on 19 October 1897. Bishop in the United States[edit] On 14 September 1898, he was appointed Bishop of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska. He went to the United States, and eventually became a naturalized American citizen. The peripatetic bishop visited emerging Orthodox emigrant communities in various American cities, including New York City, Chicago and the coal and steel-making cities in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The consecration of Reginald Heber Weller as an Anglican bishop at St. Paul's Cathedral in the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac, with Anthony Kozlowski of the Polish National Catholic Church and Tikhon of Moscow (along with his chaplains John Kochurov and Sebastian Dabovich) of the Russian Orthodox Church present As head of the ROC diocese in North America, in 1900 he reorganized the diocese and changed its name from the "Of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska" to "Diocese of the Aleutian Islands and North America". He had two auxiliary bishops in the United States: Bishop Innocent (Pustynsky) in Alaska, and St. Raphael (Hawaweeny) in Brooklyn. On 22 May 1901, he blessed the cornerstone for St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York City (fundraising for which had begun in 1894 and to which Tsar Nicholas II contributed 5,000 in 1900) in a great ceremony attended by New York Mayor Seth Low, Russian diplomats and sailors, and enthusiastic worshippers.[1] He celebrated the first liturgy in the new building's basement on July 20, 1902, and in the main hall on November 10, 1902.[2] Tikhon was also involved in building other churches in North America, and establishing a dialog with Greek Orthodox churches in America. On 9 November 1902, he consecrated the church of St. Nicholas in Brooklyn for Syrian Antiochian Orthodox immigrants. While in the United States, Tikhon became aware of the country's tradition of religious diversity, as well as the growing ecumenical and Pan-Slav movements, and the needs of a wide variety of eastern and southern European immigrants. Before his arrival, in 1890, a delegation of Carpatho-Rusyns also had approached the Russian consul in San Francisco and requested a bishop, since the Latin Catholic archbishop of Minnesota, John Ireland was attempting to force their assimilation, although Byzantine Rite Catholics had previously been accorded certain dispensations from the Roman Rite practices of the Latin Church. Their Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic priest, Alexis Toth, was formally accepted into the Russian Orthodox Church in 1892. In 1900, Tikhon attended the consecration of Reginald Heber Weller as coadjutor bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac, though he was not one of the consecrating bishops (all Episcopalians).[3] More Byzantine Catholics joined the Eastern Orthodox fold, especially priests after 1907, when Pope Pius X published Ea Semper, restricting their previously recognized right to ordain married men. In 1905, the title of Archbishop was bestowed on him, and he moved his formal residence and diocesan office from San Francisco to New York.[4] In June 1905, the new archbishop gave his blessing for the establishment of a monastery in Pennsylvania, which in the 1930s became Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary. On September 17, [O.S. September 4, ] 1905 The Holy Trinity Russian (Greek) Orthodox church was consecrated in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on the corner of McKenzie Street and Manitoba Avenue by the new Archbishop Tikhon, Head of the Russian Orthodox Mission in North America and soon to become Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Ukrainian teachers studying at the Ruthenian Training School sang at the consecration ceremony.[5] Return to Russia and restoration of Patriarchy[edit] In 1907, Tikhon returned to Russia, having been appointed to the See of Yaroslavl. On 22 December 1913, he was transferred to the diocese of Vilno in Lithuania. However, the First World War and the Russian Revolution created turmoil in his native land. On 21 June 1917, the Diocesan Congress of clergy and laity elected Tikhon the ruling bishop of Moscow. On 14 August 1917 (OS),[6] Tikhon was raised to the dignity of Metropolitan of Moscow. On the next day, the Local Council of the ROC, the first such convention since the late 17th century, opened in Moscow. The council's major decision that passed on 28 October 1917, days after the Bolsheviks seized power in Petrograd, was to restore the Patriarchy in the ROC. On 5 November 1917, after his election by vote as one of the three candidates for the reinstated Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev announced that Metropolitan Tikhon had been selected for the position after a drawing of lots as the new Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Patriarchate[edit] During the Russian Civil War the patriarch, like the entire Russian Church, was widely considered anti-Bolshevik and many bishops were exiled, imprisoned or even executed by the new regime. Tikhon openly condemned the killings of the tsar's family in 1918, and protested against violent attacks by the Bolsheviks on the church. In 1920, he granted autonomy to what became the Orthodox Church in America and other dioceses of the Church of Russia that were cut off from the governance of the highest church authority (i.e. the patriarch), until such time as normal relations with the highest church authority could be resumed. In November 1921, many of the Russian bishops, who had fled Russia in 1919â€“1920, had gathered in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia, and adopted a number of anti-Bolshevik statements; in May the following year Tikhon and his Synod formally dissolved the exile group, which nevertheless continued to exist as a separate Russian ecclesiastical entity, viewed as schismatic by the Moscow Patriarchate.[citation needed] Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow near Donskoy Monastery Jul 1923 In 1922 Russia was afflicted with mass famine. The Communist government used the situation to confiscate ecclesiastical property and to accuse the patriarch of being a saboteur. From April 1922 until June 1923 he resided under house arrest in Donskoy Monastery.[7] His public protest against nationalization of Church property was reframed as a criminal act. This caused international resonance and several countries sent formal protest notes to the Soviet government. Under pressure from the authorities, Tikhon issued several messages to the believers in which he stated in part that he was "no longer an enemy to the Soviet power". Textual analysis of these messages shows considerable similarity with a number of documents exchanged in the Politburo on the "Tikhon's Affair". Despite his declaration of loyalty, he continued to enjoy the trust of the Orthodox community in Russia. In 1923 Tikhon was "deposed" by a Soviet-sponsored[8] council of the so-called Living Church, which decreed that he was "henceforth a simple citizenâ€”Vasily Bellavin." This deposition has never been recognized as an act of the Russian Orthodox Church, and is therefore considered invalid by both the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Russian Federation. Death[edit] In 1924 the patriarch fell ill and was hospitalized. On 5 April 1925, he served his last Divine Liturgy, and died two days later, 25 March (OS)/7 April, the Feast of the Annunciation. He was buried on 12 April in the winter church of Donskoy Monastery in Moscow. From the time of his death, he was widely considered a martyr or confessor for the faith. Canonization Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated July 31 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Russia, Moscow, 1917-1924, Chariman, Vladimir Lennin, Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Chariman, 1917-1924, Vladimir Lennin, Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated July 31 ; Martyr Sergius the Archimandrite of Petrograd, Commemorated July 31 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; St Nectarius Kephalas the Metropolitan of Pentapolis, Commemorated on November 9; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; Venerable Hieromonk Alexei of Teklati, Commemorated on January 18; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23; St Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Gallich, Commemorated on January 25; Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, Commemorated on March 21; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Priestmartyr John Kochurov, Commemorated on October 31; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated on December 15 ; Icon of the Mother of God œEnthroned, Commemorated on March 2; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17; Venerable Nectarius of Optina, Commemorated on April 29; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; Hieromartyr Kirion II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Commemorated on June 27;

Russia, Moscow, 1917-1957, Living Church and Cheka, Alexander Tuchkov
Russia, Moscow, 1917-1957, Living Church and Cheka, Alexander Tuchkov ; Moscow, 1917-1925, Patriarch, Tikhon, Metropolitan of all Russia ; Hieromartyr Benjamin the Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdovsk, Commemorated July 31 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky, Commemorated on December 4; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25; ISABEL FLORENCE HAPGOOD, ECUMENIST and JOURNALIST, 1929, Commemorated June 26;

Russia, Moscow, 1918, Saint, Andronicus of Perm
Moscow Saint, 1918, Andronicus of Perm; New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm, Commemorated on June 4; holy New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm was an outspoken critic of the Communist decree which ordered the separation of Church and State. reading the Moscow Overland Assembly’s instructions on the matter, Archbishop Andronicus ordered his archdeacon to anathematize the Communists. The Archbishop was arrested, shot by two members of the Perm CHEKA, then buried on the road from Perm to Motoviliha. Theophanes, an assistant to Archbishop Andronicus, was also arrested about this time. He was then drowned in the River Kama. When they learned of the execution of the Perm bishops, the Moscow Church Assembly sent a special commission, headed by Bishop Basil of Chernigov, to investigate their murder. The Communists, however, took steps to conceal the facts from the investigators. the members of the commission were on their way back to Moscow, their train was attacked by Red soldiers somewhere between Perm and Viatka. Bishop Basil and the others were killed, and their bodies were thrown from the coach. The bodies were buried by peasants, but were later dug up and burned by the Communists when pilgrims began flocking to the graves.

