Vasily Ivanovich Belavin (the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus') was born on January 19, 1865 in the village of Klin, Toropetsk district, Pskov province, into a pious family of a priest with a patriarchal structure. The children helped their parents with housework, looked after the cattle, and knew how to do everything with their own hands.
At the age of nine, Vasily entered the Toropets Theological School, and in 1878, upon graduation, he left his parents’ home to continue his education at the Pskov Seminary. Vasily was of a good disposition, modest and friendly, his studies came easily to him, and he happily helped his classmates, who nicknamed him “bishop.” Having graduated from the seminary as one of the best students, Vasily successfully passed the exams at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in 1884. And the new respectful nickname - Patriarch, which he received from academic friends and turned out to be prophetic, speaks of his way of life at that time. In 1888, having graduated from the academy as a 23-year-old candidate of theology, he returned to Pskov and taught at his native seminary for three years. At the age of 26, after serious thought, he takes his first step after the Lord on the cross, bending his will to three high monastic vows - virginity, poverty and obedience. On December 14, 1891, he took monastic vows with the name Tikhon, in honor of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, the next day he was ordained as a hierodeacon, and soon as a hieromonk.
In 1892 Fr. Tikhon is transferred as an inspector to the Kholm Theological Seminary, where he soon becomes rector with the rank of archimandrite. And on October 19, 1899, in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, he was consecrated Bishop of Lublin with the appointment of vicar of the Kholm-Warsaw diocese. Saint Tikhon spent only a year in his first see, but when the decree came about his transfer, the city was filled with crying - the Orthodox cried, the Uniates and Catholics, of whom there were also many in the Kholm region, cried. The city gathered at the station to see off their beloved archpastor, who had served them so little, but so much. The people forcibly tried to hold back the departing bishop by removing the train attendants, and many simply lay down on the railway track, not allowing the precious pearl - the Orthodox bishop - to be taken away from them. And only the heartfelt appeal of the Bishop himself calmed the people. And such farewells surrounded the saint all his life. Orthodox America cried, where to this day he is called the Apostle of Orthodoxy, where for seven years he wisely led his flock: traveling thousands of miles, visiting hard-to-reach and remote parishes, helping to organize their spiritual life, erecting new churches, among which is the majestic St. Nicholas Cathedral in NYC. His flock in America grew to four hundred thousand: Russians and Serbs, Greeks and Arabs, Slovaks and Rusyns converted from Uniateism, indigenous people - Creoles, Indians, Aleuts and Eskimos.
Heading the ancient Yaroslavl see for seven years, upon his return from America, Saint Tikhon traveled on horseback, on foot or by boat to remote villages, visited monasteries and district towns, and brought church life to a state of spiritual unity. From 1914 to 1917 he ruled the Vilna and Lithuanian departments. During the First World War, when the Germans were already under the walls of Vilna, he took the relics of the Vilna martyrs and other shrines to Moscow and, returning to lands not yet occupied by the enemy, served in overcrowded churches, walked around hospitals, blessed and advised the troops leaving to defend the Fatherland.
Shortly before his death, Saint John of Kronstadt, in one of his conversations with Saint Tikhon, said to him: “Now, Vladyka, sit in my place, and I will go and rest.” A few years later, the elder’s prophecy came true when Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow was elected Patriarch by lot. There was a time of troubles in Russia, and at the Council of the Russian Orthodox Church that opened on August 15, 1917, the question of restoring the patriarchate in Rus' was raised. The opinion of the people was expressed by the peasants: “We no longer have a Tsar, no father whom we loved; It is impossible to love the Synod, and therefore we, peasants, want the Patriarch.”
There was a time when everyone and everyone was gripped by anxiety for the future, when anger revived and grew, and mortal hunger stared into the faces of the working people, fear of robbery and violence penetrated into homes and churches. A premonition of general impending chaos and the kingdom of the Antichrist gripped Rus'. And under the thunder of guns, under the chatter of machine guns, High Hierarch Tikhon was brought by God’s hand to the Patriarchal Throne to ascend his Golgotha and become the holy Patriarch-martyr. He burned in the fire of spiritual torment every hour and was tormented by the questions: “How long can you yield to godless power?” Where is the line when he must put the good of the Church above the well-being of his people, above human life, and not his own, but the life of his faithful Orthodox children. He no longer thought at all about his life, about his future. He himself was ready to die every day. “Let my name perish in history, if only the Church would benefit,” he said, following his Divine Teacher to the end.
How tearfully the new Patriarch cries before the Lord for his people, the Church of God: “Lord, the sons of Russia abandoned Your Covenant, destroyed Your altars, shot at temple and Kremlin shrines, beat Your priests...” He calls on the Russian people to cleanse their hearts with repentance and prayer , to resurrect “in the time of the Great Visit of God in the current feat of the Orthodox Russian people, the bright, unforgettable deeds of pious ancestors.” To raise religious feelings among the people, with his blessing, grandiose religious processions were organized, in which His Holiness invariably took part. He served fearlessly in the churches of Moscow, Petrograd, Yaroslavl and other cities, strengthening the spiritual flock. When, under the pretext of helping the hungry, an attempt was made to defeat the Church, Patriarch Tikhon, blessing the donation of church values, spoke out against the encroachments on shrines and national property. As a result, he was arrested and from May 16, 1922 He was in captivity until June 1923. The authorities did not break the saint and were forced to release him, but began to monitor his every move. On June 12, 1919 and December 9, 1923, assassination attempts were made; during the second attempt, the cell attendant of His Holiness, Yakov Polozov, died as a martyr. Despite persecution, Saint Tikhon continued to receive people in the Donskoy Monastery, where he lived in solitude, and people walked in an endless stream, often coming from afar or covering thousands of miles on foot. The last painful year of his life, persecuted and sick, he invariably served on Sundays and holidays. On March 23, 1925, he celebrated the last Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Great Ascension, and on the Feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos he rested in the Lord with prayer on his lips.
