Adoption of the patriarchate in Rus'. Establishment of the Patriarchate in Rus'. Establishment of the Patriarchate in the Russian Church

From the book of the historian of the Russian church Anton Kartashev (1875-1960) “Essays on the history of the church in 3 parts. Part 2”, an excerpt from the chapter “Establishment of the Patriarchate”.

The question of the patriarchate literally flared up in Moscow as soon as the news arrived that Patriarch Joachim of Antioch had appeared on the border of Rus', who, as we know, traveled through Lvov and Western Rus' at the most important moment of her life, on the eve of the sad memory of the Brest Cathedral, and was involved in active actions to defend Orthodoxy. The appearance of the Eastern Patriarch on Russian soil was an unprecedented fact in the entire history of the Russian Church.

Muscovites also developed a sense of habitual reverence for their fathers in faith, the heirs of the glory of the ancient church, and a thirst to show their piety and the splendor of the kingdom. At the same time, a direct calculation arose to do a big thing - to begin negotiations on the establishment of the patriarchate. This is what they started to do.

Anton Kartashev

The meeting of the patriarch was magnificent, unlike “none” in Poland and the West. Rus'. This alone could not help but flatter the Eastern patriarchs and please them. By order from Moscow, the Smolensk governor was ordered to meet the patriarch “honestly,” provide him with all amenities, food, and escort him to Moscow with honorary guards. On June 6, 1586, Patriarch Joachim arrived in Smolensk and from there forwarded his letter to Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich. This patriarch had already written to Ivan IV before and received 200 gold pieces from him. Letter from Patr. Joachim was full of Byzantine, i.e., immoderate praise for the Tsar of Moscow: “If anyone sees the sky and the heavens and all the stars, even if he has not seen the sun, he has seen nothing, but when he sees the sun, he will rejoice greatly and glorify the creator and. The sun of our faithful peasants in these days, your royal mercy is the only boundary between us.” Based on this, the Moscow Tsar could easily pose the question: is it finally time for the “sun of faithful Christians” to have a patriarch near him?

The Tsar sent honorary ambassadors to meet the guest, to Mozhaisk and Dorogomilovo. 17th VI Patr. Joachim entered Moscow and was placed on the Nikolsky sacrum in Sheremetev’s house.

On June 25 there was a ceremonial reception for the patriarch by Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich. But characteristically - Met. Dionysius did not pay a visit or greetings to the patriarch. This could not have happened without an agreement with the secular authorities. The Metropolitan clearly wanted to make the eastern alms-seeker feel that he was a Russian metropolitan, the same autocephalous head of his church as the patriarch. Antioch, but only the head of a larger, free and strong church - and therefore the patriarch should be the first to go to bow to him. And since the Patriarch wants to get around this by bowing to the Tsar, the first Russian Metropolitan “does not break his hat.”

According to honorable custom, the Patriarch was taken to the palace in a royal sleigh (even though it was summer) - by dragging. The Tsar received him in the “Subscription Golden Chamber”, sitting on the throne, in royal vestments, among the dressed up boyars and officials according to the rank of receiving ambassadors. The king stood up and walked a fathom away from the throne for the meeting. The Patriarch blessed the Tsar and presented him with the relics of various saints as gifts. He immediately handed over to the king a letter of recommendation, handed to him by the Patriarch of Poland Theoliptus together with the Patriarch of Alexandria Sylvester, about helping Joachim cover the debt of the Antiochian see of 8,000 gold.

The king invited the patriarch to his place for lunch that same day! A very great honor according to Moscow rank. In the meantime, the patriarch was instructed to go to the Assumption Cathedral to meet with the metropolitan. This was deliberate in order to overwhelm the guest with official pomp and splendor and to reveal the Russian saint “at the pulpit”, surrounded by a countless host of clergy, in golden brocade vestments with pearls, among icons and shrines, overlaid with gold and precious stones. The poor titled guest had to feel his smallness before the real head of the really (and not nominally) great church. The Patriarch received an honorable welcome at the southern door. They took him to venerate the icons and relics. And at this time, Metropolitan Dionysius and the clergy stood in the middle of the church on the pulpit, ready to begin the liturgy. Like a king, according to the ceremony, he descended from the pulpit a fathom towards the patriarch and hurried to be the first to bless the patriarch. The dumbfounded patriarch, well understanding the insult inflicted on him, immediately declared through the interpreter that this should not have been done, but he saw that no one wanted to listen to him, that this was not the place or time to argue, and fell silent. As the document says, “he said lightly that it would be useful for the Metropolitan to accept his blessing in advance, and he stopped talking about it.” The Patriarch listened to the liturgy, standing without vestments at the rear pillar of the cathedral. The royal dinner after mass and the royal gifts were only the gilding of the pill for the distressed patriarch. The figure of the Russian Metropolitan, which had flashed before the Patriarch like Olympian greatness, again disappeared from him, and he should have felt that there was no need to argue against the height of the Russian Metropolitan. And the king must be repaid for the gifts. Thus, Moscow diplomats created an “atmosphere” for the question of the Russian patriarchate. And the whole matter was carried out by the secular authorities. The patriarchs were drawn to her, they expected favors from her and received them. They had to pay her back. The Russian hierarchy was freed from the risk of diminishing itself and falling into the position of humble supplicants. She didn't ask for anything. It was as if she had everything. And the eastern hierarchs themselves should have felt their duty to her and given her the appropriate title of patriarch.

Immediately after this day, negotiations between the royal authorities and Patriarch Joachim about the patriarchate began. They were carried out secretly, that is, without written documents, perhaps out of fear that the Polish authorities would somehow speak out before the KPl Patriarch against this. In the Boyar Duma, the Tsar made a speech that after a secret conspiracy with his wife Irina, with his “brother-in-law, close boyar and equerry and governor of the courtyard and governor of Kazan and Astrakhan, Boris Fedorovich Godunov,” he decided to pose the following question: “From the beginning, from the ancestors our, Kiev, Vladimir and Moscow sovereigns - tsars and pious great princes, our pilgrims were supplied by the metropolitans of Kyiv, Vladimir, Moscow and all Russia, from the Patriarchs of Tsaryagrad and Ecumenical. Then, by the grace of Almighty God and the Most Pure Mother of God, our Intercessor, and the prayers of the great miracle workers of the entire Russian kingdom, and at the request and prayer of our ancestors, the pious kings and great princes of Moscow, and on the advice of the Patriarchs of Constantinople (?), special metropolitans began to be appointed in the Moscow state, by the verdict and by the election of our ancestors and the entire consecrated council, from the archbishops of the Russian kingdom even to our kingdom. Now, by His great and ineffable mercy, God has granted us the gift of seeing the coming to Himself of the great Patriarch of Antioch; and we give glory to the Lord for this. And we would also ask His mercy to establish a Russian patriarch in our Moscow state, and would consult with His Holiness Patriarch Joachim about this, and would order with him the blessing of the Moscow patriarchate, to all the patriarchs.” Boris Godunov was sent to the patriarch for negotiations.