Russia, Moscow, 1918, Nun-martyr Barbara, died wElizabeth next day, Grenades, E singing hymns, r tJerusalem 1920
Russia, Moscow, 1918, Nun-martyr Barbara, died wElizabeth next day, Grenades, E singing hymns, r tJerusalem 1920; Nun-martyr Barbara, Commemorated on July 18; Barbara died with Saint Elizabeth on July 5, 1918, the day after the murder of Tsar Nicholas and his family. The two nuns were thrown into a mineshaft, and grenades were tossed in after them. Saint Elizabeth remained alive for several hours, and could be heard singing hymns. bodies of Saint Barbara and Saint Elizabeth were taken to Jerusalem in 1920, and buried in the church of Saint Mary Magdalene Russia, Moscow, 1884-1918, Grand Duchess Elizabeth; Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, later Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia (1 November 1864 - 18 July 1918), was a German Hessian and Rhenish princess of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt, and the wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, the fifth son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. She was also a maternal great-aunt of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the consort of Queen Elizabeth II. granddaughter of Queen Victoria and an older sister of Alexandra, the last Russian Empress, Elisabeth became famous in Russian society for her beauty and charitable works among the poor. After the Socialist Revolutionary Party's Combat Organization assassinated her husband with a bomb in 1905, Elisabeth publicly forgave Sergei's murderer, Ivan Kalyayev, and campaigned without success for him to be pardoned. She then departed the Imperial Court and became a nun, founding the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent dedicated to helping the downtrodden of Moscow. In 1918 she was arrested and ultimately murdered by the Bolsheviks. 1981 Elisabeth was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and in 1992 by the Moscow Patriarchate. of Hesse Hessian grand ducal family in May 1875 was born on 1 November 1864 as the second child of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria. she came from one of the oldest and noblest houses in Germany, Elisabeth and her family lived a rather modest life by royal standards. The children swept the floors and cleaned their own rooms, while their mother sewed dresses herself for the children. During the Austro-Prussian War, Princess Alice often took Elisabeth with her while visiting wounded soldiers in a nearby hospital. In this relatively happy and secure environment, Elisabeth grew up surrounded by English domestic habits, and English became her first language. Later in life, she would tell a friend that, within her family, she and her siblings spoke English to their mother and German to their father. the autumn of 1878, diphtheria swept through the Hesse household, killing Elisabeth's youngest sister, Marie, on 16 November, as well as her mother Alice on 14 December. Elisabeth had been sent away to her paternal grandmother's home at the beginning of the outbreak and she was the only member of her family to remain unaffected. When she was finally allowed to return home, she described the meeting as "terribly sad" and said that everything was "like a horrible dream".[citation needed] and suitors and with a very accommodating personality, Elisabeth was considered by many historians and contemporaries to be one of the most beautiful women in Europe at that time. Her cousin Princess Marie of Edinburgh wrote that "one could never take one's eyes off [Ella]"[1] and that Ella's features were "exquisite beyond words, it almost brought tears to your eyes."[2] Her older cousin Prince Wilhelm of Prussia called her "exceedingly beautiful, in fact she is the most beautiful girl I ever saw."[3] Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden, her sister's lady-in-waiting, reflected that she was "a very pretty girl, tall and fair, with regular features."[4] a young woman, Elisabeth's cousin, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, fell in love with her. In April 1875, the 16-year-old Wilhelm visited Darmstadt to celebrate Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine's 12th birthday and first expressed interest in the 11-year-old Elisabeth. He wrote in a letter to his mother that "if God grants that I may live till then I shall make her my bride once if you allow it."[5] When he was a student at Bonn University, he often visited his Aunt Alice and his Hessian relatives on the weekends. During these frequent visits, he fell in love with Elisabeth,[6] writing numerous love poems and regularly sending them to her. He proposed to Elisabeth in 1878, but she rejected him. Charles Montagu, the second son of the 7th Duke of Manchester courted her unsuccessfully. Wilson, later a distinguished soldier, vied unsuccessfully for Elisabeth's hand. future Frederick II, Grand Duke of Baden, Wilhelm's first cousin, proposed to Elisabeth. Queen Victoria described him as "so good and steady", with "such a safe and happy position,"[7] that when Elisabeth declined to marry him the Queen "deeply regretted it". Frederick's grandmother, the Empress Augusta, was so furious at Elisabeth's rejection of Frederick that it took some time for her to forgive Elisabeth. admirers included: Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia (the poet KR), who wrote a poem about her first arrival in Russia and the general impression she made to all the people present at the time. Prince Felix Yusupov considered her a second mother, and stated in his memoirs that she helped him greatly during the most difficult moments of his life. As a young girl, Queen Marie of Romania was very fascinated with her cousin Ella. In her memoirs, she wrote that "her beauty and sweetness was a thing of dreams."[8] The French Ambassador to the Russian court, Maurice Paleologue, wrote in his memoirs how Elisabeth was capable of arousing what he described as "profane passions". Ultimately, it was a grand duke of Russia who would win Elisabeth's heart; Elisabeth's great-aunt, Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, was a frequent visitor to Hesse. During these visits, she was usually accompanied by her youngest sons, Sergei and Paul. Elisabeth had known them since they were children, and she initially viewed them as haughty and reserved. Sergei, especially, was a very serious young man, intensely religious, and he found himself attracted to Elisabeth after seeing her as a young woman for the first time in several years. first, Sergei made little impression on Elisabeth. But after the death of both of his parents within a year of each other, Elisabeth sympathised with Sergei because she had felt this same grief after the death of her mother. Their other similarities (both were artistic and religious) drew them closer together. It was said that Sergei was especially attached to Elisabeth because she had the same character as his beloved mother. So when Sergei proposed to her for the second time, she accepted—much to the chagrin of her grandmother Queen Victoria. Duchess of Russia and her husband Sergei and Elisabeth married on 15 (3) June 1884, at the Chapel of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg; upon her conversion to Russian Orthodoxy, she took the name Elizabetha Feodorovna. It was actually at the wedding that Sergei's 16-year-old nephew, Tsarevich Nicholas, first met his future wife, Elisabeth's youngest surviving sister Alix. was not legally required to convert to Russian Orthodoxy from her native Lutheran religion, but she voluntarily chose to do so in 1891. Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Elisabeth's Lutheran sister-in-law who had not converted to Russian Orthodoxy, insisted that it was "a disgrace for a German Protestant princess to go over to the Orthodox faith."[9] Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had once been in love with her, declared that she converted because of "an inordinate pursuit of popularity, a desire to improve her position at court, a great lack of intelligence, and also a want of true religiousness."[10] new Grand Duchess made a good first impression on her husband's family and the Russian people. "Everyone fell in love with her from the moment she came to Russia from her beloved Darmstadt", wrote one of Sergei's cousins. The couple settled in the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace in St. Petersburg; after Sergei was appointed Governor-General of Moscow by his elder brother, Tsar Alexander III, in 1892, they resided in one of the Kremlin palaces. During the summer, they stayed at Ilyinskoe, an estate outside Moscow that Sergei had inherited from his mother. couple never had children of their own, but their Ilyinskoe estate was usually filled with parties that Elisabeth organized especially for children. They eventually became the foster parents of Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Sergei's niece and nephew. was somewhat instrumental in the marriage of her nephew-by-marriage, Tsar Nicholas II, to her youngest sister Alix. Much to the dismay of Queen Victoria, Elisabeth had been encouraging Nicholas, then tsarevich, in his pursuit of Alix. When Nicholas did propose to Alix in 1894, and Alix rejected him on the basis of her refusal to convert to Orthodoxy, it was Elisabeth who spoke with Alix and encouraged her to convert. When Nicholas proposed to her again, a few days later, Alix then accepted. of Ivan Kalyayev taken just after the assassination. I threw the bomb from less than four steps. I was taken by the explosions, I saw the carriage flew to pieces...My overcoat was strewn with splinters of wood all around, it was torn and burnt, there was blood on my face... 17 February 1905, Sergei was assassinated in the Kremlin by the Socialist-Revolutionary Ivan Kalyayev. The event came as a terrible shock to Elisabeth, but she never lost her calm. It was as if her prophecy had come true that "God will punish us severely" which she made after the Grand Duke expelled 20,000 Jews from Moscow, by simply surrounding thousands of families' houses with soldiers and expelling the Jews without any notice overnight out of their homes and the city. Her niece Marie later recalled that her aunt's face was "pale and stricken rigid" and she would never forget her expression of infinite sadness. In her rooms, said Marie, Elisabeth "let herself fall weakly into an armchair...her eyes dry and with the same peculiar fixity of gaze, she looked straight into space, and said nothing." As visitors came and went, she looked without ever seeming to see them. the day of her husband's murder, Elisabeth refused to cry. But Marie recalled how her aunt slowly abandoned her rigid self-control, finally breaking down into sobs. Many of her family and friends feared that she would suffer a nervous breakdown, but she quickly recovered her equanimity. to Edvard Radzinsky, spent all the days before the burial in ceaseless prayer. On her husband's tombstone she wrote: 'Father, release them, they know not what they do.' She understood the words of the Gospels heart and soul, and on the eve of the funeral she demanded to be taken to the prison where Kalyayev was being held. Brought into his cell, she asked, 'Why did you kill my husband?' 'I killed Sergei Alexandrovich because he was a weapon of tyranny. I was taking revenge for the people.' 'Do not listen to your pride. Repent... and I will beg the Sovereign to give you your life. I will ask him for you. I myself have already forgiven you.' On the eve of revolution, she had already found a way out; forgiveness! Forgive through the impossible pain and blood -- and thereby stop it then, at the beginning, this bloody wheel. By her example, poor Ella appealed to society, calling upon the people to live in Christian faith. 'No!" replied Kalyayev. 'I do not repent. I must die for my deed and I will... My death will be more useful to my cause than Sergei Alexandrovich's death.' Kalyayev was sentenced to death. 'I am pleased with your sentence,' he told the judges. 'I hope that you will carry it out just as openly and publicly as I carried out the sentence of the Socialist Revolutionary Party. Learn to look the advancing revolution right in the face.'[11] was hanged on 23 May 1905. 1915 the All-Russian Zemstvo Union was organised under her auspices to provide support for sick and injured soldiers during the First World War.[12] life Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna as a nun after her husband's death Sergei's death, Elisabeth wore mourning clothes and became a vegetarian. In 1909, she sold off her magnificent collection of jewels and sold her other luxurious possessions; even her wedding ring was not spared. With the proceeds she opened the Convent of Saints Martha and Mary and became its abbess. soon opened a hospital, a chapel, a pharmacy and an orphanage on its grounds. Elisabeth and her nuns worked tirelessly among the poor and the sick of Moscow. She often visited Moscow's worst slums and did all she could to help alleviate the suffering of the poor. many years, Elisabeth's institution helped the poor and the orphans in Moscow by fostering the prayer and charity of devout women. 1916, Elisabeth had what was to be her final meeting with her sister Alexandra, the tsarina, at Tsarskoye Selo. While the meeting took place in private, the tutor to the tsar's children apparently recalled that the discussion included Elisabeth expressing her concerns over the influence that Grigori Rasputin had over Alexandra and the imperial court, and begging her to heed the warnings of both herself and other members of the imperial family. 2010 a historian claimed that Elisabeth may have been aware that the murder of Rasputin was to take place and secondly, she knew who was going to commit that particular murder when she wrote a letter and sent it to the Tsar and two telegrams to Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and Zinaida Yusupova, her friend. The telegrams, which were written the night of the murder, reveal that the Grand Duchess was aware of who the murderers were before that information had been released to the public, and she stated that she felt that the killing was a "patriotic act."[13] 1918, Vladimir Lenin ordered the Cheka to arrest Elisabeth. They then exiled her first to Perm, then to Yekaterinburg, where she spent a few days and was joined by others: the Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich; Princes Ioann Konstantinovich, Konstantin Konstantinovich, Igor Konstantinovich and Vladimir Pavlovich Paley; Grand Duke Sergei's secretary, Fyodor Remez; and Varvara Yakovleva, a sister from the Grand Duchess's convent. They were all taken to Alapayevsk on 20 May 1918, where they were housed in the Napolnaya School on the outskirts of the town. shaft in Siniachikha where Elisabeth and her family were murdered noon on 17 July, Cheka officer Pyotr Startsev and a few Bolshevik workers came to the school. They took from the prisoners whatever money they had left and announced that they would be transferred that night to the Upper Siniachikhensky factory compound. The Red Army guards were told to leave and Cheka men replaced them. That night the prisoners were awakened and driven in carts on a road leading to the village of Siniachikha, some 18 kilometres (11 miles) from Alapayevsk where there was an abandoned iron mine with a pit 20 metres (66 feet) deep. Here they halted. The Cheka beat all the prisoners before throwing their victims into this pit, Elisabeth being the first. Hand grenades were then hurled down the shaft, but only one victim, Fyodor Remez, died as a result of the grenades. to the personal account of Vasily Ryabov, one of the killers, Elisabeth and the others survived the initial fall into the mine, prompting Ryabov to toss in a grenade after them. Following the explosion, he claimed to have heard Elisabeth and the others singing an Orthodox hymn from the bottom of the shaft.[14] Unnerved, Ryabov threw down a second grenade, but the singing continued. Finally a large quantity of brushwood was shoved into the opening and set alight, upon which Ryabov posted a guard over the site and departed. on 18 July 1918, the leader of the Alapayevsk Cheka, Abramov, and the head of the Yekaterinburg Regional Soviet, Beloborodov, who had been involved in the murder of the Imperial Family, exchanged a number of telegrams in a pre-arranged plan saying that the school had been attacked by an "unidentified gang". A month later, Alapayevsk fell to the White Army of Admiral Alexander Kolchak. Lenin welcomed Elisabeth's death, remarking that "virtue with the crown on it is a greater enemy to the world revolution than a hundred tyrant tsars".[15][16] Moscow Grand Duke, 1877-1905, Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia; Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia (11 May 1857 - 17 February 1905) was the fifth son and seventh child of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. He was an influential figure during the reigns of his brother Emperor Alexander III of Russia and his nephew Emperor Nicholas II, who was also his brother-in-law through Sergei's marriage to Elizabeth, the sister of Tsarina Alexandra.[1] Duke Sergei's education gave him lifelong interests in culture and the arts. Like all male members of the Romanov dynasty, he followed a military career, and he fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, receiving the Order of St George for courage and bravery in action. In 1882, his brother, Tsar Alexander III, appointed him Commander of the 1st Battalion Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, a position he held until 1891. In 1889, Grand Duke Sergei was promoted to the rank of Major General. In 1884, Sergei married Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Their marriage remained childless, but they became the guardians of the two children of his brother, Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia: Grand Duchess Maria, and Grand Duke Dmitri. Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and his wife promoted the marriage of Sergei's nephew, Tsar Nicholas II, with Princess Alix of Hesse, Elizabeth's youngest sister. 1891 and 1905, Grand Duke Sergei served as Governor-General of Moscow. His reputation was tarnished as he was partially blamed for the Khodynka Tragedy, which, during the festivities following the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II, resulted in more than a thousand deaths. a Governor of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei was responsible for the expulsion of Moscow's 20,000 Jews[2] at the start of his tenure, and he repressed a student movement to prevent the spread of revolutionary ideas. His conservative policies, extreme even by contemporary standards, made him a polarizing figure, and he was regarded as a reactionary. 1894 Grand Duke Sergei was made a member of the State Council. In 1896 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed as Commander of Moscow Military District. After thirteen years of service, Grand Duke Sergei resigned from the Governorship on 1 January 1905. Targeted by the SR Combat Organization, he was assassinated by a terrorist bomb at the Kremlin. life[edit] Duke Sergei with his parents and his sister, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna Duke Sergei Alexandrovich was born on 11 May [O.S. 29 April] 1857 in the Zubov wing of the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo. He was the seventh child and fifth son among the eight children of Alexander II of Russia and his first wife Maria Alexandrovna, née Duchess Maximilienne Wilhelmine of Hesse and by Rhine.[3] Duke Sergei with his younger brother Grand Duke Paul he was old enough to begin lessons, Sergei's earlier years were spent with his younger brother Paul, from whom he was inseparable, and their sister at Livadia, the family's Crimean retreat, at Tsarskoye Selo, and at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. By the time Sergei was born, his mother was already in declining health. Although she was not a particularly affectionate mother, except to her daughter, her three youngest children, Marie, Sergei and Paul, were close to her and especially to one another.[3] Marie adored him and called him "an exceptionally nice young man... and can be recommended one very possible way, not because he is my brother, but because he is an exception among princes."[4] time passed and the Empress's health made it necessary for her to avoid the harsh Russian climate, they spent long sojourns abroad in Jugenheim outside Darmstadt and winters in the South of France.[5] family tragedy hit them there. In April 1865, shortly before Sergei's eighth birthday, his eldest brother and godfather Nicholas, the heir to the crown, died in Nice.[6] As a child, Sergei was shy, studious, and withdrawn. Under the influence of his mother, whose reserved character he resembled, he became very religious. the 1870s, Sergei and his younger brother Paul were kept in Russia by their studies. They were destined to follow a military career, but their tutor, Admiral Arseniev, encouraged Sergei's linguistic, artistic, and musical abilities. He was fluent in several languages and learned Italian in order to read Dante in the original.[7] His interest in Italian art and culture intensified as he grew older. He painted well and was musical, playing the flute in an amateur orchestra. He enjoyed acting and steeped himself in the early history, culture, and traditions of Russia. He liked to read and in time came to know many of Russia's great writers personally, among them Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, whose work the Grand Duke read and admired.[7] He met Dostoevsky over dinner at the Winter Palace where he was invited by Sergei's professor.[8] career[edit] Duke Sergei Alexandrovich in his youth Duke Sergei Alexandrovich started a military career early in his life. He was from birth Colonel-in-Chief of the 38th Tobolsk Infantry Regiment, he also became Colonel-in-Chief of the 2nd Battalion Guards Rifles and, towards the end of his life, Colonel-in-Chief of the 5th Kievsky Grenadier Regiment.[9] On his twentieth birthday on 29 April 1877, the Grand Duke took the solemn oath of allegiance to the Emperor.[7] An educational tour that had been proposed for him was postponed upon the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78. Sergei took part in the war with his father and brothers, the Tsarevich Alexander and Grand Dukes Vladimir and Alexei. He spent the greater part of his time serving as Poruchik in the Leib Guard under the Tsarevich in southeast Romania.[10] He was consequently promoted to Colonel. On 12 October, following the battle of Meyk, the Emperor decorated him with the Order of St George, for courage and bravery in action with the enemy, for a reconnaissance expedition at Kara Loma near Koshev. At the end of December 1877, Sergei Alexandrovich returned to Saint Petersburg with his father. II had started a new family with his mistress and Sergei sided with his neglected mother in the breaking of the family's harmony.[11] Empress Maria died in June 1880, and in March 1881 Alexander II, who had married his mistress, Princess Catherine Dolgoruki, was assassinated by terrorists. Sergei was then in Italy with his brother Paul and Admiral Arseniev. Three months later, in June 1881, the Grand Duke went to Palestine accompanied by Paul and his cousin Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich. They visited Jerusalem and the sacred sites. He helped to found a society dedicated to the upkeep of Orthodox shrines in the Holy Land and the provision of services to Russian pilgrims. He became chairman of this society, and his status as patron of the Russian presence in Jerusalem is believed to have given him more pleasure than any of his other duties.[12] 1882 on, Sergei's military career, which occupied an increasing amount of his time in Saint Petersburg and on maneuvers at Krasnoe Selo, advanced still further.[13] On 15 January 1882, his brother, Alexander III, appointed him Commander of the 1st Battalion Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, the elite regiment founded by Peter the Great, with the rank of Colonel. Seven years later, he was promoted to the rank of Major General. On 26 February 1891, he was made Adjutant General of the H. I. M. Retinue. He became the commanding officer in the village of Preobrazhenskoy. Sergei commanded this regiment until 1891, when his brother the Emperor appointed him Governor-General of Moscow.[9] Russian Grand Duke[edit] Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia. twenty-six, the fair-haired Grand Duke was reserved, intelligent, well-read and refined.[9] Over six feet tall, his extremely slim figure was accentuated by a corset, worn in the manner of Prussian officers.[9] his closely cropped hair and neat beard, Sergei Alexandrovich cut an impressive figure.[14] When Consuelo Vanderbilt, then Duchess of Marlborough, met him in Moscow, she considered him to be "One of the most handsome men I have ever seen."