The glorification of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', took place at the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church on October 9, 1989, on the day of the repose of the Apostle John the Theologian, and many see God’s Providence in this. “Children, love each other! - says the Apostle John in his last sermon. “This is the commandment of the Lord, if you keep it, then it is enough.”
The last words of Patriarch Tikhon sound in unison: “My children! All Orthodox Russian people! All Christians! Only on the stone of healing evil with good will the indestructible glory and greatness of our Holy Orthodox Church be built, and her Holy Name and the purity of the deeds of her children and servants will be elusive even to enemies. Follow Christ! Don't change Him. Do not give in to temptation, do not destroy your soul in the blood of vengeance. Don't be overcome by evil. Conquer evil with good!”
67 years have passed since the death of Saint Tikhon, and the Lord gave Russia his holy relics to strengthen her for the difficult times ahead. They rest in the large cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery.
Date of Birth: January 19, 1865 A country: Russia Biography:In 1917, the All-Russian Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church restored the Patriarchate. The most important event in the history of the Russian Church took place: after two centuries of forced headlessness, it again found its Primate and High Hierarch.
Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow and Kolomna was elected to the Patriarchal Throne, who became the herald of the path that the Russian Church was called to follow in new difficult conditions.
Patriarch Tikhon (in the world Vasily Ivanovich Belavin) was born on January 19, 1865 in the city of Toropets, Pskov province, into the family of a priest. After graduating from the Toropets Theological School, he entered the Pskov Theological Seminary, and upon graduation, the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, which he graduated in 1888. It is noteworthy that his fellow seminarians jokingly called the modest, good-natured and always ready to help friends Vasily Belavin “Bishop” , and at the academy, as if foreseeing his future service, the students nicknamed him “Patriarch” for his seriousness and sedate disposition.
After the academy, he taught dogmatics, moral theology and French at the Pskov Theological Seminary for three and a half years. In 1891, the young teacher took monastic vows with the name of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. Ordained to the rank of hieromonk, a year later he was appointed inspector, and subsequently rector of the Kholm Seminary with elevation to the rank of archimandrite. Three years later (8 and a half years after graduating from the St. Petersburg Academy) he was already a bishop, first of Lublin, and then of the Aleutian and North American. During this period of his life, spanning almost a decade, he streamlined the life of Orthodox parishes in the United States and Alaska, erected new churches, and among them - the Cathedral in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in New York, where he moved it from San Francisco department of the American Diocese, organized the Minneapolis Theological Seminary for future pastors, parochial schools and orphanages for children. In the United States, His Grace Tikhon gained the glory of a true apostle of Orthodoxy.
His role in the establishment of the Orthodox Church in America is truly enormous. And it is not limited to calm paternal leadership and even the reunification with the Russian Orthodox Church of a large new flock made up of immigrants from areas of Eastern Europe. Under him, for the first time in America, Christians of other faiths began to become acquainted and closer to Orthodoxy. Before the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, Bishop Tikhon defended the need to meet non-Orthodox brothers halfway. Many pastors turned to him on a number of problems: from the question of the possibility of Eucharistic communion to the reunification of divided Churches. Bishop Tikhon took an active part in translating liturgical books into English. In Canada, at his request, a vicar see was opened. In 1905, Bishop Tikhon was elevated to the rank of archbishop.
After successful but difficult work in America, Archbishop Tikhon in 1907 was appointed to the ancient Yaroslavl see. During the years of his bishopric in Yaroslavl, he brought the diocese into a state of spiritual unity. His leadership was patient and humane, and everyone fell in love with the approachable, reasonable, affectionate archpastor, who willingly responded to all invitations to serve in the numerous churches of the Yaroslavl diocese. It seemed to the people of Yaroslavl that they had received an ideal archpastor, with whom they would never want to part. But in 1914, the highest church authorities appointed him Archbishop of Vilna and Lithuania, and on June 23, 1917, Archbishop Tikhon was elected to the Moscow See and elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.
On August 15, 1917, on the feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the All-Russian Local Council opened, restoring the Patriarchate. After four rounds of voting, the Council elected as candidates for the First Hierarchal Throne Archbishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kharkov, Archbishop Arseny (Stadnitsky) of Novgorod and Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow - as the people said, “the smartest, the strictest and the kindest.” The Patriarch was to be chosen by lot. By Divine Providence the lot fell on Metropolitan Tikhon. The enthronement of the new Patriarch took place in the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral on November 21, the day of the celebration of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Difficulties immediately arose on the church path of the new Patriarch. First of all, he was the first to resolve the issue of relations with the new state system, which was hostile to the Church, and also had to do everything possible to preserve Orthodoxy during the difficult period of hard times in the conditions of the revolution, civil war and general devastation that swept Russia.