In the “Collection of the Synod Library”, Boris Godunov’s speeches to Patriarch Joachim and his answers are conveyed as follows. Godunov suggests to Joachim: “You would advise about this with the Most Reverend His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Most Holy Patriarch would advise about such a great matter with you with all the patriarchs... and with the archbishops and bishops and with the archimandrites and with the abbots and with the entire consecrated cathedral. Yes, they would go to the holy mountain and to Sinai about this, so that God would grant such a great thing in our Russian state to be organized for the piety of the Christian faith, and thinking about this, they would announce to us how it would be more suitable for this matter to take place.” Patriarch Joachim, according to the presentation of this document, thanked the Tsar of Moscow on his own behalf and on behalf of the other patriarchs for all the alms for which the Eastern churches pray for him, admitted that it would be “better” to establish a patriarchate in Russia, promised to consult with the other patriarchs: “that is a great thing.” , the entire cathedral, and without this advice it’s impossible for me to do this thing».

The last words sound strange. Almost all official documents about this case are tendentious. And here we involuntarily sense a hidden proposal from the Muscovites to Joachim (perhaps with a promise to pay the 8,000 gold pieces he is seeking), without delay, to install the patriarch himself, and then look for confirmation later.

The negotiations ended quickly. Joachim received something and promised to promote the cause among his eastern brethren.

The Patriarch was allowed to visit the Chudov and Trinity-Sergius monasteries, where he was received with honor and gifts on July 4 and 8.

On July 17, he was again honorably received at parting by the Tsar in the Golden Chamber. The king here declared his alms to the patriarch and asked for prayers. There was not a word about the patriarchate. This has not yet been made public. From here the guests were sent to the Annunciation and Archangel Cathedrals for parting prayers. But to the Assumption Cathedral and to Metropolitan. The patriarch did not visit Dionysius and did not say goodbye to the metropolitan. Joachim's resentment is quite understandable. But Dionysius’s persistent negligence of the patriarch is not completely clear to us. We have to resort to hypotheses. Perhaps, simply by reconnaissance on the road to Moscow (in Lithuania or already within Russia), it turned out that Patriarch Joachim spoke of the Moscow metropolitans (as opposed to the Kyiv-Lithuanian ones) as being arbitrarily autocephalous and not to the benefit of the church, independent of the Greeks . So Dionysius, with the permission of the king, made such a demonstration to the arrogant Greek. Moscow knew how to distribute diplomatic roles...

Or maybe there is “oversalt” in the diplomacy of Metropolitan. Dionysius belonged to him personally, and not to the royal policy and even despite it. The policy was conducted by Boris Godunov. Dionysius belonged to the party opposed to Godunov. The latter had his favorite among the hierarchy to replace Dionysius, Abbot Job of Staritsa, whom he targeted as a candidate for the patriarchate. Dionysius could suspect that the intriguing Boris, for the sake of his favorite, would agree to some shadow of dependence on them before the Greeks, in order to acquire a magnificent patriarchal title. Hence the sharp demonstration of Dionysius for the sake of preserving perfect autocephaly and the dignity of the Russian Church. The next year, 1587, Metropolitan. Dionysius and Archp. Varlaam of Krutitsa, as open opponents of Boris, was overthrown by the latter, and in the place of Dionysius, Boris’s chosen one, Job, was installed as metropolitan.

On August 1, the patriarch with an honorary escort left for Chernigov. To “push” the Moscow plan, the clerk Mikhail Ogarkov (who wanted to ransom his son from Turkish captivity along the way) was sent along with Patriarch Joachim.

Ogarkov brought rich monetary and material gifts to the Patriarchs of KPl and Alexandria.

In KPl, the Russian claim could only cause a negative reaction. An old and bitter story for the Greeks arose with the emergence of the Bulgarian and Serbian patriarchates. The East resorted to tactics of silence and delay. There was no response for a whole year. But the Communist Party, foreseeing the need to make concessions to the Russians, decided to at least exploit them well. This year, dozens of eastern metropolitans, archbishops, abbots, hieromonks, and monks streamed through Chernigov and Smolensk to Moscow for alms.

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Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' is the title of the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Patriarchate was established in Moscow in 1589. Until this time, the Russian Church was headed by metropolitans and until the middle of the 15th century belonged to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and did not have independent governance.

The patriarchal dignity of the Moscow metropolitans was personally assigned to the Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremiah II and confirmed by the Councils in Constantinople in 1590 and 1593. The first Patriarch was Saint Job (1589-1605).

In 1721 the Patriarchate was abolished. In 1721, Peter I established the Theological College, which was later renamed the Holy Governing Synod - the state body of the highest ecclesiastical authority in the Russian Church. The patriarchate was restored by the decision of the All-Russian Local Council on October 28 (November 11), 1917.

The title “His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'” was adopted in 1943 by Patriarch Sergius at the suggestion of Joseph Stalin. Until this time, the Patriarch bore the title “Moscow and All Russia”. The replacement of Russia with Rus in the title of Patriarch is due to the fact that with the emergence of the USSR, Russia officially meant only the RSFSR, while the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate extended to the territory of other republics of the Union.

According to the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church, adopted in 2000, His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' “has primacy of honor among the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church and is accountable to the Local and Bishops’ Councils... has care for the internal and external welfare of the Russian Orthodox Church and governs it together with the Holy Synod , being its Chairman." The Patriarch convenes Bishops' and Local Councils and presides over them, and is also responsible for the implementation of their decisions. The Patriarch represents the Church in external relations, both with other Churches and with secular authorities. His responsibilities include maintaining the unity of the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, issuing (together with the Synod) decrees on the election and appointment of diocesan bishops, and he exercises control over the activities of bishops.

According to the charter, “the external distinctive signs of patriarchal dignity are a white cap, a green mantle, two panagias, a great paraman and a cross.”

The Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' is the diocesan bishop of the Moscow diocese, consisting of the city of Moscow and the Moscow region, the Holy Archimandrite of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, governs the patriarchal metochions throughout the country, as well as the so-called stauropegial monasteries, subordinate not to local bishops, but directly to the Moscow Patriarchate.

In the Russian Church, this Patriarch is given for life, and this means that until his death the patriarch is obliged to serve the Church, even if he is seriously ill or is in exile or imprisonment.

Chronological list of Moscow Patriarchs

Ignatius(June 30, 1605 - May 1606), installed by False Dmitry I during the living Patriarch Job and therefore not included in the lists of legitimate Patriarchs, although installed in compliance with all formalities

Hieromartyr Hermogenes(or Hermogenes) (June 3, 1606 – February 17, 1612), canonized in 1913.

After the death of Patriarch Hadrian, no successor was elected. In 1700-1721, the Guardian of the Patriarchal Throne (“Exarch”) - Metropolitan of Yaroslavl Stephen(Yavorsky).

Saint Tikhon(Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin; November 5 (18), 1917 – March 25 (April 7), 1925)

The establishment of the Patriarchate in the Russian Church was a consequence of the growth of its importance and influence in the Orthodox world, which by the end of the 16th century. stood out especially clearly. At the same time, one cannot help but see in the establishment of the Patriarchate in Rus' an undoubted manifestation of the Providence of God. Rus' not only received evidence of its increased spiritual significance in the Orthodox world, but also strengthened itself in the face of the coming trials of the Time of Troubles, in which it was the Church that would be destined to act as a force that organized the people to fight foreign intervention and Catholic aggression.

The emergence of the idea of the Moscow Patriarchate is closely connected with the establishment of autocephaly of the Russian Church. After the approval of the status of the Moscow Metropolis, independent from the Greeks, the exceptional importance of the Russian Church in the Orthodox world began to be realized, which it received as the most influential, numerous, and most importantly, connected with the existence of the only Orthodox state in the world, the Local Church. It was obvious that sooner or later, the Patriarchal throne would be confirmed in Moscow, whose sovereign became the successor to the Roman Emperors and by the middle of the 16th century. crowned with the royal title. However, the elevation of the Moscow Metropolis to the level of Patriarchate at that time was hampered by tense relations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which was offended by Rus' for the transition to autocephaly and proudly did not want to recognize it. At the same time, without the consent of the Eastern Patriarchs, the independent proclamation of the Russian Metropolitan as Patriarch would be illegal. If the Tsar in Moscow could be installed by oneself, by the force and authority of the Orthodox state, then it was impossible to establish the Patriarchate without first resolving this issue by the leading departments. Historical circumstances were favorable for the completion of the program of autocephaly of the Russian Church through the establishment of the Patriarchate only by the end of the 16th century, during the reign of Tsar Theodore Ioannovich.

According to the tradition coming from Karamzin, Theodore is often portrayed as a weak-willed, almost weak-minded and narrow-minded monarch, which is not very true. Theodore personally led Russian regiments into battle, was educated, and distinguished by deep faith and extraordinary piety. Theodore's departure from government affairs was most likely a consequence of the fact that the deeply religious tsar could not reconcile in his mind the discrepancy between Christian ideals and the cruel realities of the political life of the Russian state, which developed during the years of the cruel reign of his father, Ivan the Terrible. Theodore chose prayer and a quiet, peaceful life next to his faithful wife, Irina Godunova, as his destiny. Her brother Boris Godunov, a talented and energetic politician, became the real ruler of the state.

Of course, Godunov was ambitious. But at the same time, he was a great statesman and patriot who created a large-scale reform program with the aim of transforming the Russian state, strengthening its power and international prestige. But, unfortunately, Godunov’s great enterprise did not have a solid spiritual foundation and was not always carried out by morally acceptable means (although there was no evidence of Godunov’s involvement in the murder of Tsarevich Dimitri, just as there was no evidence before, and there is no evidence now), which became one of the reasons for the failure of his plans. In addition, the Russian people themselves, after the horrors of the oprichnina, became greatly impoverished in the spiritual and moral sense and were very far from the brilliant sovereign plans of Boris. Nevertheless, Godunov was jealous of the greatness of Russia. And the idea of the Russian Patriarchate to a large extent also fit into the program he developed, which made Godunov its decisive supporter. It was Boris who helped bring the program for establishing the Patriarchate in Rus' to its logical conclusion.

The first stage of preparation for the establishment of the Russian Patriarchate was associated with the arrival of Patriarch Joachim of Antioch to Moscow in 1586. This event initiated the activity of Godunov’s diplomats in achieving Patriarchal dignity for the Primate of the Russian Church. Joachim first came to Western Rus', and from there he went to Moscow for alms. And if in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the Patriarch had to witness a new onslaught of Catholics on Orthodoxy and the almost complete collapse of the church life of the Kyiv Metropolis on the eve of the Union of Brest, then in royal Moscow Joachim truly saw the greatness and glory of the Third Rome. When Patriarch Joachim arrived in Russia, he was greeted with great honor.

The main purpose of the Patriarchal visit was to collect alms. At the Antiochian See there was a gigantic debt for those times - 8 thousand gold. The Russians were very interested in the appearance of Joachim in Moscow: for the first time in history, the Eastern Patriarch came to Moscow. But in the minds of Godunov and his assistants, this unprecedented episode almost instantly and unexpectedly brought to life a project designed to put into practice the idea of establishing the Moscow Patriarchate.

After Joachim was received with honor by the Tsar in the Kremlin, he naturally had to meet with Metropolitan Dionysius of Moscow and All Rus'. But for some reason the Primate of the Russian Church did not make himself known and did not take any steps towards Joachim, did not pay a visit. Metropolitan Dionysius, although he conflicted with Godunov later, probably at that time acted in complete harmony with him.

Joachim was honored incredibly by Moscow standards: he was invited to dinner with the Tsar immediately on the same day when the first reception with the Tsar took place. While waiting for lunch, he was sent to the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, where Dionysius was officiating. It seems that everything was carefully thought out: Joachim arrived as a humble petitioner, and Dionysius suddenly appeared before him in the splendor of luxurious vestments, surrounded by numerous Russian clergy in a cathedral resplendent in its splendor. His appearance was fully consistent with the position of the Primate of the largest and most influential Local Orthodox Church in the world, although he bore only the modest rank of metropolitan.