[15] Described by his brother-in-law Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, as "tall and fair with delicate features and beautiful light green eyes". Very self-conscious, he held himself very stiffly and with a hard expression in his eyes.[14] health was seriously compromised as he suffered from osteoarticular tuberculosis.[16] A condition he strove to conceal, but it caused all his joints to waste away.[16] He had to take salts and hot baths to get some relief.[16] He could not ride a horse and had to wear a spinal corset at all times.[16] He stood very straight and had a habit of playing with one of his jeweled rings, turning it around his finger. He kept his feelings rigidly in check, and many mistook his reserve for pride. Few had the chance to know him well. He was noted for his adherence to the Church, took a deep interest in Russian antiques and art treasures, and was interested in archaeology, music and acting and sometimes chairing meetings of the Archaeological Congress.[8] shy and reserved, he made no secret of his disapproval of fashionable society and its lax ways, and he defied all criticism. He found it hard to cope with opposition and easily lost his temper. In his home, he demanded tidiness, order, and discipline, and he expected to be obeyed. His niece, Marie, Queen of the Romanians, remembered him: "Dry, nervous, short of speech, impatient, he had none of the rather careless good humor of his three elder brothers ... but for all that we loved him, felt irresistibly attracted to him, hard though he could be. Few perhaps cherish his memory, but I do." Many other family members, including his nephew Kiril, Princess Marie of Greece and Prince Gabriel, included their good impressions of him in their memoirs.[17] Duke Sergei and his wife, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna 1881 there had been talks of a possible marriage to Princess Caroline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein.[18] Emperor Alexander II had hoped that at least one of his sons would marry a princess of Hesse as he had done. eventually chose as his bride Princess Elizabeth of Hesse, a daughter of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. She was an older sister of both Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Alix of Hesse, later the Empress consort of Nicholas II of Russia. They were first cousins once removed (i.e., Elizabeth's great-grandfather, her father's paternal grandfather, Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse, was Sergei's maternal grandfather) and had known each other all their lives.[3] were hesitations on both sides and Elizabeth first rejected his proposal of marriage.[18] Queen Victoria, who had anti-Russian sentiments, opposed the marriage of her motherless granddaughter.[19] Elizabeth and her sisters were not pressured into following political marriages; they were allowed to follow their own inclination.[18] After the couple spent some time together at Schloss Wolfsgarten in Darmstadt in September 1883, Elizabeth agreed to marry him.[20] Their engagement was announced publicly on 26 February 1884 when Sergei returned to visit her in Darmstadt.[21] Upon her marriage, Princess Elizabeth took the name of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia.[22] The wedding took place on 15 June 1884 in the Winter Palace.[23] spent their honeymoon in Ilinskoye, Sergei's 2,400-acre (9.7 km2) country estate forty miles west of Moscow on the left bank of the Moskva River, that he inherited from his mother. The couple later settled in Saint Petersburg in a mansion occupying the southeast corner of the Fontanka Canal and the Nevsky Prospekt, a short drive from his former apartments in the Winter Palace.[21] The Beloselsky Belozersky mansion, bought by Sergei to live with his wife, was renamed Sergeivsky Palace.[24] The couple also had Ferme, a villa located in the grounds of Peterhof that Sergei had inherited from his mother.[25] They usually entertained at Ilinskoe during the summer months, with guests occupying various wooden villas dotted around the park. There was also Usovo, a substantial stone and brick house with an innovative central heating, that Sergei had built on the opposite bank of the Moskva River. couple was close to Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna and the Tsar trusted Sergei more than his other brothers. In 1886, Alexander III appointed him Commander of the Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, entrusting him with introducing the Tsarevich (the future Nicholas II) to army life. and Ella represented Russia in 1887 during Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and in 1888, they were sent to the Holy Land on the occasion of the consecration of the church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem, built-in memory of Empress Maria Alexandrovna. By 1892, eight years into the marriage, Sergei was already certain that they would not have children and he left a will making the children of his brother Paul his heirs after his and his wife's deaths. of Moscow[edit] Duke Sergei and his wife, 1892 Alexander III adopted a policy of repression; he wanted a like mind at the helm of Imperial Russia's second city and former capital. Thus, in spring 1891, the tsar appointed Sergei as governor general of Moscow.[26] Although it was a great honour, Grand Duke Sergei accepted his new appointment with reluctance. He had hoped to stay longer in command of the Preobrazhensky, where he was popular; and he and his wife loved the quiet life they were living in Saint Petersburg. vice-regal role of Governor-General ruling Prince of Moscow was one that was answerable only to the emperor.[27] Grand Duke Sergei was a political hardliner who shared his brother's inalienable belief in strong, nationalist government.[27] tenure began with the expulsion of Moscow's 20,000 Jews.[27] It started four weeks before he arrived in person, after the publication of an imperial ukase by the Minister of the Interiors, Ivan Durnovo, by which all Jews of lower social stance (artisans, minor traders and so on) had to be expelled from Moscow. On 29 March, the first day of Passover, the city's Jewish population learned of the new decree that called for their expulsion.[27] In three carefully planned phases over the next twelve months, Moscow's Jews were expelled. Those first to go were the unmarried, the childless, and those who had lived in the city for less than three years.[27] Next, it was the turn of apprentices, of families with up to four children, and those with less than six years residency.[27] Last of all, it was the turn of the old Jewish settlers with large families and/or numerous employees, some of whom had lived in Moscow for forty years.[27] Young Jewish women were made to register as prostitutes if they wanted to stay in the city.[2] the expulsion, homes were surrounded by mounted Cossacks in the middle of the night while policemen ransacked every house. In January 1892, in a temperature of 30 degrees below zero, Brest station was packed with Jews of all ages and sexes, all in rags and surrounded by meager remnants of households goods, all leaving voluntarily rather than face deportation.[27] Sergei as governor-general was petitioned by the police commissioners to stop the expulsions until the weather conditions improved.[27] While he agreed, the order was not published until the expulsions were over.[27] Some of them moved to southern and western regions of the empire although there were many who decided to emigrate.[28] In counting the cost, Moscow lost 100 million rubles in trade and production, 25,000 Russians employed by Jewish firms lost their livelihoods, while the manufacture of silk, one of the city's most lucrative industries, was all but wiped out.[29] meet the needs of students, Sergei ordered the start of the construction of new dormitories in the city. At the same time, however, severe restrictions were imposed on the students and professors in the universities as a part of the state's policy of conspiracy prevention and elimination of revolutionary ideas.[30] made Sergei Alexandrovich very unpopular in Moscow among intelligentsia, though the more conservative citizens were pleased.[30] Muscovite nobility and merchants despised him because he was rough and lacked tact while attempting to fight commercial fraud and enforce strict policy measures. However, he did significantly improve general living conditions during his tenure and was extremely conscientious in carrying out his duties: “Even in the country when he was supposed to be resting," his niece remembered, "he was constantly receiving couriers from Moscow and giving audiences.â€ He paid much attention to detail, attending personally to matters that could easily have been left to subordinates, punishing corruption and fraud. At times, he would go about the city incognito to see conditions for himself.[31] In private, he and his wife were concerned about the poverty they saw in Moscow and the surrounding countryside, discussing ways to improve it.[32] organizations and charities always attracted Sergei's attention and he became either chairman or patron of scores of them. He was, for example, chairman of the Moscow Society for the Care, Upbringing, and Education of Blind Children; of the Society for Homeless, Neglected Children, and Convicted Adolescents; and the Moscow Department of the Russian Department Society of National Health Protection.[33] addition, he was a patron of organizations as diverse as the Moscow and Saint Petersburg Universities, The Printer's Mutual Aid Fund, the Society of Care for Aged Actors, the Pskov Non-Classical Secondary School, and Prince Nikola's Alm Houses. He was also chairman of the Academies of both Arts and Science, the Moscow Archeological Society, the Society of Agriculture, the Russian Musical Society, the Historical Museum in Moscow, and the Moscow Theological Academy among others.[33] Tragedy[edit] See also: Khodynka Tragedy Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (right) with his brother Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich (center, smoking) on 14 May 1896, coronation of Nicholas II. Alexander III died on 1 November [O.S. 20 October] 1894 and his son Nicholas II ascended to the Russian throne. The relationship between Grand Duke Sergei and his nephew, who had served under his command in the Preobrazhensky Life Guard Regiment, was close and it became stronger with Nicholas II's marriage to Princess Alix of Hesse, the youngest sister of Sergei's wife—a union that Sergei and Elizabeth Feodorovna had helped to promote. coronation ceremonies of the new Emperor and his wife, as tradition demanded, took place in Moscow and Sergei as Governor General of the City was in charge of overseeing the arrangements. As part of the preparations, Sergei had introduced the novelty of electric light to Moscow. Towards the end of the festivities, according to custom, every newly crowned Tsar presented gifts to the populace; Field, on the outskirts of Moscow, was where the distribution was held since the coronation of Tsar Alexander II. The choice was questionable, as the field was normally used as a military training ground and was crisscrossed with ditches. Nevertheless, Sergei, as Governor General approved the plans. Although a crowd of nearly half a million was expected from all over Russia, only one squadron of Cossacks and a small detachment of police were sent to maintain order. in the morning of 30 May [O.S. 18 May] 1896, families began to gather outside the frail wooden fence that protected the field, watching carts laden with beer, and the eagerly sought after gifts.[34] Around 6 am, a rumour swept through the mass that the booths had already opened and the souvenirs were being given out.[35] Suddenly moving as one, that great body of people began to surge forward in the direction of the booths.[35] As it did so, men, women and children, hundreds of whom had no idea what was happening, fell or slipped on the uneven ground and were crushed and trampled underfoot. Others suffocated in the mayhem.[35] The police, far too few in numbers, were helpless to do much and even the Cossacks when they arrived were unable to stop the catastrophe. One thousand three hundred people, many hideously mutilated and unrecognizable, were killed and twice that number were seriously injured.[36] Grand Duke Sergei had not directly participated in the planning for Khodynka Field, he was to blame for the lack of foresight and as Governor-General, ultimately responsible. However, he did not assume his part of the responsibility for the tragedy. He laid the blame on others, most notably on Ilarion Count Voronzov-Dashkov, head of the Ministry of the Imperial Court, with whom there had been some dispute over the management of the coronation festivities,[37] and Colonel Alexander Vlasovsky (1842–1899), the city of Moscow's Chief of Police.[38] In the eyes of public opinion Sergei had done himself great harm by not going to the scene of the incident or at least putting in appearances at the victims' funerals. of the stampede at Khodynka the tragedy, many members of the Romanov family, headed by Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich and his brothers, thought that the remaining festivities should be canceled. On the other hand, Sergei Alexandrovich and his brothers thought that a historical event, such as a coronation, should not be disrupted or marred by a conspicuous period of mourning. The latter opinion believed that the crowds who came long distances should not be disappointed and that the tightly scheduled events for foreign dignitaries not be slighted and should go forward. There was also division among the Romanov family as to whether Grand Duke Sergei should have resigned. Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich and his brothers called for his resignation, while Sergei's own brothers Grand Dukes Vladimir Alexandrovich and Alexei Alexandrovich closed ranks supporting him and threatened to retire from public life if Sergei was made the scapegoat for the Khodynka tragedy.[39] Sergei ultimately offered to resign but Vorontzov-Dashkov did not. The Tsar ultimately did not support a thoroughly proposed investigation, the Chief of Police was dismissed, but Grand Duke Sergei retained his high office. night of the tragedy Tsar Nicholas II, for diplomatic reasons, attended a ball in honor of the French; because of that, his reputation suffered for what was perceived to be his lack of sympathy for the victims. Duke Sergei Alexandrovich 1894 Sergei was made a member of the State Council. In 1896, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed as Commander of Moscow military district. Because Sergei was devoted to the policies of his nephew, the Tsar regarded him as a useful counter weight to some of his ministers and officials and would always readily take his side.[40] When, in 1896, disturbances broke out in the universities, Nicholas II was grateful for his prompt action and that of the authorities that quickly restored order. Sergei was often condemned as a complete reactionary during his governorship, according to his brother-in-law Ernest, Grand Duke of Hesse, he wanted and strove for improvements, which angered conservatives, but blocked revolutionary reforms, which infuriated radicals, because he considered them impractical or thought that Russia was not ready for them.[36][41] enigmatic personality and harsh manners made him appear arrogant and disagreeable. Shy by nature, he dreaded personal contact. When courtesy demanded a handshake, he solved the problem by wearing a white glove. Puritan and humourless, at least in public, he had a total disregard for public opinion. He never seemed to be at ease with himself and others. He became a focus for serious opponents of the regime as well as for malicious gossip. His cousin Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich left a damaging description about him: "Try as I will,â€ he wrote, “ I cannot find a single redeeming feature in his character… Obstinate, arrogant, disagreeable, he flaunted his many peculiarities in the face of the entire nation… "[42] Later writers have accused him of sadism.[30][43] great deal of controversy around Sergei Alexandrovich has centered on the nature of his personal life. Conjecture about the perhaps unhappy nature of the relationship with his wife has abounded.[44] Sergei's marriage is barely documented. His private papers, including his correspondence with his wife, have not survived, and the evidence that does exist in the Moscow State Archives, the most important repository of Romanov papers, is open to interpretation. According to some contemporary reports, Sergei was homosexual.[43][45][46] His sexuality conflicted with his intense religious beliefs and the expectations of his position.[46] Contrary to this belief, the marriage was happy, in its own way. Unusually for royal couples, they slept in the same bed for all of their married life.[47] Forced to defend Sergei against rumors of discord, Elizabeth Feodorovna was devoted to her husband and treasured his memory after his death. Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia with his foster children: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna jr, and Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich their marriage remained childless, the two children of Grand Duke Paul, Grand Duchess Maria, and Grand Duke Dimitri, often joined their household, spending Christmases and later some summer holidays with Sergei and his wife. The couple set aside a playroom and bedrooms for the youngsters at their home. 1902, Paul was banished from living in Russia after he contracted a morganatic marriage and Sergei asked for and obtained the guardianship of his niece and nephew.[45] a foster father, Sergei was strict and demanding, but devoted and affectionate towards the children. Nevertheless, Maria and Dimitri resented their aunt and uncle, blaming them for the forced separation from their real father, who had abandoned them.[48] While Sergei had their best interests at heart, his preoccupation with the smallest detail of their education and upbringing were not appealing to the two difficult adolescents, especially the obstinate Maria.[49] the end of 1904, Russia had suffered disastrously in the Russo-Japanese War and the country was in turmoil. As discontent and demonstration multiplied, so did the pressure on Sergei to maintain order.[50] He was of the opinion that only the utmost severity could put an end to the revolutionary ferment, but in the wake of civil disorder Nicholas II was forced to make concessions. did not support the Tsar's security policies of vacillations and evasions.[51] According to Marie Pavlovna, "it appeared to my uncle little less than monstrous ... he expressed deep sorrow for the state of affairs in Russia, of the necessity for serious measures, and of the criminal weakness of the Tsar's ministers and councilors." disillusioned with the whole situation and deciding it was the right time to retire into private life, he informed the Tsar that new times needed new faces.[52] After thirteen years of service, Sergei resigned from the Governorship on 1 January 1905 and was succeeded by Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov. However, he continued as Commander of the Moscow military district.[53] Ivan Kalyayev Assassination of the carriage his resignation, Grand Duke Sergei moved to the Neskuchnoye Palace with his wife and foster children. Shortly thereafter, they moved to the Nicholas Palace within the safety of the Kremlin, under the cover of night. Sergei took every precaution advised by his detectives. Sergei and his wife rarely ventured outside.[54] At home, they only received their closest friends.[54] Like his father, Alexander II, Sergei was firm of the belief that unless it was the will of God, no attempt on his life would succeed. If it were the will of God, no amount of security would prevent it. One precaution he did take was for the benefit of his adjutants, whom he would no longer allow traveling with him. 15 February 1905, the family attended a concert at the Bolshoi Theatre in aid of Elizabeth Feodorovna's Red Cross War charities.[55] A terrorist organization that knew his route had planned to assassinate him that day. However, one of their members noticed the children in the carriage and decided to call off their attack. To kill the Grand Duchess and the children would surely have sparked a wave of apprehension throughout the empire, and would have set back the revolutionary cause by years.[53] Having had lunch with his wife at Nicholas Palace on 17 February, Sergei left unaccompanied for the Governor General's mansion.[56] Because of the looming threat, Sergei had refused to take his adjutant, Alexei, since he was married and a father. The arrival of the Grand Duke's recognizable carriage, drawn by a pair of horses and driven by his coachman Andrei Rudinkin, alerted the terrorist who had been waiting in the Kremlin with a bomb wrapped in newspapers.[57] before 14:45, the carriage of the Grand Duke passed through the gate of Nikolskaya Tower of the Kremlin and turned the corner of the Chudov Monastery into Senatskaya Square. From a distance no more than four feet (1.2 m) away and still some 60 feet (18 m) inside the Nikolsky Gate, Ivan Kalyayev, a member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party's combat detachment, stepped forward and threw a nitroglycerin bomb directly into Sergei's lap.[58] The explosion disintegrated the carriage and the Grand Duke died immediately, his body blown to bits.[58] Scattered all over the bloodstained snow lay pieces of scorched cloth, fur, and leather. The body of the Grand Duke was mutilated, with the head, the upper part of the chest, and the left shoulder and arm blown off and completely destroyed.[59] Surrounded by splintered skull bones was what little that remained of his face.[58] Some of the Grand Duke's fingers, still adorned with the rings he habitually wore, were found on the roof of a nearby building.[58][60] impact, the carriage horses had bolted towards the Nikolsky Gate, dragging with them the front wheels and coachbox as well as the semi-conscious and badly burned driver, Rudinkin, whose back had been riddled with bits of bomb and stones. He was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he died three days later. Kalyayev, who by his own testimony had expected to die in the explosion, survived.[57][61] Sucked into the vortex of the explosion, he ended up by the remains of the rear wheels. His face was peppered by splinters, pouring with blood.[57] Kalyayev was immediately arrested, sentenced to death, and hanged two months later. Grand Duchess rushed to the scene of the explosion.[61] Stunned but perfectly controlled, she gave instructions, and, kneeling in the snow, helped to gather up Sergei's remains.[61] The bared torso, part of the skull, a hand bone fragment, fingers, and a still-booted foot were placed on a stretcher and covered with an army greatcoat. The Grand Duchess also gathered Sergei's medallions.[61] affected by the Grand Duke's death, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna retired from the royal family and founded the Russian Orthodox convent of Martha and Mary, where she dedicated herself to the care of Moscow's poor and suffering.[58] Part of the obligations of the sisters of the Martha and Mary convent was to make an annual pilgrimage to the sepulchral church in memory of the Grand Duke on the day of his repose, 4 February.[62] Elizabeth Feodorovna was murdered during the Russian Civil War in 1918, together with many other Romanov relatives. bodies were smuggled to China and eventually reached Jerusalem. The wooden coffins were met at the railway station by the deputy British governor, Sir Harry Charles Luke, and taken for burial at the Church of Maria Magdalene on the Mount of Olives.[12] of the memorial, 4 May 2017 Duke Sergei's body was buried in a crypt of the Chudov Monastery within the precincts of the Moscow Kremlin. A memorial cross was erected on the spot where he was killed. After the downfall of the Romanovs, the cross was destroyed with the personal participation of Vladimir Lenin.[52] Monastery was demolished in 1928, and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet was built on the site. The burial crypt of the Grand Duke was located in a courtyard of that building, which had been used as a parking lot. In 1990, building workers in the Kremlin discovered the blocked up entrance of the burial vault. The coffin was examined and found to contain the Grand Duke's remains, covered with the military greatcoat of the Kiev regiment, decorations, and an icon. He had left written instructions that he was to be buried in the Preobrazhensky Lifeguard regiment uniform, but as his body was so badly mutilated this proved impossible. In 1995, the coffin was officially exhumed, and after a Panikhida in the Kremlin Cathedral of the Archangel, it was reburied in a vault of the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow on 17 September 1995.[63] 4 May 2017, the memorial cross was restored in a ceremony that was attended by President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.[64] Grand Duchess Elizabeth, Commemorated on July 18;