In his first address to the all-Russian flock, Patriarch Tikhon characterized the era the country was experiencing as “the time of God’s wrath”; in a message dated January 19 (February 1), 1918, he expressed archpastoral concern for the position of the Church and condemnation of bloody riots. The Patriarch fearlessly denounced the godless authorities who persecuted the Church, and even pronounced an anathema on those who committed bloody reprisals on behalf of the authorities. He called on all believers to defend the insulted Church: “... and you resist them with the power of your faith, your powerful nationwide cry... And if it becomes necessary to suffer for the cause of Christ, we call you, beloved children of the Church, we call you to these sufferings together with myself..."
When famine set in in the summer of 1921 after the horrors of the civil war, Patriarch Tikhon organized the Committee to Relief the Famineous and issued an exceptional appeal for help to the starving in its strength of thought and feeling, addressed to Orthodox Russia and to all the peoples of the universe. He called on parish councils to donate precious church decorations, unless they had liturgical use. The committee headed by the Patriarch raised large funds and greatly alleviated the situation of the hungry.
Patriarch Tikhon was a true defender of Orthodoxy. Despite all his gentleness, goodwill and good nature, he became unshakably firm and unyielding in church affairs, where necessary, and above all in protecting the Church from her enemies. The true Orthodoxy and strength of character of Patriarch Tikhon came to light especially clearly during the time of the “renovationism” schism. He stood as an insurmountable obstacle in the way of the Bolsheviks before their plans to decompose the Church from within.
His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon took the most important steps towards normalizing relations with the state. The messages of Patriarch Tikhon proclaim: “The Russian Orthodox Church... must and will be the One Catholic Apostolic Church, and any attempts, no matter from whose side they come, to plunge the Church into a political struggle must be rejected and condemned” (from the Appeal of 1 July 1923)
A new important step towards establishing a positive dialogue between the Church and the victorious social system was the document known as the will of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon dated January 7, 1925: “In the years of civil devastation, by the will of God, without which nothing happens in the world,” wrote His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, - Soviet power became the head of the Russian state. Without sinning against our faith and the Church, without allowing any compromises or concessions in the area of faith, in civil terms we must be sincere towards the Soviet government and work for the common good, conforming the order of external church life and activities with the new state system... At the same time, we express confidence that establishing pure, sincere relationships will encourage our authorities to treat us with complete confidence.”
So firmly and clearly, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon defined the purely canonical position of the Russian Orthodox Church in relation to the Soviet state, thereby helping the Orthodox Russian people understand the meaning of revolutionary changes. The change in the political position of Patriarch Tikhon and most of the Orthodox episcopate was determined not only by tactical calculations, but also by considerations of a fundamental nature: the civil war ended, state power ceased to be the subject of bloody internecine warfare, there was one legal government in the country - the Soviet one, which created the opportunity for building a legal state in which the Orthodox Church could take its rightful place.
With his personal preaching and firm confession of Christian Truth, and tireless struggle against the enemies of the Church, Patriarch Tikhon aroused the hatred of representatives of the new government, which constantly persecuted him. He was either imprisoned or kept under “house arrest” in the Moscow Donskoy Monastery. The life of His Holiness was always under threat: an attempt was made on his life three times, but he fearlessly went to perform divine services in various churches in Moscow and beyond. The entire Patriarchate of His Holiness Tikhon was a continuous feat of martyrdom. When the authorities made him an offer to go abroad for permanent residence, Patriarch Tikhon said: “I will not go anywhere, I will suffer here along with all the people and fulfill my duty to the limit set by God.” All these years he actually lived in prison and died in struggle and sorrow. At this time, vested with the highest powers, he, by the election of the Church and the lot of God, was a victim doomed to suffer for the entire Russian Church.
His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon died on March 25, 1925, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, and was buried in the Moscow Donskoy Monastery.
Patriarch Tikhon's services to the Russian Church are innumerable. Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky), later Patriarch, said remarkable words about him: “He alone fearlessly walked the straight path of serving Christ and His Church. He alone bore the entire burden of the Church in recent years. We live by it, move and exist as Orthodox people.”
In 1981, the Council of Bishops glorified in the cathedral the new martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church, Patriarch Tikhon. And in 1989, in the year of the anniversary of the establishment of the Patriarchate in Russia, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. His memory is celebrated on March 25/April 7 and September 26/October 9.
In the world, Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin, was born on January 19, 2010, in the Klin churchyard, Toropetsk district, in the family of a rural priest. At baptism he was named Vasily in honor of St. Basil the Great.
On December 15 of the same year, Bishop Hermogenes ordained him to the rank of hierodeacon, and on December 22 - to the rank of hieromonk.
On November 24 of the year he was subjected to house arrest, and his apartment was searched. On January 6 (Christmas Day) he was released from custody.
Seeing salvation from Bolshevik atheism not in a bloody war, but in a spiritual struggle, the patriarch early embarked on the path of trying to establish a relationship with the Soviet regime, which he followed until the end of his earthly life. Already on December 6 of the year, when the strength of the position of Soviet power did not seem unconditional at all, the patriarch nevertheless wrote to the Council of People's Commissars that he had not taken any action against the Soviet government and was not going to take it, and although he did not sympathize with many of the government's measures, " it is not our place to judge earthly authorities" Subsequently, at the height of the fratricidal war, on October 8 of the year, the patriarch sent a message in which he called on the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church to abandon all political speeches.