Then something unimaginable happened. When Patriarch Joachim entered the Assumption Cathedral, he was met here by Metropolitan Dionysius. But Joachim did not even have time to open his mouth when suddenly he, the Patriarch, was blessed by Metropolitan Dionysius. The Metropolitan of Moscow blessed the Patriarch of Antioch. The Patriarch, of course, was surprised and outraged by such insolence. Joachim began to say something to the effect that it was inappropriate for the Metropolitan to be the first to bless the Patriarch. But they did not listen to him and did not even invite him to serve the liturgy (otherwise, it would have to be led not by Dionysius, but by Joachim). Moreover, the Patriarch was not offered to at least go to the altar. The poor eastern petitioner stood at the back pillar of the Assumption Cathedral throughout the entire service.

Thus, Joachim was clearly shown who was the alms-seeker here, and who was the Primate of the truly great Church. This, of course, was an insult, and it was inflicted on the Patriarch quite deliberately. It seems that everything was calculated and thought out to the smallest detail. It is difficult to say to what extent Dionysius’s personal initiative took place here. It is more likely that Godunov directed everything. The meaning of the action was quite transparent: the Greek Patriarchs are turning to the Russian sovereign for help, but for some reason only the Metropolitan is in the Moscow See. This was a clear sign to the Eastern Patriarchs, an invitation to think about eliminating this discrepancy. Joachim was made to understand: since you ask and receive, you must repay by bringing the status of the Primate of the Russian Church in line with its real place in the Orthodox world.

It is clear that Joachim no longer had any desire to meet with Dionysius. Further discussion of the problem of the Russian Patriarchate with the Greeks was taken over by Godunov, who conducted secret negotiations with Joachim. Joachim was not ready for such an unexpected proposal for him to establish the Patriarchal Throne in Moscow. Of course, he could not resolve this issue on his own, but he promised to consult about this with other Eastern Patriarchs. At this stage, Moscow was satisfied with what had been achieved.

Now Constantinople had the final say. But very dramatic events took place in Istanbul at this time. Shortly before Joachim's arrival in Russia, Patriarch Jeremiah II Thranos was deposed there, and the Turks replaced him with Pachomius. The latter, in turn, was also soon expelled and replaced by Theoliptus, who managed to pay the Turkish authorities a considerable sum for the Patriarchal See. But Theoliptus did not remain in the Patriarchate for long. He was also deposed, after which Jeremiah was returned from exile to Istanbul. The initial efforts to establish the Moscow Patriarchate occurred precisely during this time of unrest in the Patriarchal See of Constantinople. Naturally, the message from the Moscow sovereign and the money sent to Theoliptus were lost somewhere. Theoliptus was generally distinguished by greed and bribery. After he was deposed and Jeremiah II re-established himself in Constantinople, it was discovered that the affairs of the Patriarchate were in an extremely deplorable state. Temples were plundered, funds were stolen, the Patriarchal residence was taken away by the Turks for debts. The Patriarchal Cathedral of Our Lady of the All-Blessed - Pammakarista was also taken away by the Muslims for the debts of Theoliptus and turned into a mosque. Jeremiah returned from exile in the ashes. It was necessary to establish a new Patriarchate: a cathedral church, a residence. But Jeremiah did not have the money for all this. However, the experience of Joachim of Antioch showed: you can turn to rich Moscow, which respects the Eastern Patriarchs so much that it will not refuse money. However, Jeremiah was not aware of the negotiations that had already taken place regarding the Moscow Patriarchate, which had begun under his predecessor.

Jeremiah went to Moscow. This trip was destined to become fateful for the Russian Church. God's providence turned even the misfortunes of Orthodoxy, as always, ultimately to its good. The hardships of the Patriarchate of Constantinople turned through the establishment of the Moscow Patriarchate to the greater glory of God and the strengthening of Orthodoxy. Jeremiah in 1588, like Joachim, first went to Western Rus', from where he went further to Muscovy. In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Patriarch of Constantinople also witnessed the extreme deterioration of the situation of the Orthodox. The greater the contrast was when Jeremiah arrived in the brilliant capital of the Orthodox kingdom.

It should be noted that Jeremiah, having arrived in Smolensk, literally fell out of the blue, to the complete amazement of the Moscow authorities, because they still knew nothing about the changes that had taken place at the See of Constantinople. Muscovites did not expect to see Jeremiah, whose return to the department was not known here. Moreover, instead of the expected favorable response to the request of the Moscow sovereign to establish the Patriarchate in Rus', Muscovites heard from Jeremiah only talk about alms. It is not difficult to imagine the mood of Godunov’s people when faced with a Primate unknown to them, who, moreover, knew nothing about Moscow’s aspirations to have its own Patriarch.

Nevertheless, Patriarch Jeremiah was received magnificently, with maximum honors, which became even greater after intelligence reported: the Patriarch is real, legitimate, and not an impostor. Jeremiah was accompanied on his trip to Russia by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Monemvasia and Archbishop Arseniy of Elasson, who had previously taught Greek at the Lviv fraternal school. Both of these bishops left valuable memories of Jeremiah’s trip to Moscow, from which we can partly judge how the negotiations on the establishment of the Moscow Patriarchate proceeded.

In view of the changes at the See of Constantinople, all negotiations about the Moscow Patriarchate had to start all over again. But changes took place not only in Istanbul, but also in Moscow. By this time, the conflict between Godunov and Metropolitan Dionysius ended in 1587 with the deposition of the latter (Dionysius got involved in a boyar conspiracy and, together with other opponents of Godunov, made an immoral proposal to Tsar Theodore to divorce Irina Godunova due to her infertility). In place of Dionysius, Rostov Archbishop Job was elevated, who was destined to become the first Russian Patriarch

Historians often present Job as an obedient executor of the will of Boris Godunov and almost an accomplice in his intrigues. This is hardly fair. Job was undoubtedly a man of holy life. The fact that the Church canonized Job in 1989, when the 400th anniversary of the Moscow Patriarchate was celebrated, is, of course, not an accident associated with the anniversary. The canonization of Job was being prepared back in the middle of the 17th century, under the first Romanovs, who did not like Godunov, under whom their family suffered greatly. But in the middle of the 17th century. they did not have time to prepare the glorification, and under Peter I, when the Patriarchate was abolished, it was no longer possible to canonize the first Russian Patriarch for political reasons. So the holiness of Job, on the contrary, can become the starting point for the assumption that, perhaps, not all the negative things that were traditionally attributed to Godunov actually took place? What makes us think about this, first of all, is the support that St. actually provided to Godunov. Job at his best.