Russia, Moscow, 1919-1942, Gregory (Peradze), philosopher, theologian, saved Georgian manuscripts from Reds and Nazis
Georgia, 1919-1942, Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, of Bakurtsikhe, Kakheti, Eastern Georgia, philosopher, theologian, Berlin, Bonn, Louvain, Oxford, Paris, Warsaw, found ancient Georgian manuscripts, Syria, Palestine, Greece, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Italy, England, 1920's taken to Paris for savekeeping from Red Army, 1940 from Nazis in Paris, arrested for sheltering Jews; Bakurtsikhe, Georgia; Hieromartyr Gregory (Peradze) of Georgia, Commemorated on November 23 ; Gregory (Peradze) was born August 31, 1899, in the village of Bakurtsikhe, in the Sighnaghi district of Kakheti. His father, Roman Peradze, was a priest. 1918, Gregory completed his studies at the theological school and seminary in Tbilisi and enrolled in the philosophy department at Tbilisi University. years later, in 1921, he began to teach at the university, but the Georgian Church soon sent him to Germany to study theology. 1922 to 1925, Gregory studied theology and eastern languages at the University of Berlin, and in 1925 he transferred to the philosophy department at the University of Bonn, he received a doctoral degree in philosophy for his dissertation “The Monastic Life in Georgia from Its Origins to 1064.” continued to attend lectures in theology at the University of Louvain until 1927. 1927, Gregory moved to England to continue his career in academia, and there he became acquainted with the old patristic manuscripts that were preserved in the library collections of the British Museum and Oxford University. July of that year, Gregory was named an associate professor at the University of Bonn, and he returned there to lecture on the history of Georgian and Armenian literature. 1931, Gregory was tonsured a monk, ordained a priest, and appointed dean of the Georgian church in Paris. year later he was invited to Oxford to lecture on Georgian history. new period in Saint Gregory’s life began later in 1932, when the Metropolitan of all Poland, Dionysius Waledinsky, invited him to be a professor of Patrology and the chair of Orthodox Theology at Warsaw University. often delivered lectures at academic conferences and in academic centers throughout Europe. sought tirelessly for ancient Georgian manuscripts and historical documents on the Georgian Church. His searches took him to Syria, Palestine, Greece, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Italy and England. As a result of his labors, many long-lost Georgian manuscripts surfaced again. and industriousness characterized the Hieromartyr Gregory throughout his life. In difficult moments he often repeated the words of Saint John Chrysostom: “Glory be to God for all things!” the 1920s, as the Red Army was securing its occupation of Georgia, the nation’s treasures were carried away to France for safekeeping. in the 1940s, Georgian society was unaware that, due to Saint Gregory’s efforts alone, many treasures of Georgian national culture were spared confiscation by the Nazis in Paris. execution at the hands of a firing squad, Saint Gregory wrote in the official documentation presented to the Nazis that these items were of no particular value but were precious to the Georgians as part of their national consciousness. did most of Georgian society know that, in Paris, Archimandrite Gregory had founded a Georgian church in honor of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino and a parish journal called Jvari Vazisa, or “The Cross of Vines.” May of 1942, Saint Gregory was arrested by the Gestapo. The priceless Georgian manuscripts he had preserved and many sacred objects that had been crafted by ancient Georgian masters and collected by Saint Gregory during his travels (in hopes of returning them to Georgia) disappeared after his apartment was searched. Gregory was arrested for sheltering and aiding Jews and other victims of the fascist persecutions. He was incarcerated at Pawiak Prison in Warsaw, and deported to Auschwitz at the beginning of November. the camp an inmate killed a German officer. The guards drove everyone out of the barracks absolutely naked, forcing them to stay in the below-freezing temperatures until someone confessed. Gregory decided to take the blame for the murder, thus saving innocent prisoners from freezing to death. The guards let loose the dogs on the martyr, poured gasoline over him, and lit him on fire. Then they said, “Poles, go warm yourselves around him, your intercessor.” to the official German documentation, Gregory Peradze died on December 6, 1942 [November 23, old style], at 4:45 in the afternoon. (According to another account, the martyr entered the gas chamber in place of a Jewish man with a large family. This was reported by a former prisoner, who, after being liberated, visited Metropolitan Dionysius and gave him Saint Gregory’s cross.) In the end, like Christ Himself, Archimandrite Gregory died for having taken upon himself the sin of another.