During the year he was subjected to repeated house arrests.
On November 7 of this year, the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council, signed by Patriarch Tikhon, issues the well-known Decree No. 362 on the temporary autonomy of dioceses in the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, whose connection with the Patriarchate has been interrupted. Later, with this decree, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia justified its temporary independent existence. It was also referred to by the so-called. "unremembering" inside the USSR.
In the summer of the year, famine broke out in the Volga region. In August, Patriarch Tikhon addressed a Message of help to the hungry, addressed to all Russian people and the peoples of the Universe, and blessed the voluntary donation of church valuables that have no liturgical use. But this was not enough for the new government. Already in February of the year, a decree was issued according to which all precious objects were subject to confiscation. According to the 73rd Apostolic Canon, such actions were sacrilege, and the Patriarch could not approve such a seizure, expressing his negative attitude towards the ongoing arbitrariness in the message, especially since many had doubts that all the valuables would be used to fight hunger . Locally, the forced seizure caused widespread popular outrage. Up to two thousand trials took place across Russia and more than ten thousand believers were shot.
On April 22 of the year, the well-known decree No. 348 (349) of Patriarch Tikhon and the joint presence of the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council was issued. By this Decree, the political statements of the Karlovac Council of 1921 by foreign Russian clergy and laity were recognized as having no church-canonical significance, the All-Foreign High Church Administration was abolished, and some clergy abroad were warned of church responsibility for “political statements on behalf of the Church.”
On May 6 of the year, the patriarch was arrested on charges of “resisting the seizure of church valuables” and placed under house arrest at the Trinity Compound, then transferred to the Moscow Donskoy Monastery, and then placed in the internal OGPU prison on Lubyanka.
On June 27 of this year he was released from custody, and on March 21 of this year the investigation of Patriarch Tikhon was terminated.
On December 9 of the year, in the chambers of St. Tikhon in the Donskoy Monastery, Iakov Polozov, the cell attendant of the patriarch, was shot by unknown assailants. According to the most common version, this was an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the patriarch; according to another version, the killers eliminated a person loyal to the patriarch in order to put in his place a more accommodating one to put pressure on the saint.
The Patriarch's last message to the Church, signed on the day of his death and, when published in newspapers, wrongfully received the name "Testament", read in particular:
"...without allowing any compromises or concessions in the field of faith, in civil terms we must be sincere in relation to Soviet power and the work of the USSR for the common good, conforming the order of external church life and activities with the new state system".
He died on April 7 at 11:45 in Moscow, at the Bakunin hospital on Ostozhenka.
At the Council of Bishops on November 14, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia glorified Patriarch Tikhon as a confessor among the Holy New Martyrs of Russia. On October 9 of this year, at the Council of Bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate, he was glorified for church-wide veneration. On February 22 of the year, the relics of the saint were found in the Small Cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery. Special veneration for the holy patriarch was expressed in numerous churches dedicated to him, as well as in the rapidly growing rich iconographic tradition. On the icon of the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors, painted on the occasion of the glorification of the year, the holy patriarch is depicted at the center of the middle directly to the left (and not to the right, because, according to church teaching on icon veneration, the countdown does not come from the viewer, but from the spiritual center of the icon, in this case - from the throne) from the central throne crowned with the Cross. His Holiness the Patriarch is also depicted on the seventh hallmark of the icon, which emphasizes two main aspects of his ministry: confession and spiritual care for the salvation of the flock entrusted to him - the saint is depicted imprisoned in the Donskoy Monastery, blessing the people gathered under the walls of the monastery.Prayers
Troparion, tone 1
Let us praise the apostolic traditions of the zealot/ and the good shepherd of Christ’s Church,/ who laid down his soul for the sheep,/ chosen by God’s lot/ All-Russian Patriarch Tikhon/ and to him with faith and let us cry out in hope:/ by the intercession of the hierarchs to the Lord/ keep the Russian Church in silence,/ squandered Gather her children into one flock, / convert those who have departed from the right faith to repentance, / save our country from internecine warfare, / and ask for the peace of God among the people.
Troparion, tone 3
In a difficult time, chosen by God / in perfect holiness and love of God, you glorified you, / in humility, greatness, in simplicity and meekness, revealing the power of God, / laid down your soul for the Church, for di your own,/ confessor to the Patriarchal Saint Tikhon,/ pray to Christ God,/ You were crucified with Him, / and now save the Russian land and Your flock.
Kontakion, tone 2
Decorated with calmness of disposition,/ showing meekness and mercy to those who repent,/ in the confession of the Orthodox faith and love for the Lord,/ you remained firm and unyielding,/ to the saint of Christ Tikhon./ for us, that we may not be separated from the love of God, also about Christ Jesus, Our Lord.
Memories
From the memoirs of Olga Ilyinichna Podobedova, who at that time was a member of the sisterhood in the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit at the Lazarevskoye cemetery:
“Patriarch-Confessor Tikhon loved to visit the church at the Lazarevskoye Cemetery. He served there quite often in the 1920s. His Holiness’s residence was located nearby, on Trinity Hill, where the courtyard of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra was located. His Holiness was very fond of children. Sometimes, after the service comes out to the pulpit (and in the summer - to the porch), having already undressed, stands on the bottom step of the pulpit, arms wide open, and calls the children to him.