Facts confirm that Saint Job was not at all an obedient servant of Godunov, and on occasion he could sharply object to Boris. This is confirmed by the famous episode associated with Godunov’s attempt to open in Moscow some kind of university in the Western European style. Job resolutely opposed this: the example of the involvement of thousands of Orthodox minors in Catholicism through the Jesuit schools of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was too fresh and obvious. Godunov was then forced to retreat.

Job was such a bright personality that even in his youth he was noticed by Ivan the Terrible. The future Patriarch enjoyed enormous authority with Theodore Ioannovich. Job was distinguished by his enormous intelligence and excellent memory, and was very well read. Moreover, all this was combined with the deeply spiritual structure of the saint’s soul. But even if we assume that in promoting Job to the Metropolitan, and then to the Patriarchate, Godunov acted for political reasons, this does not at all cast a shadow on St. Job. After all, Boris advocated the establishment of the Patriarchate in Moscow, strengthening the prestige of the Russian Church and the Russian state. Therefore, it is not surprising that Boris nominated Job as the Primate of the Russian Church, which would soon be destined to become the Patriarchate, as a man of the most outstanding qualities. Whatever political goals Godunov pursued, the work of establishing the Patriarchate in Rus', accomplished through him, was ultimately a manifestation of God’s Providence, and not the fruit of anyone’s calculation. Boris Godunov essentially became an instrument of this Providence.

Jeremiah of Constantinople was received in Moscow with great honors. He was settled in the Ryazan courtyard. But... they endowed him not only with honor, but also with supervision. Any communication of the Patriarch with anyone, especially with foreigners, was categorically prohibited. Soon Jeremiah was received by the king. Moreover, the Patriarch rode to the palace with honor - “on a donkey’s back.” The reception was luxurious. Patriarch Jeremiah did not arrive empty-handed. He brought many relics to Moscow, including: the shuitsu of the Apostle James, the finger of John Chrysostom, part of the relics of St. Tsar Constantine and so on. Jeremiah was given cups, money, sables and velvet in return.

Then negotiations began with the Patriarch, led by Godunov. First of all, we talked about the main thing – the Russian Patriarchate. But Jeremiah did not have any obligations in this regard to the Russians. Of course, this could not but cause disappointment to Godunov. But Boris, as a subtle politician, decides to act more persistently. One could, of course, again write letters to other Eastern Patriarchs, wait until they get together and jointly discuss the issue and decide something. But Godunov realized that with a skillful approach everything could be done much faster, since unexpectedly the Patriarch of Constantinople himself was in Moscow for the first time. This was seen as the undoubted providence of God, as Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich directly said in his speech in the boyar duma. Now it was necessary to turn things around so that Jeremiah would agree to the appointment of Patriarch of Moscow. This was a difficult task for Godunov's diplomats. But they handled it brilliantly.

First of all, Jeremiah was simply left alone in his Ryazan courtyard for quite a long time. Having arrived in Moscow in June 1588, the Patriarch was eventually forced to stay in Belokamennaya for almost a whole year. Jeremiah lived at the royal expense, in full prosperity and, most likely, in much better conditions than in his own Istanbul. But none of the Muscovites or foreigners were still allowed to see the Patriarch. In fact, it was house arrest in the most luxurious conditions.

The proud Greeks did not immediately understand the situation. At first, Jeremiah, who was persistently offered the idea of the Russian Patriarchate through messengers from the Tsar and Godunov, flatly refused, saying that he himself could not resolve such an important issue without a council discussion. But the languor in the “golden cage” began to take its toll, and the Patriarch replied that he, however, could establish in Moscow the kind of autocephaly that the Ohrid Archdiocese had. At the same time, Muscovites were required to remember the Patriarch of Constantinople during divine services and take the Holy Chrism from him. It is clear that Moscow could not take such a proposal seriously: for a century and a half the Russian Church had been completely autocephalous, and the times were not right for receiving such handouts from the Greeks.

Nevertheless, Hierotheus of Monemvasia condemned Jeremiah even for this meager concession to the Russians. And then very peculiar features appear in Jeremiah’s behavior. Hierotheus noted in his notes that Jeremiah at first declared his reluctance to give Moscow the Patriarchate, but then began to say that if the Russians wanted, he himself would remain Patriarch here. It is unlikely that Jeremiah himself had the idea of staying in Moscow forever. Most likely, this was Godunov’s cunning plan, which was based on the idea that the matter should begin with an offer to Jeremiah himself to stay in Russia. Probably, this idea was first expressed under Jeremiah at the instigation of Godunov by those ordinary Russians who were assigned to the Patriarch for service (and supervision) - their opinion was unofficial and did not commit to anything.

Jeremiah, according to Hierotheus, who reproached him for this, became carried away by this proposal and, without consulting other Greeks, actually decided to stay in Russia. But the Patriarch was deceived by the bait - in fact, it was only a seed, with which real negotiations began, not about the move of the Patriarch from Istanbul to Moscow, but about the establishment of a new Patriarchate - the Moscow and All Rus'. Although, perhaps, Muscovites were still ready for the Patriarch of Constantinople to remain living in Moscow as a backup option. This option could turn out to be very valuable both for Moscow and for Orthodoxy as a whole. Moscow would have received actual confirmation of its succession from Constantinople and a literal basis for being called the Third Rome. At the same time, Western Rus', which was under the jurisdiction of Constantinople, would automatically come under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch, who moved to Moscow. This created a real basis for the reunification of the two halves of the Russian Church (by the way, the presence of just such an option - the transfer of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to Moscow, which became known in Rome and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, further spurred the actions of Western Russian traitor bishops to conclude a union with Rome). In this case, Moscow could fully confirm its real primacy in the Orthodox world, receiving first place in the diptychs of the Patriarchs.

But this project also had negative aspects, which in the end outweighed its advantages and forced Godunov to strive for the creation of a new, namely Russian Patriarchate in Moscow, and not be content with the transfer of the Patriarchal See from Istanbul. Firstly, it was unknown how the Turks and Greeks would react to all this: it was quite possible that Jeremiah’s initiative would not have found a response in Constantinople, and they could simply elect a new Patriarch in his place. With such a turn of events, Russia would be left with nothing. Secondly, it was reflected in the suspicious attitude towards the Greeks that had already become a tradition in Rus', the origins of which went back to the Union of Florence. With all due respect to the dignity of the Eastern Patriarchs, the Russians still did not trust the Greeks. There was some doubt about their Orthodoxy, and political distrust as possible agents of the Ottoman Empire. In addition, the Greek Ecumenical Patriarch would be a figure in Moscow that would be much more difficult for the tsar to influence: and the authorities in Rus' by this time were already accustomed to keeping church affairs under their control. And finally, one could fear that the Greek Patriarch would be more concerned about the affairs of his compatriots than about the Russian Church. The collection of alms for the Eastern Sees in such conditions threatened to result in a serious redistribution of Russian gold in favor of the Greek Patriarchates.