Russia, Moscow, 1922-1952, Joseph Stalin, Soviet General Secreatary
Secretary, 1922-1952, Joseph Stalin, Soviet General Secreatary ; Venerable Anatole II of Optina, Commemorated on July 30; New Martyr Nazarius, Metropolitan of Kutaisi-Gaenati, and his companions of Georgia, Commemorated August 14 ; Glorification of St Tikhon, the Apostle to America, Commemorated on October 9; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10; Repose of St Innocent the first Bishop of Irkutsk, Commemorated on November 26; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated on December 15 ; New Hieromartyr Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, Commemorated on December 18; St Euthymius (Takaishvili), Commemorated on January 3; St Euthymius the Confessor, Commemorated on January 20 ; St George (John) of Georgia, Commemorated on January 21 ; St John, Commemorated on January 23; St Ambrose the Confessor, Commemorated on March 16; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, Commemorated on March 21; St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America, Commemorated on April 7 ; TIKHON, PATRIARCH OF RUSSIA AND CONFESSOR, (7 April 1925); Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17; New Martyr Archpriest Vasily Martysz, Commemorated on May 4; Venerable Nikon of Optina, Commemorated on June 25;

Russia, Moscow, 1925-1936, Peter Polyansky of Krutitsy, well known, Tikhon Locum Metropolitan, Russ Church Letter, anti Living C
Krutitsy; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated September 27 ; Hieromartyr and Metropolitan of Moscow and Krutitsy, Peter Polyansky, Commemorated on October 10 ; Hieromartyr Peter, Metropolitan of Krutitsy was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church at the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church on February 23, 1997. Peter was born in the Voronezh region, and studied at the Moscow Theological Academy, graduating in 1892, where he then continued as inspector. a short stay at the seminary of Zhirovits in Belarus as inspector, he was appointed secretary of the Synodal Education Committee becoming de facto inspector of all the theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church. many of his contemporaries who had graduated from a theological academy, Peter Polyansky did not seek ordination, and for a long time remained a layman. secretary of the Synodal Education Committee he traveled widely, visiting innumerable theological establishments, meeting and knowing many people. Gifted with an outstanding intellect, a firm character and a sociable nature, he was widely known and made many friends. He exercised a beneficial influence on the religious education of future priests. 1917-18, Peter Polyansky took part in the work of the local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, when Saint Tikhon (April 7) was elected Patriarch. latter made Peter Polyansky one of his closest aides, and persuaded him to become bishop; the Patriarch wished to consolidate the leadership of the Church in what was fast becoming the darkest time for the Church in many centuries. In 1920 Peter Polyansky was made a monk and auxiliary bishop for the diocese of Moscow; in a matter of months he was appointed Metropolitan of Krutitsy, one of the highest ranking bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. Tikhon died on April 7, 1925, the day of the Annunciation (March 25). increasing troubles and uncertainty for the Church, thinking that the government would not allow a Church council to assemble and elect the next patriarch, Saint Tikhon took an administrative decision aimed at securing a smooth succession when he died. He nominated three bishops in order of priority, as locum tenens; the third was Metropolitan Peter Polyansky. the first two choices were found to be in prison and thus unable to assume the leadership of the Church, this heavy task befell Metropolitan Peter. against the Church was raging, the government gave its support to the splinter group “The Living Church” in an attempt to discredit and destroy the official Orthodox Church. great number of bishops had been imprisoned or exiled to remote parts of the country, and were unable to have a clear understanding of the prevailing situation. The whole country was in turmoil; the so-called Living Church energetically tried to replace the true Church. the absence of a patriarch, people did not know whom to believe and to whom to give their allegiance. Metropolitan Peter then issued an uncompromisingly firm “Letter to the Russian Church” where he described the position of the Church vis a vis the authorities and vis a vis the “Living Church.” made no compromises with anybody, and stood firm in the truth of Christ. This letter helped the Church to strengthen itself but caused the Metropolitan to be arrested. history of the few months in which a campaign was master-minded by the Commissar for religious affairs, Tuchkov, to compromise and weaken Saint Peter, shows how determined the government was to defeat the head of the Church, but this did not break him. December 10, 1925, Saint Peter was put under house arrest, and two days later sent to the Lubianka prison; in May 1926 he was transferred to the Suzdal fortress, then back to the Lubianka, and finally, in December, he was sent to Siberia, first to Tobolsk, then to the village of Abalak on the banks of the river Irtysh which he reached in 1927. of the other bishops had experienced a similar fate, the dioceses remaining without their shepherds. August 1927, Metropolitan Peter was taken to another destination beyond the Arctic Circle, a place called Khe on the mouth of the Ob, in the frozen tundra. For a little while he lived there peacefully, recovering from the arduous journey. However, on August 29, the day of the Beheading of the Saint John the Baptist, he suffered his first attack of angina and had to stay in bed. Two paramedics who came from a far distance by river in a boat manned by a native, advised him to be seen by a doctor and be transferred to a hospital. The Metropolitan wrote to the authorities at the GPU, but never got a reply, or money, or provisions, although he knew that several parcels had arrived in Tobolsk addressed to him. damp, cold climate of this northern region was extremely harmful to him in his condition. Eventually, towards the end of September, he was taken back to Tobolsk. Unexpectedly, he had an interview with Tuchkov who offered him freedom if he surrendered his title of locum tenens, but he remained firm and refused to compromise. He was then sent back to Khe for another three years of exile, but he was never granted his freedom. In Moscow in 1936, ten years after his first imprisonment, believers were waiting for his return, counting on the end of his ten-year term of exile. They never saw him again. He may have been moved for the last time to a monastery nearer central Russia where he was a little less constrained, but with no freedom to write or communicate with the world. He was shot by decision of the Soviet authorities after years of prison and exile. Venerable Dionysius the Archimandrite of St Sergius Monastery, Commemorated on May 12; Dionysius of Radonezh, in the world David Zobninovsky, was born about 1570 in the city of Rzhev. A novice, and then head of the Staritsky Dormition monastery, during the Time of Troubles he was the foremost helper of Saint Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow. 1611, Saint Dionysius was archimandrite of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. Under his administration, a house and hospice for the injured and those left homeless during the Polish-Lithuanian incursion was opened near the monastery. During a famine, he told the brethren of the Lavra to eat oat bread and water, leaving the wheat and the rye bread for the sick. In 1611-1612, he and the steward of the Trinity-Sergiev monastery, the monk Abraham Palitsyn (+ 1625), wrote letters asking the people of Nizhni-Novgorod and other cities to send fighting men and money to liberate Moscow from the Poles. He also wrote to Prince Demetrius Pozharsky and to all the military people, urging them to hasten the campaign for Moscow. monastic training helped Saint Dionysius to maintain his own inner light undiminished during the terrible years of this evil time. The saint achieved a high degree of spiritual pefection through unceasing prayer, which gave him the gift of working miracles. He carefully concealed his spiritual life from other people, who might suffer harm from a superficial knowledge of it. “Do not ask a monk about things concerning his monastic life,” said Saint Dionysius, “since for us monks, it is a great misfortune to reveal such secrets to laymen. It is written that what is done in secret should not be known, even by your own left hand. We must hide ourselves, so that what we do remains unknown, lest the devil lead us into all manner of negligence and indolence.” can only measure his spiritual development, and the knowledge of God which he attained, by those things which became apparent when circumstances compelled Saint Dionysius to take an active part in the life of the world around him. such circumstance was his involvement in the revision of the service books. In 1616 Saint Dionysius spoke of work on correction of the Book of Needs by comparing it with the ancient Slavonic manuscripts and various Greek editions. their work, investigators discovered discrepancies in other books edited in the period between patriarchs (1612-1619). People did not understand what the editors were doing, so they accused Saint Dionysius and the others of heresy at a Council of 1618. from his priestly rank and excommunicated from the Church, he was imprisoned in the Novospassky (New Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior) monastery, where they wanted to kill him by starvation. The intervention of Patriarch Philaretos of Moscow and Patriarch Theophanes of Jerusalem (1619-1633) won his release in 1619, and he was cleared of the charges against him. Dionysius was known for his strict observance of the monastery Rule, for sharing in monastery tasks and in the rebuilding of the monastery after the siege of the Lavra. The Life and Canon to the saint was composed by the Trinity-Sergiev monastery steward Simon Azaryn and augmented by the priest John Nasedka, a coworker of Saint Dionysius when he was correcting the service books. Dionysius reposed on May 12, 1633 and was buried in the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra.

Russia, Moscow, 1937, New Hieromartyr Thaddeus oTver (Tversta River Mouth, Volga River 4), executed in 1937
Tver; New Hieromartyr Archbishop Thaddeus of Tver, Commemorated on December 18; New Hieromartyr Thaddeus (Uspensky) was the Archbishop of Tver. He was executed in 1937.

