Church of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of All Russia, in Moskovsky
Vasily Ivanovich Belavin, the future Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow and All Russia, was born on January 19, 1865 in the village of Klin, Pskov province, into the family of a priest. Since childhood, he helped his parents with household chores, and at the age of nine he entered the Toropetsky Theological College. In 1878, he continued his education at the Pskov Seminary, where he received the nickname “bishop” for his kind disposition and modesty. After graduating from the seminary with honors, in 1884 he entered the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, where his comrades called him “The Patriarch,” which later turned out to be prophetic. In 1888, after completing his studies, he returned to Pskov and taught at the seminary for three years. In 1891, at the age of 26, he took monastic vows with the name Tikhon in honor of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk and was soon ordained a hierodeacon and then a hieromonk. In 1892, he was appointed inspector of the Kholm Theological Seminary, and later rector in the rank of Archimandrite. In 1899, he was consecrated Bishop of Lublin, becoming vicar of the Kholmsko-Warsaw diocese. Despite his short term of service, St. Tikhon won the love of his flock, including Uniates and Catholics. His translation caused sincere sorrow among the faithful. From 1898 to 1907, St. Tikhon headed the North American Diocese, where he was called the “Apostle of Orthodoxy.” He actively developed church life, built churches, including St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York, and united a multinational flock. After returning to Russia, he ruled the Yaroslavl diocese for seven years, and from 1914 to 1917, the Vilna and Lithuanian dioceses. During the First World War, he took the shrines out of Vilna and continued to serve in frontline churches. In 1917, at the height of the revolutionary upheavals, St. Tikhon was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. During the difficult time of the persecution of the Church, he became a spiritual leader, defending the faith and the flock. In 1922, he was arrested for resisting the seizure of church valuables and spent a year in prison. Despite the pressure, he remained firm in his beliefs. St. Tikhon died on April 7, 1925, on the feast of the Annunciation. His glorification took place on October 9, 1989 at the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. The relics of the holy Patriarch Tikhon rest in the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow, being a spiritual reinforcement for believers. In memory of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of All Russia, a temple has been erected in Moscow at the address: 1st mkr., 50.
Address: Moskovsky, 1st residential district, 50