Therefore, Godunov’s government decided to seek its own, Russian Patriarchate. And then a cunning diplomatic combination was used: citing the fact that Job was already at the Moscow Metropolitan See, Jeremiah was invited to live in Vladimir, and not in Moscow. At the same time, the Russians diplomatically referred to the fact that Vladimir is formally the first department in Rus' (except for Kyiv, which had been lost by this time).

But no matter how great Jeremiah’s desire was to live in Russia, in honor and wealth, without fear of experiencing new persecution and humiliation from the Turks, the Patriarch understood perfectly well that the option offered to him was absolutely unacceptable. Vladimir was a very provincial town. The ancient capital, the center of the Russian Church - all this was in the past. By the end of the 16th century. Vladimir has become an ordinary province. It is therefore natural that Jeremiah gave a negative answer to this proposal. He said that the Patriarch should be next to the sovereign, as it was in Constantinople from ancient times. Jeremiah insisted on Moscow. New negotiations ensued, during which Jeremiah apparently put himself in a hopeless position, hastily making some promises that he was then inconvenient to refuse. In the end, the envoys of Tsar Theodore told Jeremiah that if he himself did not want to be the Patriarch in Rus', he should install a Russian Patriarch in Moscow. Jeremiah tried to object, saying that he could not decide this on his own, but in the end he was forced to promise to install Job as Patriarch of Moscow.

On January 17, 1589, the tsar convened the boyar duma together with the Church Council: 3 archbishops, 6 bishops, 5 archimandrites and 3 cathedral elders of the monastery arrived in Moscow. Theodore announced that Jeremiah did not want to be Patriarch in Vladimir, and for his sake it was impossible to remove such a worthy Metropolitan as Job from the Moscow see. In addition, Jeremiah in Moscow would hardly, as Theodore said, be able to perform his Patriarchal service under the king, not knowing either the language or the peculiarities of Russian life. Therefore, the king announced his decision to ask Jeremiah’s blessing to install Job as Patriarch of the city of Moscow.

After the tsar’s statement, the Duma already began discussing such subtleties as the question of the need for Jeremiah’s participation in the rite of installation of Job and the elevation of a number of Russian dioceses to the level of metropolises and archdioceses. Apparently, the question of establishing the Patriarchate in Rus' was considered finally resolved. The Tsar's speech proved that Jeremiah, during negotiations with Godunov, had completely surrendered to Moscow's demands and was ready to install the Russian Patriarch.

So everything was decided. Of course, this whole undertaking had a strong political flavor, and in the pressure on Jeremiah one can see many aspects that could cause embarrassment. And yet, the establishment of the Patriarchate in Rus' was not some empty game of ambition, but a matter of extreme importance for the Russian Church and world Orthodoxy. And this is confirmed by the exceptionally high authority of those people, righteous and saints, who initiated this undertaking - Tsar Theodore Ioannovich and the future saint. Patriarch Job.

From the very beginning, the Tsar and Godunov probably did not think of any other candidates for the Patriarchate besides Job. And although the Moscow Synodal Collection says that it was decided to appoint as Patriarch “whoever the Lord God and the Most Pure Mother of God and the great wonderworkers of Moscow choose,” no one had any doubts that Job would be elevated to the rank of Patriarch. But this choice was completely justified: Job was most suitable for the role of Patriarch, which was especially important during the establishment of the new Patriarchal dispensation of the Russian Church. However, in this case one cannot speak of any non-canonical nature: after all, even in Byzantium it was in the order of things to appoint a Patriarch by imperial decree alone.

At the same time, on January 17, the Duma was assembled together with the Consecrated Council, and the Emperor proposed to turn to Job, asking the Metropolitan how he would think about the whole matter with the establishment of the Patriarchate. Job replied that he, together with all the bishops and the Consecrated Council, “put the Tsar and the Grand Duke at the will of the pious Sovereign, as the pious Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Duke Theodore Ioannovich wills.”

After this meeting of the Duma, the question of establishing the Patriarchate seemed so resolved that the Tsar sent the Duma clerk Shchelkalov to Patriarch Jeremiah for a written statement of the Constantinople order of the Patriarchal installation. Jeremiah presented the rank, but it seemed extremely modest to the Russians. Then it was decided to create its own rank, reworking the Constantinople Patriarchal and Moscow Metropolitan ranks of enthronement. Moreover, a characteristic feature of the old Russian rank was introduced into the new Moscow Patriarchal rank, which, of course, was completely illogical and unnecessary: it became a tradition that the Metropolitan of Moscow in Rus' was re-consecrated during his consecration. This custom most likely arose for the reason that in the 16th century there were many cases when abbots and archimandrites were elected to the Metropolis - persons who did not have the rank of bishop, who were then ordained along with their enthronement.

Six months passed from the time of Jeremiah's arrival in Moscow before the entire matter of establishing the Russian Patriarchate was successfully completed. The election of the Patriarch was scheduled for January 23, 1589, which was observed almost as a formality. It was decided to elect three candidates, whom the authorities indicated: Alexander, Archbishop of Novgorod, Varlaam, Archbishop of Krutitsky and Job, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus'.

On January 23, Jeremiah and members of the Consecrated Council arrived at the Assumption Cathedral. Here, in the Pokhvalsky chapel - the traditional place for electing candidates for Metropolitans, the election of candidates for the Patriarchate was carried out. It is interesting that Jeremiah and the candidates themselves, who already knew in advance that they would be elected, did not participate in the elections. Then all the bishops participating in the elections, led by the Patriarch of Constantinople, arrived at the palace. Here Patriarch Jeremiah reported to the king about the candidates, and Theodore, of the three, chose Job for the Moscow Patriarchate. Only after this, the elected Patriarch of Moscow was called to the palace, and for the first time in his life he met Jeremiah.