Russia, Moscow, 1938, Isaac II, Optina M, Kaluga, died as a martyr, 1938, an Optima Elder venrated 1996 locally&2000 universally
Russia, Kaluga, 1938, Saint Isaac II (Bobrikov), Optina Monastery, Kaluga, died as a martyr, Dec 26, 1938, an Optima Elder venrated 1996 locally and 2000 universally; Optina Monestary ; Venerable Isaac II of Optina, Commemorated on December 26; Isaac II (Bobrikov) died as a martyr on December 26, 1938. Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13, 1996, glorifying them for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

Russia, Moscow, 1945-1970, Patriarch Alexy I, after 20 years, got stalin to allow church to function again, controversy
Russia, Moscow, 1945-1970, Patriarch Alexy I of Moscow; Alexy I (November 8 [O.S. October 27] 1877 - 17 April 1970) was the 13th Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) between 1945 and 1970. in Moscow to a noble family, his father was a Chamberlain of the Russian Imperial Court. In 1899 he graduated from Moscow Imperial University with a law degree; was conscripted by the army and served in a grenadier regiment. 1902 he enrolled at Moscow Theological Academy and by 1906 he had been elevated to the dignity of archimandrite and was appointed rector of the seminary at Tula. the Bolshevik Revolution he was arrested several times and in 1922 exiled to Kazakhstan. In 1926 he returned to Saint Petersburg (which had been renamed Leningrad) and was appointed Archbishop of Khutyn, that is, the vicar of the Diocese of Novgorod. July 29, 1927, Metropolitan Sergei Stragorodsky, acting as de facto head of the Russian Orthodox Church, signed a statement of unconditional loyalty to the Soviet State. The statement was co-signed by all members of the Holy Synod, and Archbishop Alexy of Khutyn.[1] ran the diocese for much of the next seven years while Metropolitan Arsenius Stadnitsky was in prison or exile. In 1933 Alexius served briefly as Archbishop of Novgorod (for several months) and then metropolitan of Leningrad. the early hours of September 5, 1943, Metropolitan Alexius together with Metropolitan Sergius and Metropolitan Nicholas (Yarushevich) met with Joseph Stalin in the Kremlin where a historic decision was made regarding the fate of the Church in the state ruled by the militantly atheist Communist party. In the midst of World War II Stalin decided to allow the Russian Orthodox Church to legally function again after two decades of severe persecution. Restrictions on the Patriarchate of Moscow were relaxed somewhat and many churches throughout the Soviet Union were re-opened. Stalin tried to appeal to patriotic feelings of the Russian people especially the peasantry (backbone of the Red Army), many of whom grew up in still deeply religious families. Patriarch Sergei died on May 15, 1944, Metropolitan Alexy took his place as Patriarchal locum tenens. In his first statement after assuming control of the Church, the Metropolitan assured Stalin of his "profound affection and gratitude" and vowed to "safeguard the Church against mistakes and false steps".[2] February 2, 1945, with Stalin's approval, Alexius I was elected Patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia and enthroned on February 4, 1945. 1946 Alexius I presided over the controversial "re-unification" of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church with ROC seen by many as a takeover forced by the Stalinist government. in 1946, Patriarch Alexius called on all Catholics in the Soviet Union to reject all allegiance to the Pope: "Liberate yourself! You must break the Vatican chains, which throw you into the abyss of error, darkness and spiritual decay. Hurry, return to your true mother, the Russian Orthodox Church!"[3] Pius XII replied: "Who does not know, that Patriarch Alexius I recently elected by the dissident bishops of Russia, openly exalts and preaches defection from the Catholic Church. In a letter lately addressed to the Ruthenian Church, a letter, which contributed not a little to the persecution?"[4] Alexius joined the World Peace Council, "a Soviet front organization,"[5] when it was founded in 1949. According to Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, both Patriarch Alexius and Metropolitan Nicholas "were highly valued by the KGB as agents of influence."[6] the death of Stalin on March 5, 1953, the Patriarch composed a personal statement of condolence to the USSR's Council of Ministers. It read, "His death is a heavy grief for our Fatherland and for all the people who inhabit it. The whole Russian Orthodox Church, which will never forget his benevolent attitude to Church needs, feels great sorrow at his death. The bright memory of him will live ineradicably in our hearts. Our Church proclaims eternal memory to him with a special feeling of abiding love."[7] 1955, Patriarch Alexius declared, "The Russian Orthodox Church supports the totally peaceful foreign policy of the Soviet Union, not because the Church lacks freedom, but because Soviet policy is just and corresponds to the Christian ideals which the Church preaches."[8] 1959 however, the Russian Orthodox Church also had to endure a new wave of persecution, mostly carried out on the orders of the new Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. this, Patriarch Alexius was permitted by the KGB to enroll the Russian Orthodox Church into the Christian Peace Conference in 1958 and the World Council of Churches in 1961.[9] 1965, Fathers Gleb Yakunin and Nikolai Eshilman wrote an open letter to Patriarch Alexius. According to Evgeny Barabanov, "They showed convincingly how a significant part of the governing episcopate, with voluntary silence or cunning connivance, had assisted the Atheists to close churches, monasteries, and religious schools, to liquidate religious communities, to establish the illegal practice of registering christenings, and had yielded to them control over the assignment and transfer of priests."[10] letter was published as samizdat ("self-published", i.e., underground press). In May 1966, Patriarch Alexius ordered both priests suspended from the ministry. Soviet dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn sharply criticized the treatment of Fathers Gleb and Nikolai in his own open letter to Patriarch Alexius. Alexius died of a myocardial infarction at the age of 92 in 1970 and was buried in the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius at Sergiyev Posad outside of Moscow. praise Alexius I for working hard to ensure the survival of the Christianity in Russia, advocating peace and inter-church unity, while opponents often accused him of complicity with the Soviet authorities. leading critic of Patriarch Alexei's leadership is Father Gleb Yakunin who claims in his books and articles that the postwar hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church was controlled by KGB informants. Venerable Seraphim of Vyritsa, Commemorated on March 21;

Russia, Moscow, 1953-1964, Secretary, Nikita Khrushchev
Moscow Secretary, 1953-1964, Nikita Khrushchev; St John, Commemorated on January 23; Repose of St Nicholas of Zhicha, Commemorated on March 18; Uncovering of the relics of the Venerable Alexander the Abbot of Svir, Commemorated on April 17;

Russia, Moscow, 1989-Present, Russian Nationalism
Russia, Moscow, 1989-Present, Russian Nationalism;

Russia, Moscow, 1989, Arrival of Iveron Icon to Tbilisi, Georgia, for gratitude, copy of Protectress Iveron Icon arrives Tiblisi
Georgia, 1989, Tbilisi, Kartli, Georgia Capital (Tiblisi River Mouth, Kura River 9), for gratitude, copy of protectoris Iveron Icon arrives Tiblisi Georgia 1989; Tbilisi; Arrival of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God in Georgia, Commemorated on September 26; Iveron Icon of the Mother of God (which is preserved on Mt. Athos) was kept in the home of a certain pious widow, who lived near Nicea. the reign of the emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclasts came to the house of this Christian, and one of the soldiers struck the image of the Mother of God with a spear. Blood flowed from the place where it was struck. widow, fearing its destruction, promised the imperial soldiers money and implored them not to touch the icon until morning. the soldiers departed, the woman and her son (later an Athonite monk), sent the holy icon away upon the sea to preserve it. icon, standing upright upon the water, floated to Athos. several days, the Athonite monks had seen a fiery pillar on the sea rising up to the heavens. came down to the shore and found the holy image, standing upon the waters. a Molieben of thanksgiving, a pious monk of the Iveron Monastery, Gabriel (July 12), had a dream in which the Mother of God appeared to him and gave him instructions. he walked across the water, and taking up the holy icon, he placed it in the church. the following day, however, the icon was found not within the church, but on the gates of the monastery. was repeated several times, until the Most Holy Theotokos revealed to Saint Gabriel Her will, saying that She did not want the icon to be guarded by the monks, but rather She intended to be their Protectress. this, the icon was installed on the monastery gates. this icon came to be called “Portaitissa” or “Gate-Keeper” (October 13). comes from the Akathist to the Mother of God: “Rejoice, O Blessed Gate-Keeper who opens the gates of Paradise to the righteous.” is a tradition that the Mother of God promised Saint Gabriel that the grace and mercy of Her Son toward the monks would continue as long as the Icon remained at the monastery. is also believed that the disappearance of the Iveron Icon from Mt. Athos would be a sign of the end of the world. Iveron Icon is also commemorated on February 12, March 31, October 13 (Its arrival in Moscow in 1648), and Bright Tuesday (Commemorating the appearance of the Icon in a pillar of fire at Mt. Athos and its recovery by Saint Gabriel). September 26, 1989, a copy of this famous icon arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia from the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos. This copy had been painted by the monks on Mt. Athos as a symbol of love and gratitude to the Georgian people.

Russia, Moscow, 1989, Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes of Voronezh, death 1703, first finding 1832, 2nd f 1989
Russia, 1989, Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes of Voronezh, Scythia (Voronezh River Mouth, Don River 8), death 1703, first finding 1832, second finding 1989; Voronezh; Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh; or Mitrofan of Voronezh (1623 - 1703) was appointed in 1682 the first bishop of Voronezh. He is reputed to have possessed miracle-working powers.[1] (as he was then known) was born in the village of Antilokhovo, Savinsky District and took monastic vows after his wife's death in 1663. He managed the Kosmin Monastery near Yuryev-Polsky and the Unzha Monastery in Makaryev before being promoted to a bishop's see in 1682. He supported Peter the Great in his efforts to build the first Russian warships in Voronezh but was generally critical of his Westernization policies. was buried in the Annunciation Monastery in the Tsar's presence in 1703. When 14 years later his tomb was opened, Mitrofan's body was found to be "whole" and his relics were proclaimed to have healing powers. After he was formally canonized in 1832 and Nicholas I paid a visit to his shrine,[2] his fame increased and large numbers of pilgrims from Central Russia started flocking to his tomb in Voronezh.[3] The first Moscow church in his name was consecrated in 1895. Bolsheviks had Mitrofan's relics confiscated. It was in 1989 that the relics were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. There is an ornate statue of Saint Mitrofan in front of the Annunciation Cathedral where his relics have been kept since then. Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on September 4; Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophanes of Voronezh took place in 1989. March 22, 1998 Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow gave his blessing for the celebration of this Feast. First finding of the relics of St Metrophanes the First Bishop of Voronezh, Commemorated on August 7 Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Metrophanes, Bishop of Voronezh (1832): The memory of the deep piety and pastoral virtues of Saint Metrophanes (Macarius, in the schema) was revered at Voronezh from the time of his death (November 23, 1703). His successors, the Voronezh hierarchs, considered it their sacred duty to make annual remembrance of the first hierarch of their flock, together with his parents, the priest Basil and Maria. people of Voronezh and its environs came to the Annunciation cathedral, where memorial services were offered at his tomb. Contributing to the intense remembrance of Saint Metrophanes was also his dying request that prayers be said for him. For this purpose the saint, even during his lifetime, had built a chapel at the cathedral in honor of the holy Archangel Michael (his patron saint), and in it a special priest served the Liturgy. Although succeeding generations did not know the saint, they also revered his memory. veracity of the sainthood of the first hierarch of the Voronezh diocese was also confirmed by his incorrupt relics, attested during their repeated transfers from one temple to another. In the year 1718, Metropolitan Pachomius of Voronezh, about to begin the construction of a new cathedral, gave orders to demolish the old Annunciation cathedral. The body of Saint Metrophanes was temporarily transferred into the church of the Unburnt Bush. In 1735, the body of Saint Metrophanes was transferred into the new cathedral, during which time the incorrupt state of his relics was again observed. At the place of the burial of the saint, panikhidas were customarily served for him. 1820 it was noticed that the number of those venerating Saint Metrophanes and thronging to Voronezh, had extraordinarily increased. Grace-filled signs also increased. Archbishop Anthony II of Voronezh made repeated reports to the Holy Synod about the miracles, and he petitioned for a resolution for the glorification of the saint. The Holy Synod then prescribed that records be kept of miracles at the grave of Saint Metrophanes. In the year 1831, after seeing the incorrupt body of the saint, Archbishop Anthony together with commission members of the Holy Synod, Archbishop Eugenius of Yaroslavl and Archimandrite Hermogenes of the Moscow Savior-Androniev monastery, became convinced in the miraculous intercession of Saint Metrophanes before the Throne of God. The Holy Synod then issued its resolution adding Saint Metrophanes to the ranks of the Saints. Since then, the Russian Church celebrates the memory of the saint twice during the year: November 23, the day of his repose, and August 7, the day of his glorification. Anthony II (1827-1846) established in the Voronezh also the following feastdays in honor of Saint Metrophanes: June 4, the Feast of his namesake Saint Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople; April 2, the saint’s day of consecration as bishop in 1682; and December 11, the day of the transfer of the relics of Saint Metrophanes in 1831. Metrophanes left behind a Spiritual Testament. Its original is preserved in the State Historical Museum. Upon the testament is the unique authoritative signature of the saint: “This spiritual dictate is attested to by me... Bishop Metrophanes of Voronezh.” the lower cover (inside) is an inscription from the eighteenth century: “This is the book of testament or last will of the Voronezh schemamonk Macarius, written in the God-saved city of Voronezh, in the house of His Grace the bishop and schemamonk Macarius, who reposed in the month of November on the 23rd day in the year 1703, and was buried on the 4th day of December.” the day preceding the Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Metrophanes, Archbishop Anthony of Voronezh went to church, so as to lay out the new vestments prepared for the relics. Suddenly, he felt so weak that he was barely able to go about his cell. Troubled by this, he sat and pondered and then he heard a quiet voice: “ Do not transgress my legacy.” he did not understand right away, and instead thinking about his own plans, he gathered up his strength and opened the closet where the vestments were, and there he caught sight of the monastic schema, brought shortly before this by an unknown monk who had entrusted it to him and said that it soon would be needed. this monastic schema, the hierarch then realized that the words, “Do not transgress my legacy,” was actually the will of Saint Metrophanes, that they not place upon his relics bishop’s vestments, but rather to clothe them in the schema. By this and by his extreme humility, he indicated the deep spiritual connection with his patronal saint (in schema), Saint Macarius of Unzhensk.