When there are quite a lot of them, he takes off the panagia and blesses everyone with it, and gives them a kiss, and then calls the plow worker with a large basket, in which there are either apples, or caramels in papers, or blessed bread, and distributes modest gifts to all the children, smiling at his kindest smile. It was a hard time, 1924, the beginning. He strokes someone on the head, seriously places his hand on someone’s head and holds it longer, and tells someone a funny joke. All this is done in a short moment, until the cab driver arrives..."
Awards
- the right to wear a cross on the hood (1916)
Literature
- Acts of His Holiness Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, later documents and correspondence on the canonical succession of the highest church authority, 1917-1943: Sat. in 2 parts / Comp. M.E. Gubonin. M., 1994.
- Manuil (Lemeshevsky V.V.), Metropolitan. Russian Orthodox hierarchs of the period from 1893 to 1965. (inclusive). Erlangen, 1979-1989. T.6. P.257-291.
- Vostryshev M.I. Patriarch Tikhon. M.: Young Guard, 1995. 302 p. (Life of wonderful people. Issue 726).
- Synodik of persecuted, martyred, innocent victims in bonds of Orthodox clergy and laity of the St. Petersburg diocese: 20th century. St. Petersburg, 1999. P.1.
- Investigative case of Patriarch Tikhon. Collection of documents based on materials from the Central Archive of the FSB of the Russian Federation. M.: Monuments of historical thought, 2000. 1016+32 p. ill.
- Theological collection. On the 75th anniversary of the death of Holy Patriarch Tikhon. Issue VI. M.: PSTBI, 2000.
- Composition of the Holy Governing Synod and the Russian Church Hierarchy for 1917. Pg., 1917. 384 p.
- St. Petersburg martyrology. St. Petersburg: Publishing house "Mir", "Society of St. Basil the Great", 2002. 416 p. S.5.
- Synodik of persecuted, martyred, innocent victims in bonds of Orthodox clergy and laity of the St. Petersburg diocese: 20th century. 2nd edition expanded. St. Petersburg, 2002. 280 p. S.5.
Russian State Historical Archive, f. 796, op. 445, d. 246, l. 4-19, f. 831, op. 1, d. 293, l. 5.
Saint Tikhon was born on January 19, 1865 in the family of a rural priest of the Toropetsk district of the Pskov diocese, John Bellavin. In the world he bore the name Vasily. His childhood and youth were spent in the village, in direct contact with the peasantry and close to rural labor. From a young age, he was distinguished by a special religious disposition, love for the Church and rare meekness and humility.
When Vasily was still a child, his father had a revelation about each of his children. One day he and his three sons were sleeping in the hayloft. At night he suddenly woke up and woke them up. “You know,” he said, “I just saw my late mother, who predicted my imminent death, and then, pointing to you, added: this one will be a mourner all his life, this one will die in his youth, and this one, Vasily, will be great.” The prophecy of the father's deceased mother who appeared was fulfilled with all accuracy on all three brothers.
Vasily studied at the Pskov Theological Seminary in 1878-1883. The modest seminarian had a gentle and attractive character. He was quite tall and blond. His comrades loved him. This love was always accompanied by a feeling of respect, explained by his religiosity, brilliant successes in the sciences and his constant readiness to help his comrades, who invariably turned to him for clarification of lessons, especially for help in compiling and correcting numerous essays in the Seminary.
In 1888, Vasily Bellavin, 23 years old, graduated from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and, with a secular rank, was appointed to his native Pskov Theological Seminary as a teacher. And here he was a favorite not only of the entire Seminary, but also of the city of Pskov.
Striving with his pure soul for God, he led a strict, chaste life and in the 26th year of his life, in 1891, he became a monk. Almost the entire city gathered for his tonsure. The person being tonsured consciously and deliberately entered into a new life, wanting to devote himself exclusively to serving the Church. He, who was distinguished by meekness and humility from his youth, was given the name Tikhon in honor of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk.
From the Pskov Seminary, Hieromonk Tikhon was transferred as an inspector to the Kholm Theological Seminary, where he soon became its rector with the rank of archimandrite. In the 34th year of his life, in 1898, Archimandrite Tikhon was elevated to the rank of Bishop of Lublin with his appointment as vicar of the Kholm diocese.
Bishop Tikhon zealously devoted himself to the work of establishing a new vicariate, and with the charm of his moral character he gained the universal love of not only the Russian population, but also Lithuanians and Poles.
On September 14, 1898, Bishop Tikhon was sent to carry out responsible service overseas, to a distant American diocese in the rank of Bishop of Aleutian, since 1905 - archbishop. Heading the Orthodox Church in America, Archbishop Tikhon did a lot in the great work of spreading Orthodoxy, in the improvement of his huge diocese, in which he established two vicariates, and in the construction of churches for Orthodox Russian people. And with his loving attitude towards everyone, in particular, in setting up a house for free shelter and food for poor migrants from Russia, he won everyone’s respect. The Americans elected him an honorary citizen of the United States.