The naming of Job as Patriarch was carried out in the royal chambers, and not in the Assumption Cathedral, as Jeremiah had previously planned. This was done intentionally. If the naming had taken place in the cathedral, then the king and Job would have had to thank Jeremiah publicly for the honor shown to them. But in order to avoid this and not to raise the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople too high, the naming was carried out in the royal chambers, and the installation itself took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin on January 26, 1589.

In the Assumption Cathedral, in the middle of the temple, seats were placed for the Tsar (in the center) and the Patriarchs (on the sides). Job was the first to arrive and put on his clothes, then Jeremiah, after which King Theodore solemnly entered the temple. Jeremiah blessed him, after which the sovereign sat down in his place and invited Jeremiah to also sit next to him, to his right. The clergy sat in the pews. Then Job was brought in, who, as at the episcopal consecration, read the confession of faith and oath. Then Jeremiah declared him Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and blessed him. After this, Job also blessed Jeremiah. Then they kissed, and Job went around kissing the other bishops. Then Jeremiah blessed him again, and Job retired to the Praise Chapel. The liturgy began, led by Patriarch Jeremiah. The central moment of the performance was the following action: Jeremiah, after the Small Entrance, stood at the throne, and Job, at the end of the Trisagion, was led into the altar through the Royal Doors. Jeremiah performed the full episcopal ordination on him, together with all the bishops present, up to the utterance of the prayer “Divine grace...”. Next, the liturgy was led by two Patriarchs together. After the liturgy, Job was taken out of the altar to the middle of the temple and the table itself was served. He was seated three times in the Patriarchal seat with the singing of “Is pollla these, despots.” After this, Jeremiah and the king presented the unmasked Job with a panagia. Jeremiah also gave him a luxurious hood, decorated with gold, pearls and stones, and an equally precious and ornate velvet mantle. All this wealth was supposed to once again clearly show Jeremiah where Rome and the empire now truly reside. After mutual greetings, all three - the Tsar and the two Patriarchs - sat on their thrones. Then the Tsar, standing up, made a speech on the occasion of the table and handed Job the staff of St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow. Job answered the king with a speech.

It is interesting to note that Job received the third episcopal consecration in his life, since he was already ordained when he was appointed to the Kolomna episcopal see, then - when he was installed as a Moscow Metropolitan, and now - when he was elevated to the Patriarchate.

Then a ceremonial dinner was given to the sovereign, during which Job left in order to make a tour of Moscow “on a donkey’s back”, sprinkling the hail with holy water. The next day, Jeremiah was called to Job's chambers for the first time. A touching incident occurred here: Jeremiah did not want to bless Job first, expecting a blessing from the new Patriarch. Job insisted that Jeremiah, as a father, should bless him first. Finally, Jeremiah was persuaded, and he blessed Job, and then himself accepted the blessing from him. On the same day, both Patriarchs were received by Tsarina Irina Godunova. Jeremiah was showered with rich gifts by the king, Job, and others.

Soon after the Patriarchal enthronement, Alexander of Novgorod and Varlaam of Rostov were installed as metropolitans. Then the Kazan diocese, where the future Saint Hermogenes became metropolitan, and the Krutitsa diocese were also elevated to the status of metropolis. 6 dioceses were to become archdioceses: Tver, Vologda, Suzdal, Ryazan, Smolensk, as well as Nizhny Novgorod, which did not yet exist at that time (but it was not possible to open it at that time, and it was established only in 1672). To the two former bishoprics - Chernigov and Kolomna - it was decided to add 6 more: Pskov, Belozersk, Ustyug, Rzhev, Dmitrov and Bryansk, which, however, was never accomplished under Job (of the named departments, only Pskov was opened).

With the beginning of Great Lent, Jeremiah began to ask to return to Istanbul. Godunov dissuaded him, citing the spring thaw and the need to draw up a document establishing the Patriarchate in Moscow. As a result, the so-called "laid letter". A characteristic point of this letter, drawn up in the royal office, is the mention of the consent of all Eastern Patriarchs to the establishment of the Patriarchate in Moscow, which, in fact, has not yet corresponded to reality. Through the mouth of Jeremiah, the letter recalls the idea of Moscow - III Rome, which was not just a “red word”. The next step in establishing the authority of the Moscow Patriarchate was to include it in the Patriarchal diptychs in a certain place corresponding to the position of Russia, quite high. Rus' claimed that the name of the Moscow Patriarch was commemorated in third place, after Constantinople and Alexandria, before Antioch and Jerusalem.

Only after signing the letter, favored and generously gifted by the king, Jeremiah left home in May 1589. Along the way, he arranged the affairs of the Kyiv Metropolis, and only in the spring of 1590 he returned to Istanbul. In May 1590, a Council was assembled there. It was necessary to retroactively approve the Patriarchal dignity of the Moscow High Hierarch. At this Council in Constantinople there were only three Eastern Patriarchs: Jeremiah of Constantinople, Joachim of Antioch and Sophronius of Jerusalem. Sylvester of Alexandria was ill and died at the beginning of the Council. His replacement, Meletius Pigasus, who soon became the new Pope of Alexandria, did not support Jeremiah, and therefore was not invited. But at the Council there were 42 metropolitans, 19 archbishops, 20 bishops, i.e. he was quite personable. Naturally, Jeremiah, who committed such an unprecedented act in canonical terms, had to justify his actions committed in Moscow. Hence his zeal in defending the dignity of the Russian Patriarch. As a result, the Council recognized the Patriarchal status for the Russian Church as a whole, and not for Job alone personally, but approved only the fifth place in the diptychs for the Moscow Patriarch.

The new Patriarch of Alexandria Meletius soon criticized the actions of Jeremiah, who considered the actions of the Patriarch of Constantinople in Moscow uncanonical. But Meletius still understood that what had happened would serve the good of the Church. As a zealot of Orthodox education, he had high hopes for Moscow’s help. As a result, he recognized Moscow's Patriarchal dignity. At the new Council of Eastern Patriarchs held in Constantinople in February 1593, Meletius of Alexandria, who chaired the meetings, spoke out for the Patriarchate of Moscow. At the Council, once again, with reference to the 28th rule of the Council of Chalcedon, it was confirmed that the Patriarchate in Moscow, in the city of the Orthodox Tsar, is entirely legal, and that in the future the right to elect the Moscow Patriarch will belong to the Russian bishops. This was very important because thereby the question of autocephaly of the Russian Orthodox Church was finally finally settled: the Council of Constantinople recognized it as legal. But the Moscow Patriarch was still not given a third place: the Council of 1593 confirmed only the fifth place of the Russian High Hierarch in the diptychs. For this reason, in Moscow they were offended by the fathers of this Council and shelved its actions.