Russia, Moscow, 1990, Glorification oSt John oKronstadt Island, St Petersburg
Kronstadt Island (Kotlin Island, St Petersburg); Kronshtadtsky District; Repose of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated December 20 ; John of Kronstadt was born in the village of Sura in Archangel province on October 19, 1829, and was called John in honor of Saint John of Rila (August 18). parents were very poor but were very devoted to the Church. Even though he was poor, as a young boy John learned to feel compassion for others in their misfortune. His neighbors frequently asked him to pray for them, as they noticed this special grace-endowed gift in him. When John was ten, his parents were able to raise some money and send him to the local school which was attached to the church. At first, the boy had an extremely difficult time with his studies. He worked for days on end, but still failed to keep up. about his life he once recalled an evening when everyone had already gone to bed. “I could not sleep, and I still failed to understand anything I was taught. I still read poorly and could not remember anything I was told. I became so depressed I fell to my knees and began to pray. I don’t know whether I had spent a long time in that position or not, but suddenly something shook my whole being. It was as if a veil had fallen from my eyes, and my mind had been opened, and I remembered clearly my teacher of that day and his lesson. I also recalled the topic and the examples he had given. I felt so light and joyous inside.â€ After this experience he did so well he became one of the first in his class to be chosen to go to seminary, and after seminary to the Theological Academy in Saint Petersburg (a great honor at that time). his studies, John thought about the importance of forgiveness, meekness, and love, and came to believe that these were the very center and power of Christianity, and that only one path—the path of humble love—leads to God and the triumph of His righteousness. He also thought a great deal about the Savior’s death on the Cross at Golgotha, and pitied those who did not know Jesus Christ. He wished to preach to them about His death and Resurrection. He dreamed about becoming a missionary to distant China, but saw that there was a great deal of work for a genuine pastor of Christ’s flock both in his own city and the surrounding towns. John graduated from the Academy he met Elizabeth Nesvitsky who lived in the town of Kronstadt. They dated, he proposed, and they were married. After his studies, John still desired to learn more about his faith and his Church. was in this frame of mind that he prepared to be a priest and to enter public ministry. He was ordained a deacon on December 10, 1855, and then priest on December 12. He was assigned to Saint Andrew’s Cathedral in the city of Kronstadt. He said, “I made myself a rule to be as sincere as possible in my work, and of strictly watching myself and my inner life.â€ John wanted most of all to earn the love of the people in his care, because only a loving attitude could provide the firm support and help he needed as he faced the difficult work of the priesthood. His constant thought was how he would come before the Last Judgment and have to give an account, not only for his own deeds, but also the deeds of his flock, for whose education and salvation he was responsible. To him no one was a stranger; everyone who came to him for help became a friend and relative. He would tell people “The Church is the best heavenly friend of every sincere Christian.â€ He conducted divine services daily and offered the prayers of the faithful. He called all who rarely receive Holy Communion to prepare themselves and live their lives in a Christian way so that they could receive more often. Listening to Father John, many people changed their lifestyle, repented sincerely, and joyfully received Holy Communion on a regular basis. that time the government exiled murderers, thieves and other criminals to Kronstadt. Life was horrible for the exiles. Even children of exiles would become thieves and criminals. He would go to their dugouts, hovels and shacks to visit with them. Not satisfied with staying for five or ten minutes to administer some rite and then leave, Father John believed he was coming to visit a priceless soul, his brothers and sisters. He would stay for hours, talking, encouraging, comforting, crying, and rejoicing together with them. the beginning he also concerned himself with the material needs of the poor. He would shop for food, go to the pharmacy for prescriptions, to the doctor for help, many times giving the poor his last few coins. The inhabitants of Kronstadt would see him returning home barefoot and without his cassock. Often parishioners would bring shoes to his wife, saying to her, “Your husband has given away his shoes to someone, and will come home barefoot.â€ He would also write articles for the newspaper exhorting the people of Kronstadt to “support the poor morally and materially.â€ These appeals touched the hearts of many and Father John organized many charitable efforts. Realizing that his individual charity was insufficient for aiding the needy, he founded the Orthodox Christian House Parish Trusteeship of Saint Andrew the First-Called. This brotherhood coordinated many charitable efforts throughout the city and helped many needy people. 1857, he began teaching in the local city schools. He would tell people, “If children cannot listen to the Gospel, it is only because it is taught like any other subject, with boredom and indifference. Such teaching defeats the purpose of the Gospel. It fails because it forces students only to read words and memorize them instead of making them live in their lives.â€ To Father John there were no incapable students. He taught in such a way that poor pupils as well as good ones were able to understand. His attention was aimed not so much at forcing students to memorize as to fill their souls with the joy of living according to Christian values, sharing with them the holy thoughts which filled his soul. speaking to other priests about their vocation he would say, “You are a representative of the faith of the Church, O priest; you are a representative of Christ the Lord Himself. You should be a model of meekness, purity, courage, perseverance, patience, and lofty spirit. You are doing the work of God and must not let anything discourage you.â€ John has performed more miracles than almost any other saint, with the possible exception of Saint Nicholas. Through his prayers he healed the sick, gave hope to the hopeless, and brought sinners to repentance. John labored endlessly in his work for the Lord preaching, teaching, and helping those in need. Having spent his entire life serving God and His people, Father John fell ill and died on December 20, 1908. Almost immediately, people from near and far began to make pilgrimages to the monastery where he was buried. Even today millions of Orthodox Christians in Russia and around the world pray to him to intercede for them as he had always done from his childhood. John was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church on June 8, 1990. Venerable Anatole I of Optina, Commemorated on January 25 ; Glorification of St John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 8 ; Glorification of Saint John of Kronstadt, Commemorated on June 14; John of Kronstadt was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1990. He is also commemorated on December 20.

Russia, Moscow, 1992, Finding Tikhon's Relics, found after considered lost, found after fire, OCA reps present at uncovering
Russia, Moscow, 1992, Finding Tikhon's Relics, found accidentally after considered lost, found after Dormition Cathedral fire, OCA reps present at uncovering; Moscow; Finding of the Relics of Saint Tikhon of Moscow, Commemorated on February 22; widely reported, 2017 marked the 100th Anniversary of the Election and Enthronement of Saint Tikhon as Patriarch of Moscow during the All-Russian Church Council. Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and a delegation representing the Orthodox Church in America departed for Moscow on Thursday, November 30, 2017 to participate in the celebration of this ever-memorable occasion that directly relates to the life of the Church in Russia and America, inasmuch as Saint Tikhon served as Bishop and later Archbishop of North America from 1898 until 1907, when he returned to his homeland. also marked the 25th Anniversary of the discovery and recovery of the relics of Saint Tikhon, which were secured after his death in Moscow's Donskoy Monastery. Patriarch Tikhon fell asleep in the Lord on April 7, 1925. He had suffered greatly during the years of turmoil and persecution that followed the Russian Revolution. He was laid to rest in the monastery's small "winter" cathedral. Subsequently the monastery was closed and repurposed, and the relics of Saint Tikhon were moved for safe keeping. Donskoy Monastery subsequently was returned to the Church and has been restored. was on Saturday, February 22, 1992, that Saint Tikhon's relics were discovered, hidden deep beneath the floor of the small cathedral. weeks before this joyous event, Protopresbyter Daniel Hubiak, together with Matushka Dunia, had arrived in Moscow as the Orthodox Church in America's first Representative to the Russian Orthodox Church. did they realize at the time that they would be witnesses to the recovery of Saint Tikhon's relics on that cold February afternoon. Father Daniel and Matushka Dunia wrote first-hand accounts of the discovery of Saint Tikhon's relics, now enshrined in the Donskoy Monastery's main cathedral. conjunction with the Anniversary of Saint Tikhon's Enthronement in 1917, we offer the Hubiaks' accounts of the discovery of Saint Tikhon's relics. of Matushka Dunia Hubiak is Saturday, February 22, 1992, in Moscow. Father Dan and I are living at the Danilovsky Hotel. We arrived in Moscow a month ago for Father Dan to begin his new assignment as Representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Russian Orthodox Church (The Moscow Patriarchate). no church was yet designated as our Representation Church, Father Dan would call Father Matfey Stadniuk on Saturday mornings to be told where he was to be for the Vigil and Divine Liturgy that weekend (usually at the Patriarchal Cathedral). Saturday morning (February 22) Father Matfey could not be reached. Finally, around noon he answered the phone and told Father Dan to be at the Donskoy Monastery for a special service at 2:00 p.m. receptionists at the hotel (who were always very helpful) ordered a car and driver for us, and off we were to the Donskoy Monastery. Upon our arrival at the main gate of the monastery, a mass of people, including clergy of all ranks, was gathering. A sense of excitement permeated the scene. could all of this mean? arrived at the winter church and saw more people, clergy and TV cameras! Father Dan was separated from me to join the clergy – I was left behind. At that time, a month after arriving in Moscow, my linguistic ability was almost nonexistent, so I was unable to ask anyone anything. So I stood there, trying to not get squeezed trying to see. We were standing around what looked like a crypt in the vestibule. Aleksy entered and began the service. More and more people crowded into the space, and again I was pushed to the side, unable to see. However, I could still hear, and to my astonishment I discovered that we were standing at the tomb of the recently canonized Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia – in many ways OUR Patriarch whom we commemorate as “the Enlightener of North America.” Molieben service began and the coffin was opened. I made my way to a side of the area and found a chair on which I stood. When the reality dawned on me as to what was taking place, I was very much moved and could hardly see because of my tears. most of the crowd had pushed and shoved its way to the side, I was able to look down and found the Mantia still intact with the eagles on the shoulders and at the hem. Dan was given a piece of wood from the casket. think! If Father Dan had not reached Father Matfey, who was in his office all of two minutes, we would have missed this once in a lifetime experience! of Father Daniel Hubiak the end of the meeting of the Permanent Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness, Patriarch Aleksy was informed that the grave of Saint Tikhon had been found in the smaller Cathedral of Our Lady of the Don in the Donskoy Monastery. The Patriarch immediately went to the site and arranged for the opening of the casket at a special service at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 22, 1992. top of the simple wooden casket was removed, revealing the mantia which covered the body of the saint. Two gold brocaded emblems on the mantia were shining as new. His Holiness said that the green patriarchal mantia was special in that it was one of only three made with that material and special style. The stones in the cross of the Saint’s miter glistened as camera lights flashed. Molieben was sung. Patriarch Aleksy spoke of the significance of this discovery and stated that a crypt will be made for the Saint’s relics. discovery of the Saint’s grave was miraculous. Three different rumors pointed to the improbability of ever finding the remains of the Saint. One version had it that the remains of the Saint had been cremated, another that he was buried in an unmarked grave in one cemetery, another that his remains were in another, unidentified cemetery. The Church had no plans of trying to find the grave. fire at the smaller Cathedral of Our Lady of the Don made it necessary to undertake an extensive renovation of the church. In the process of this renovation, a grave marker was found, but there was no body under the stone. It was thought that perhaps the burial place was to one side or another of the stone. A search of the area proved fruitless. But under the stone was a large heating pipe that appeared to be intact. An archeological expert examined the site and noticed that in fact the pipe, not detectable to the untrained eye, had indeed been disturbed. The pipe was removed and beneath it, covered by earth, was a grave vault. The vault was opened and the casket of Saint Tikhon was discovered there. On the casket was a plaque identifying it as the casket of the Saint. Those who buried the Saint took special pains to keep his body and his burial place secure and safe. finding of the Saint’s grave was a miracle. The presence of the Representative of the OCA at the opening of the grave was another sign of God’s providence. By chance I had called Father Matrfey Stadniuk to discuss the schedule of services for the weekend. He was in his office for only for a few minutes – and that was when I called. He told me to be at the Donskoy Monastery for a Molieben. It appears that the person who was to have informed me simply forgot to do so. Act of the Opening of the Grave was signed by the Patriarch, the hierarchs, clergy and lay persons present. My name and my wife’s name appear on the document. I obtained a piece of wood from the top of the Saint’s casket. Holy Father Patriarch Tikhon, pray unto God for us!