In 1907 he returned to Russia and was appointed to the Yaroslavl department. One of the first orders for the diocese of the modest and simple archpastor was a categorical prohibition for the clergy to make the customary prostrations when addressing them personally. And in Yaroslavl, he quickly gained the love of his flock, who appreciated his bright soul, which was expressed, for example, in his election as an honorary citizen of the city.
In 1914 he was Archbishop of Vilnius and Lithuania. After his transfer to Vilna, he made especially many donations to various charitable institutions. Here, too, his nature was revealed, rich in the spirit of love for people. He strained all his strength to help the unfortunate inhabitants of the Vilna region, who, thanks to the war with the Germans, had lost their shelter and means of subsistence and were going in crowds to their archpastor.
After the February Revolution and the formation of the new Synod, Bishop Tikhon became its member. On June 21, 1917, the Moscow Diocesan Congress of Clergy and Laity elected him as its ruling bishop, as a zealous and enlightened archpastor, widely known even outside his country.
On August 15, 1917, the Local Council opened in Moscow, and Tikhon, Archbishop of Moscow, having become a participant in it, was awarded the rank of Metropolitan, and then was elected chairman of the Council.
The Council set as its goal to restore the life of the Russian Orthodox Church on strictly canonical principles, and the first big and important task that urgently faced the Council was the restoration of the Patriarchate. When electing the Patriarch, it was decided by voting of all members of the Council to elect three candidates, and then leave it to the will of God to choose the chosen one by drawing lots. By free vote of the Council members, three candidates were elected to the Patriarchal throne: Archbishop Anthony of Kharkov, Archbishop Arseny of Novgorod and Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow.
Before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, brought from the Assumption Cathedral to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, after the solemn Liturgy and prayer service on November 5, Schieromonk Zosimova Hermitage Alexy, a member of the Council, reverently took out from the reliquary one of the three lots with the name of the candidate, and Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev proclaimed the name of the chosen one - Metropolitan Tikhon.
Having become the head of the Russian hierarchs, Patriarch Tikhon did not change; he remained the same accessible, simple, affectionate person. Everyone who came into contact with His Holiness Tikhon was amazed at his amazing accessibility, simplicity and modesty. The wide availability of His Holiness was not at all limited by his high rank. The doors of his house were always open to everyone, just as his heart was open to everyone - affectionate, sympathetic, loving. Being unusually simple and modest both in his personal life and in his high priestly ministry, His Holiness the Patriarch did not tolerate or do anything external or ostentatious. But the gentleness in the address of His Holiness Tikhon did not prevent him from being adamantly firm in church affairs, where necessary, especially in protecting the Church from her enemies.
His cross was immeasurably heavy. He had to lead the Church in the midst of general church ruin, without auxiliary governing bodies, in an atmosphere of internal schisms and upheavals caused by all sorts of “Living Churchists,” “Renovationists,” and “autocephalists.” The situation was complicated by external circumstances: a change in the political system and the coming to power of godless forces, famine, and civil war. This was a time when church property was taken away, when the clergy was subjected to persecution and persecution, and mass repressions overwhelmed the Church of Christ. News about this came to the Patriarch from all over Russia.
With his exceptionally high moral and ecclesiastical authority, the Patriarch was able to gather together the scattered and bloodless church forces. During the period of church timelessness, his unblemished name was a bright beacon showing the path to the truth of Orthodoxy. With his messages, he called the people to fulfill the commandments of the Christian faith, to spiritual rebirth through repentance. And his impeccable life was an example for everyone.
To save thousands of lives and improve the general position of the Church, the Patriarch took measures to protect clergy from purely political speeches. On September 25, 1919, already in the midst of the civil war, he issued an Message demanding that the clergy not engage in political struggle. In the summer of 1921, famine broke out in the Volga region. In August, Patriarch Tikhon addressed a Message of help to the hungry, addressed to all Russian people and the peoples of the Universe, and blessed the voluntary donation of church valuables that have no liturgical use. But this was not enough for the new government. Already in February 1922, a decree was issued, according to which all precious objects were subject to confiscation. According to the 73rd Apostolic Canon, such actions were sacrilege, and the Patriarch could not approve of such a seizure, expressing his negative attitude towards the ongoing arbitrariness in the message, especially since many had doubts that all the valuables would be used to fight hunger. Locally, the forced seizure caused widespread popular outrage. Up to two thousand trials took place across Russia and more than ten thousand believers were shot. The Patriarch's message was regarded as sabotage, and therefore he was imprisoned from April 1922 to June 1923.
His Holiness Tikhon especially served the Russian Orthodox Church during the painful time for the Church of the so-called “renovationist schism.” His Holiness proved himself to be a faithful servant and confessor of the intact and undistorted covenants of the true Orthodox Church. He was a living personification of Orthodoxy, which was unconsciously emphasized even by the enemies of the Church, calling its members “Tikhonovites.”
“Please believe that I will not make agreements and concessions that will lead to the loss of the purity and strength of Orthodoxy,” the Patriarch said firmly and authoritatively. Being a good shepherd who devoted himself entirely to the cause of the Church, he also called on the clergy: “Dedicate all your strength to preaching the word of God, the truth of Christ, especially in our days, when unbelief and atheism have boldly taken up arms against the Church of Christ. And the God of peace and love will be with you all!”