Thus, the establishment of the Patriarchate in Moscow completed the century-and-a-half period of the Russian Church acquiring autocephaly, which was now becoming completely impeccable in the canonical aspect.

According to the charter, “the external distinctive signs of patriarchal dignity are a white cap, a green mantle, two panagias, a great paraman and a cross.”

In the Russian Church, this Patriarch is given for life, and this means that until his death the patriarch is obliged to serve the Church, even if he is seriously ill or is in exile or imprisonment.

Chronological list of Moscow Patriarchs

Ignatius (June 30, 1605 - May 1606), installed False Dmitry I during the living Patriarch Job and therefore is not included in the lists of legitimate Patriarchs, although he was installed in compliance with all formalities

Hieromartyr Hermogenes (or Hermogenes) (June 3, 1606 - February 17, 1612), canonized in 1913.

After the death of Patriarch Hadrian, no successor was elected. In 1700-1721, the Guardian of the Patriarchal Throne (“Exarch”) was Metropolitan Stefan (Yavorsky) of Yaroslavl.

Moscow Patriarchs in 1917-2008

Saint Tikhon(Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin; November 5 (18), 1917 - March 25 (April 7), 1925)

A sad event occurred in the life of world Orthodoxy: its center, Constantinople, was captured by Turkish conquerors. Golden crosses over the domes of churches were replaced by Ottoman crescents. But the Lord was pleased to revive the greatness of His Church in the Slavic lands. The patriarchate in Rus' became a symbol of Moscow's inheritance of the religious leadership of the defeated Byzantium.

Independence of the Russian Church

Long before the official establishment of the patriarchate in Russia took place, the dependence of the Russian Church on Byzantium was only nominal. Since the beginning of the 15th century, a threat posed by its constant enemy, the Ottoman Empire, hung over Orthodox Constantinople. Counting on the military support of the West, he was forced to sacrifice religious principles and, at the Council of 1438, conclude a union (alliance) with the Western Church. This hopelessly undermined the authority of Byzantium in the eyes of the Orthodox world.

When the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, the Russian Church became practically independent. However, the status that gave it complete independence had to be legitimized in accordance with the then existing canonical rules. For this purpose, Patriarch Jeremiah II of Constantinople arrived in Moscow, and on January 26, 1589, he installed the first Russian Patriarch, Job (in the world John).

This act was destined to take place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. The records of contemporaries indicate that all of Moscow then gathered in the square, thousands of people on their knees listened to the sound of the cathedral bells. This day became one of the most significant in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The following year, the Council of Eastern Hierarchs finally secured the status of autocephalous, that is, independent, for the Russian Church. True, in the “Diptych of Patriarchs” - the established order of their listing - Patriarch Job was given only the fifth place, but this was not a derogation of his dignity. The Russian people accepted this with due humility, recognizing the youth of their church.

The role of the king in establishing the patriarchate

There is an opinion among historians that the introduction of the patriarchate in Russia was initiated personally by the sovereign. The chronicles of that time tell how, during his visit to Moscow, Patriarch Joachim of Antioch was received by the king, and at the liturgy, Metropolitan Dionysius, approaching the distinguished guest, blessed him, which, according to the Charter of the Church, was completely unacceptable.

In this gesture they see the tsar’s hint at the establishment of a patriarchate in Russia, since only a bishop equal in rank to a foreign patriarch had the right to do this. This action could only be carried out on the personal instructions of the king. So Theodore Ioannovich could not stay away from such an important matter.

First Russian Patriarch

The choice of candidacy for the first patriarch was very successful. From the very beginning of his reign, the newly elected primate launched active efforts to strengthen discipline among clergy and raise their moral level. He also put a lot of effort into educating the broad masses, teaching them to read and write and distributing books containing the Holy Scriptures and patristic heritage.

Patriarch Job ended his earthly life as a true Christian and patriot. Rejecting all lies and unscrupulousness, he refused to recognize False Dmitry, who was approaching Moscow in those days, and was imprisoned by his supporters in the Assumption Staritsky Monastery, from which he emerged sick and blind. With his life and death, he showed all future primates a sacrificial example of service to the Russian Orthodox Church.

The role of the Russian Church in world Orthodoxy

The church was young. Despite this, the Russian hierarchs enjoyed undeniable authority among representatives of the highest clergy of the entire Orthodox world. Often he relied on economic, political and even military factors. This became especially obvious after the fall of Byzantium. The Eastern patriarchs, deprived of their material base, were constantly forced to come to Moscow in the hope of receiving help. This went on for centuries.

The establishment of the patriarchate played an important role in strengthening the national unity of the people. This manifested itself with particular force during the Time of Troubles, when it seemed that the state was on the verge of losing its sovereignty. It is enough to recall the dedication of Patriarch Hermogenes, who at the cost of his own life managed to rouse the Russians to fight the Polish occupiers.

Elections of Russian patriarchs

The establishment of the patriarchate in Moscow, as mentioned above, was accomplished by the Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremiah II, but all subsequent primates of the church were elected by the highest Russian church hierarchs. For this purpose, an order was sent to all bishops on behalf of the sovereign to appear in Moscow to elect a patriarch. At the beginning, an open form of voting was practiced, but over time it began to be carried out using lots.

In subsequent years, the continuity of the patriarchate existed until 1721, when by decree of Peter I it was abolished, and the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church was entrusted to the Holy Synod, which was only the ministry for religious affairs. This forced headlessness of the church continued until 1917, when it finally regained its high priest in the person of Patriarch Tikhon (V.I. Belavin).

Russian Patriarchate today

Currently, the Russian Orthodox Church is headed by its sixteenth primate, Patriarch Kirill (V.M. Gundyaev), whose enthronement took place on February 1, 2009. On the patriarchal throne, he replaced Alexy II (A.M. Ridiger), who had completed his earthly journey. From the day when the patriarchate was established in Russia, and right up to the present time, the patriarchal throne has been the foundation on which the entire edifice of the Russian church is based.

The current Russian high priest carries out his archpastoral obedience, relying on the support of the episcopate, clergy and the broad masses of parishioners. It should be noted that, according to church tradition, this high rank does not endow its owner with any exceptional holiness. In the council of bishops, the patriarch is only the eldest among equals. He makes all his key decisions on managing the affairs of the church collectively with other bishops.