Russia, Moscow, 1996, Finding Maximus Relics at Trinity, found incorrupt &fragrant on preserved wood per old plans
Russia, Radonezh, 1996, Finding Maximus tGreek's Relics at Trinity Lavra of St Sergius (Radonezh), in 1988 Milenial Celebration of 988 Baptism otRus council celebrated M but could not find his relics, he was holy man, wonderworker, ascetic, but falsely accused by his enemies, prison many years, but remained firm confession w humility, leaned man, author defending apostles traditions, glorified by this council in 1988, after repose 1556 miracles at his tomb, later icons of him, local saint veneration, but council not find relics, buried by northwestern wall Holy Spirit church, but no indication of tomb there, archaeological excevation 1996, after Moleben, foundations for 1745 church unearthed, work concetrated there, sweet fragrance southern part several days, head discovered, burial on 15 cm high wooden slab completely preserved, body where 1745 plan indicated, Archeologists agreed remains w M, special shrine prepared there; Trinity Lavra (Monestary) of St Sergius; Finding of the relics of Venerable Maximus the Greek (July 4, 1996), Commemorated on July 4 ; 1988, during the Millennial Celebration of the Baptism of Russia, the Jubilee Council of the Russian Orthodox Church met at Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra, and glorified several saints. these was Venerable Maximus the Greek (January 21), whom the Council described as "a holy man, a wonderworker, a venerable ascetic, and a master of the monastic life." because of the baseless slander of his enemies, he was thrown into prison for many years. Even so, he remained firm in his confession of the Orthodox Faith, and in his humility. was a learned man, and the author of many edifying works, defending Orthodox dogmas, and the traditions of the Holy Fathers. glorification by the Council marked the end of centuries of unsuccessful attempts to exonerate him, and to prove that the accusations made against him during his lifetime were false. the Saint's final years, he lived at Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra, where he was treated with respect and honor. his repose in 1556, several miracles occurred at his tomb, for those who sought his intercession. Troparion and Kontakion were composed, as well as a Church Service. Later, iconographic representations of Saint Maximus began to appear. the end of the sixteenth century, Saint Maximus the Greek was being venerated as a local saint. remained just one important question for the Jubilee Council of 1988: the whereabouts of the holy relics of Saint Maximus. Acts of the Council state: "His honorable relics are buried by the northwestern wall of the Church of the Holy Spirit at Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra." from the moment the Council decided upon his canonization, until the start of the excavation of his grave site eight years later, there were no indications of any tomb on the surface of the ground. by the end of the sixteenth century the first chapel had been built over the grave, which was frequently rebuilt and enlarged. It survived, in its altered form, until the 1930s. there was no discernible burial site for Saint Maximus the Greek, or for several other newly-glorified saints, the Jubilee Council of 1988 restricted itself to the adoption of the following formula: "Their honorable remains, wherever they may be, are to be considered holy relics." only the approximate location of Saint Maximus' grave was known, it was necessary to conduct archaeological excavations. Alexei II, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, gave his blessing for this. the excavations began, on June 24,1996, a Moleben (Service of Prayer) to Saint Maximus was served in the Church of the Holy Spirit at the Lavra. Service was performed by Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov), the Spiritual Father of the Lavra, and the monks of the Lavra. Students of the Moscow Ecclesiastical schools, and the archaeologists also participated. the excavations began. Since part of the area had been paved with a sidewalk, the pavement had to be removed first. Then the site was prepared. To avoid any mistakes, a large area was excavated; about ten meters on the east-west axis, and six meters on the north-south axis. the excavation, the foundations of several structures were uncovered, most of them from the nineteenth century: a chapel and a representation church, built in 1867, along with a church dedicated to St. Philaretos the Merciful (December 1) on the south side of the church of the Holy Spirit. discovery was made by the northwest corner of the church of the Holy Spirit. Here the foundations of the first, or one of the first chapels erected over Maximus' grave, was uncovered. site of these foundations, in relation to the church of the Holy Spirit, its dimensions and the corresponding area they enclosed, corresponded exactly to the chapel over the grave as indicated in the plan of 1745. soon as these foundations were unearthed, work was concentrated in that area. noon on June 30, a sweet fragrance was noticed, coming from the southern part of the excavation, and it lasted for several days. some time, the head of Saint Maximus became visible. continued that night until almost 2:00 A.M. was determined that the burial was on a wooden slab, which was completely preserved (about 15 cm. high), and that the holy remains were on the spot where, according to the plan of 1745, the grave was located. for the holy remains within the foundations of the chapel, there were no other bodies. this, it became clear that the sacred remains which had been discovered belonged to Saint Maximus the Greek. July 1, a detailed report about the results of the work that had been conducted, and concerning the discovery of the holy relics of Saint Maximus the Greek, was made to the Patriarch. was noted that the historical and archaeological evidence, as well as the distinct fragrance, bore witness to the fact that the remains were those of Saint Maximus. Partiarch gave his blessing for an anthropological examination of the preserved remains. was done on July 2, by the chief anthropologists of the Russian Academy of Science. A written affidavit states that (1) the remains were those of one person; (2) this person was male; (3) he died around the age of 80. A comparison of the head with old depictions of Saint Maximus made by the anthropologists showed similarities. expert opinion of the anthropologists confirmed the previous conclusion that the remains were those of Saint Maximus the Greek. that same day, the findings of the anthropologists were presented to Patriarch Alexei. He gave his blessing to remove the honorable relics on the following day, July 3, 1996. this, the work continued literally uninterrupted until the Patriarch arrived. There was only a short break from five to eight A.M. was decided that not the slightest part of the sacred relics would remain in the earth, and that they would be removed as a single piece; that is, along with the slab and a layer of soil. this it was necessary to dig out the soil under the slab, but the gray clay broke up very poorly, and for a long time this prevented the relics from being removed as a single item. by two in the afternoon, the relics of Saint Maximus were transferred to a temporary casket, prepared for removal, and they were covered with a monastic Schema. The casket remained on the site where the grave was found. the sound of the bells announced the arrival of the Archimandrite of Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra, and of Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Russia. usual, the Patriarch began his visit at the Lavra by venerating the holy relics of Saint Sergius in Holy Trinity church. leaving Holy Trinity church, he went to the church of the Holy Spirit to be vested. There the Archimandrite spoke with the superior and other residents of the Lavra, and learned about the progress of the excavations. 4:00 P. M. the Patriarch, with Bishop Alexis of Orekhovo-Zueva, Father Theognostos, the Superior of the Lavra, and other priests, among whom was Hieromonk Theoktistos, the Dean of the representation church of the Russian Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mount Athos, proceeded to the cathedral square. Moleben to Saint Maximus the Greek was begun. After the reading of the Holy Gospel, the Patriarch and the priests approached the excavation, and the Service continued over the sacred relics of Saint Maximus. the end of the Moleben, which was read by the Patriarch, the Lavra choir under the direction of Archimandrite Matthew Mormyl, and the numerous pilgrims who attended the ceremony, began to sing the Magnification: "We magnify you, our Father Saint Maximus." the Magnification, all the diggers lifted the casket containing the relics and placed it at the edge of the excavation, where the brethren of the Lavra and the residents of the Moscow representation church of Saint Panteleimon of Mount Athos took it. the singing continued, the casket was borne into the church of the Holy Spirit, where it was placed in a spot prepared in the center of the church. year 1996 marked the 440th anniversary of the death of Saint Maximus the Greek. Maximus came to the Lavra of Saint Sergius as a humble monk. His glorification, and the discovery of his relics were a fitting recompense for the many sufferings he endured during his earthly life. discovery of the holy relics of Saint Maximus the Greek was a joyous event for both the Russian Orthodox Church and for all of Orthodoxy. Saint Maximus is honored by both the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Orthodox Church of Greece. recently, the relics of Venerable Maximus the Greek were kept in the Dormition Cathedral of the Lavra. April 9, 2013, with the blessing of Patriarch Kyrill, their return to the church of the Holy Spirit occurred. special shrine had been prepared for them, and so the Saint's relics were placed in the northern corner of the church. Maximus the Greek is also commemorated on January 21.

Russia, Moscow, 1998, Finding Hilarion's Relics, Vereiya, Kaluga, after 6 yrs labor camps, died 1929, age 50, looking old&grey
Russia, Kaluga, 1998, Finding Hilarion's Relics, Vereiya, Kaluga (Protva River 1), after 6 yrs labor camps, died 1929, age 50, looking old&grey; Vereiya; Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereiya, Commemorated December 15 ; Finding of the Relics of Saint Hilarion, Archbishop of Verey, Commemorated on July 11; New Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky) fell asleep in the Lord on December 15, 1929 after spending six years in labor camps. Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov) of Leningrad obtained permission from the authorities to take Saint Hilarion's body from the prison hospital for burial, he vested him in white vestments and a mitre, and then brought him to the church at Novodevichii Monastery in Leningrad. the Saint's relatives saw his body, they barely recognized him. His years in the labor camps had changed his appearance from that of a man of forty-four into a grey-haired old man. Seraphim presided at the funeral service and burial, assisted by Archbishop Alexei (Simansky), the future Patriarch of Moscow, and five other hierarchs. Saint Hilarion was buried in the cemetery of Novodevichii Monastery in Leningrad. relics of Saint Hilarion were found on July 11, 1998. May 10, 1999, Saint Hilarion, the Archbishop of Verey, was glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church. On the eve of his canonization, the Holy Hieromartyr’s relics were uncovered and transferred from St. Petersburg to Moscow and were placed in the church of the Sretensky Monastery. Hilarion is commemorated on December 15 (his repose in 1929); May 10 (his glorification in 1999); the Third Sunday after Pentecost (All Saints of St. Petersburg); July 11 (The Finding of his relics in 1998); on the Sunday nearest to August 26 (All Saints of Moscow).

Russia, Moscow, 1999, Recovery Relics oPeter oSanaxar, Nativity of Theotokos Monastery, Mordovia, 1659
Sanaxar, Nativity of Theotokos Monastery; The Recovery of the Relics of Saint Theodore of Sanaxar, Commemorated on April 21; Relics of Hieromonk Theodore (Ushakov) the restorer of the Monastery, were recovered on April 21, 1999, and he was glorified for local veneration on June 28/July 11, 1999. at the celebrations and the rite of canonization, which was performed by the ruling Bishop, His Grace Bishop Barsanuphios of Saransk and Mordovia, the Archimandrite of the Monastery, and ruling bishops from the neighboring dioceses: His Eminence Archbishop Seraphim of Penza and Kuznetsk, and His Eminence Archbishop Proklos of Simbirsk and Melekes. Theodore is commemorated on February 19, (the day of his blessed repose), on April 21/May 21 (the recovery of his holy relics), and on May 23/June 5 (the Synaxis of the Saints of Rostov and Yaroslavl). relics of Saint Theodore of Sanaxar now rest in the cathedral church of Saint John the Baptist.