It was extremely painful for the loving, responsive heart of the Patriarch to experience all the church troubles. External and internal church upheavals, the “renovationist schism,” the incessant high priestly labors and concerns to organize and pacify church life, sleepless nights and heavy thoughts, more than a year’s imprisonment, malicious, vile persecution from enemies, dull misunderstanding and irrepressible criticism from sometimes and the Orthodox environment undermined his once strong body. Beginning in 1924, His Holiness the Patriarch began to feel very unwell.
On Sunday, April 5, 1925, he served the last Liturgy. Two days later, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon died. In the last moments of his life, he turned to God and with a quiet prayer of gratitude and glorification, crossing himself, he said: “Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee...” - he did not have time to cross himself a third time.
About a million people came to say goodbye to the Patriarch, although the Great Cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow could not accommodate all those who said goodbye for a hundred hours.
His Holiness Tikhon held the responsible post of Primate of the Russian Church for seven and a half years. It is difficult to imagine the Russian Orthodox Church without Patriarch Tikhon in these years. He did so much immeasurably both for the Church and for strengthening the faith itself during the difficult years of trials that befell the believers.
The history of Orthodoxy and our church is replete with amazing examples of sincere faith and true confession. Many saints gave their lives defending the right to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. Among the saints of God there are a variety of people. These are holy fools, who were considered crazy by the people, and simple poor people, and monks, and educated people from high society. Also, many primates and archpastors of our church show us an example of sincere faith. Thus, one of the most outstanding personalities who stood at the top of the church hierarchy can be called Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
The beginning of the life path of a saint of God
Vasily Ivanovich Belavin (that was the name of the future patriarch in the world) was born into a hereditary priestly family near Pskov in 1865. Almost the entire Belavin family consisted of the priesthood, so from birth Vasily grew up in an atmosphere of Orthodoxy and love of God.
The family, as usual at that time, had many children - in addition to Vasily, the parents raised three more sons. Despite his obvious religious orientation, Vasily grew up as a simple and sociable, and, according to many of his contemporaries, even a “secular” young man.
Tikhon of Moscow
Since the situation of the clergy at the end of the 19th century was quite difficult, the only way to improve the life of the family was to receive an education. And Vasily successfully graduates from theological school and seminary in the Pskov province, after which he successfully enters the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, famous throughout Russia.
The years of study are not marked by any particularly outstanding incidents in the life of the future patriarch. Studying was smooth for him, without sudden ups and downs. He also avoided serious spiritual crises and tests of faith during this period.
Interesting. Long before determining his path, while studying at the academy, Vasily received the nickname “Patriarch” from his classmates.
Considering the fact that in those years there was no institution of the patriarchate in Tsarist Russia, no one at the academy could have imagined how prophetic such a nickname would become. According to his friends from the academy, there was nothing at all overly pious or deliberately spiritual in Vasily’s behavior. On the contrary, he was always a sociable, simple young man who easily made contact with almost everyone. These qualities earned him respect and recognition among other students. However, no one expected that after completing the course Vasily would choose the monastic path.
The graduate himself was still undecided, which he honestly admitted after graduating from the theological academy. For the next three years, thinking about his future path, Vasily teaches at the Pskov seminary. Finally, having made his choice, in December 1891 he took monastic vows under the name Tikhon.
The first works of the archpastor
The first patriarchal works
Considering the difficult period for the country when Patriarch Tikhon embarked on the path of his ministry, he had a lot of work ahead of him. Considering that the patriarch was practically the only elected leader of the people, he was happily greeted in almost every corner of Russia. When the patriarch came to serve in a provincial city, the population did not go to work in order to attend the service.
Important. Immediately after the revolution, the relationship between the ruling authorities and the Russian Orthodox Church became very tense and conflicting.
The newly established power of the councils oppressed and humiliated the church in every possible way, and the process of persecution of Orthodoxy began. And Patriarch Tikhon had to constantly balance between pastoral duty and public representatives.
Ark with the relics of Patriarch Tikhon
Already in 1918, two comrades of the Patriarch tragically died - Fr. Ivan Kochurov, as well as Metropolitan Vladimir. Vladyka Tikhon took the loss very seriously and grieved for a long time. Even then it became clear to him that this was only the very beginning of cruel persecution.
Interesting fact. One day the Patriarch was warned that a whole group of sailors was gathering in Petrograd who wanted to arrest Vladyka and take him away from Moscow. He reacted extremely calmly to this news and did not pay any attention to it. Early in the morning, a group of invaders arrived in Moscow, but a few hours later they went back, without even meeting with the church leader. The Lord clearly kept his chosen one for great things.
At the beginning of 1918, the Patriarch published a message that became historic. It called on everyone who was related to the authorities to stop lawlessness and cruel reprisals against the people. Also, everyone who was directly involved in the commission of crimes was anathematized and excommunicated from Communion. Despite the fact that the document was about individuals, in society the appeal was perceived as a sharp disagreement with the Bolshevik government and condemnation of it as such. Of course, this only worsened the already difficult relationship between the Church and the state.
Prosecutions and criminal proceedings
Massive repressions of the clergy did not spare the primate of the church, who was disliked by the new government. Open condemnation of the bloody Bolshevik dictatorship and brutal violence against those undesirable became the reason for closer attention to the Russian Orthodox Church and its activities. And no matter how Patriarch Tikhon called for not linking the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church with any political force, no matter how he declared the Church to be an institution outside the state, he was still accused of anti-Soviet propaganda and counter-revolutionary activities.
After a search of the apartment, in 1918 the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church was placed under house arrest. Fearing for the life of their beloved Bishop, volunteers organized a special convoy, which was on duty at the walls of the Trinity courtyard, where Saint Tikhon was imprisoned. He was accused of mass calls for the overthrow of the Soviet regime, which in fact he never made. On the contrary, the position of the primate has always been as conciliatory as possible and aimed at resolving all disagreements peacefully, without bloodshed.
The next blow from the authorities was a campaign to open the relics and confiscate church valuables. Despite the sharp disapproval of the Patriarch and popular discontent, more than 60 shrines containing the incorruptible relics of Russian saints, including the most revered among the people, were blasphemously opened. Such obvious mockery of Orthodox shrines plunged the church into increasing opposition to Soviet power.
In 1922, a terrible famine began in the Volga region. Through the efforts of Patriarch Tikhon, the collection of humanitarian aid for the hungry, including from abroad, was organized. Thanks to this company, hundreds and thousands of people were saved. The Bishop also turned to the official authorities with a proposal to collect help from church property that does not have significant liturgical significance.
Repose of Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'
Did His Holiness imagine how such a proposal would turn out for the Church? Very soon an official government document arrived, according to which all church utensils made of valuable metals, as well as those containing precious stones, were to be confiscated. Items directly used for liturgical purposes were also subject to confiscation. In essence, a program of plundering Orthodox churches throughout Russia began. Thus, the voluntary donation of part of the church property to help the famine turned into the largest forcible confiscation of valuables in the history of Russia.
However, by the Providence of God, the Bolsheviks failed to collect what they were counting on. According to average estimates, it was possible to collect a thousandth of what was planned. Moreover, the actual amount of funds collected was approximately equal to the costs of the campaign to confiscate church property.
But, despite the fact that the Bolsheviks did not manage to profit significantly, the Russian Orthodox Church suffered colossal damage: many shrines were lost, the value of which could not be measured by any money. Ancient icons in expensive icon cases that had hung in churches for centuries were destroyed and dismantled for expensive jewelry and metals. Items of liturgical paraphernalia passed down from generation to generation in priestly families were also confiscated. In fact, everything that made up the greatness and splendor of Russian churches before the revolution was plundered, desecrated and irretrievably lost.
Last years of life, death and glorification
Until the very end of the Patriarch’s life, difficult trials of the Christian faith in Russia continued. So, at the end of 1924, his cell attendant, a person very close to Vladyka, was killed. Saint Tikhon experienced this latest loss very acutely.
From the beginning of 1925, His Holiness moved for health reasons to the Bakunin hospital, where he underwent treatment. Despite his weakness, he continued to serve in various churches. His last service was performed 2 days before his death.
Even being in poor condition in the hospital, interrogations of His Holiness and visits from official authorities did not stop. He was constantly required to sign various documents, appeals to the people, appeals and other official papers, the contents of which often contradicted Christian doctrine. Until the very last days of his life, Saint Tikhon fought against the tyranny and violence of the Soviet regime.
Bishop Tikhon went to the Lord on the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord in 1925. According to official data, his death was due to heart failure, but there is also a version of poisoning. No matter how the official version was promoted, the authorities were unable to completely refute the possibility of poisoning.
Saint Tikhon Patriach of Moscow and All Rus'
The farewell to the beloved Vladyka took place within the walls of the Donskoy Monastery, where, according to average estimates, more than a million people arrived. All the streets nearby were filled with people who wanted to say goodbye to the future saint.
About other saints of the Orthodox Church:
Interesting. During the seven years of his patriarchate, the saint served exactly 777 liturgies. On average, he performed services every 2-3 days.Patriarch Tikhon was canonized in 1989, his memory is celebrated on March 25. It was his canonization that served as the impetus for the glorification of a large number of new martyrs who suffered during the years of Soviet power.
Also interesting is the story of the discovery of his relics, the location of which, by a strange coincidence, was forgotten. In 1992, a severe fire occurred in the Donskoy Monastery as a result of deliberate arson. Large areas burned, including the temple building. During the dismantling of the fire, the relics of the saint were miraculously found. Nowadays they are in the Great Cathedral (Donskoy Monastery) and are freely accessible. Many pilgrims come there to honor the memory and venerate the holy relics of the saint of God and to pray to the one who worked so hard for the good of the Church in the most difficult years.
A large number of photographs of Patriarch Tikhon during his lifetime have been preserved, since he lived very close to us. And every believer has a wonderful opportunity to see with his own eyes what a real saint looked like, who was awarded eternal life at the Throne of God. Perhaps this is precisely what explains the widespread love for the new martyrs and saints of the twentieth century, especially for St. Tikhon.
Examples of ancient ascetics are sometimes striking in their devotion to the faith of Christ, but the fact that they lived many centuries before the present time somehow removes them from modern man with his troubles and problems. The example of Holy Patriarch Tikhon shows us that in our time we can save our soul and survive even in the most difficult everyday situations if we rely on the Lord God in everything.
Holy Patriarch Tikhon, pray to God for us!
Watch the video about Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow
