Antonin Kapustin (Baturino, near
Perm
Perm or PERM may refer to:
Places
*Perm, Russia, a city in Russia
** Permsky District, the district
**Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005
**Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005
**Perm Governorate, an administra ...
,
Imperial Russia
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
, 12 August 1817 -
Jaffa
Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...
, then
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
, now
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, 24 March 1894) was a monastic clergyman of the
Church of Russia
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
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, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
. He was a noted Byzantologist and honorary member of many academies and scientific societies. He is noted for his activities in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
and the
Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
establishing ecclesiastical facilities and support for Russian pilgrims.
Life
Andrew Kapustin was born on 12 August 1817 in the village of Baturino in the province of
Perm Krai
Perm Krai (russian: Пе́рмский край, r=Permsky kray, p=ˈpʲɛrmskʲɪj ˈkraj, ''Permsky krai'', , ''Perem lador'') is a federal subject of Russia (a krai) that came into existence on December 1, 2005 as a result of the 2004 refe ...
in to a priestly family. He attended the
Kiev Theological Academy
The Kiev Theological Academy (1819—1919) was one of the oldest higher educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, situated in Kyiv, then in the Russian Empire (now Kyiv, Ukraine). It was considered as the most senior one among simila ...
, where he taught after his graduation. Entering monasticism, he was tonsured as monk with the name Antonin and rose to the rank of
archimandrite
The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...
.
A theologian and professor at the Kiev Theological Academy, in 1847, Fr. Antonin was assigned to the Church of the Savior, a church in disrepair in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, Greece that had been purchased by the Russian government of Tsar
Alexander II to serve the Russian community in Athens. He led the effort to restore the church. During his service in Athens he also supervised archaeological excavations under the church that revealed the ruins of an earlier church and an even older Roman bath.
In 1860, Fr. Antonin served as the priest of the Russian embassy church in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
where he was introduced into a new circle of acquaintances with influential Russians and Greeks in the
Near East
The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...
.
In 1865, Fr. Antonin joined, as chief, the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, a mission that had been officially established and recognized by the
Ottoman Sultan
The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...
in 1857. During Fr. Antonin's administration of the mission, he worked intently to strengthen the mission and its responsibilities to help Russian pilgrims to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. In accomplishing the task, he began a vigorous activity of land acquisitions in
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
and established hospices. These acquisitions were also inspired as a means of resisting the activities by Protestants and Roman Catholics who were active acquiring land and buildings in Palestine.
In November 1868, Fr. Antonin made his first acquisition, that of the
Oak of Mamre
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ...
, that according to the Scriptures was where the Old Testament Patriarch Abraham provided hospitality to three angels. In 1874, he had built near the Oak a hostel for the pilgrims.
Archimandrite Antonin, with
Igumen
Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen ( el, ἡγούμενος, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called a hegumenia ...
Parthenius,
acquired land at the summit of the
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jeru ...
on which, in 1870, they built the Church of the Ascension with a 200-foot bell tower. Later, after Fr. Antonin's repose, Igumen Parthenius established the Convent of the Ascension at the site.
In 1871, Fr. Antonin acquired an extensive olive tree plantation upon which were two buildings that were used to shelter Russian pilgrims. The property was expanded with the purchase of adjacent lands. On this land, Fr. Antonin directed that pilgrims who wished to settle in Jerusalem had to build houses and plant the gardens around them at their own expense. That is why there are no blocks of cells for monastics when Russian nuns formed a separate convent, the Gorneye Convent, and began living there. The Church of the
Meeting of the Most Holy Virgin Mary with St. Elizabeth was consecrated on 30 March 1883 at the convent. This consecration led to the addition of this feast to the Orthodox Liturgical calendar with the composition of the service added to the
Menaion
The Menaion ( el, Μηναῖον; Slavonic: Минїѧ, ''Miniya'', "of the month") is the liturgical book used by the Eastern Orthodox Churchand those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite containing the propers for fixed ...
by Archimandrite Antonin.
In 1882, Archimandrite Antonin, with
Conrad Schick
Conrad Schick (1822–1901) was a German architect, archaeologist and Protestant missionary who settled in Jerusalem in the mid-nineteenth century.Perry & Yodim (2004) For many decades he was head of the "House of Industry" at the Christ Church, ...
, a German archaeologist and architect, supervised the excavations of the plot of land acquired by the Russian government in 1859 next to the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, hy, Սուրբ Հարության տաճար, la, Ecclesia Sancti Sepulchri, am, የቅዱስ መቃብር ቤተክርስቲያን, he, כנסיית הקבר, ar, كنيسة القيامة is a church i ...
in Jerusalem. The excavations known as the "Russian Excavations", uncovered a number of archaeological findings dated to the time of Christ, including the "needle's eye", and the Threshold of Judgment Gate.
In 1886, Archimandrite Antonin purchased land in
Jaffa
Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...
, in southern
Tel-Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
, on which the tomb of the righteous
Tavi
Percutaneous aortic valve replacement (PAVR), also known as percutaneous aortic valve implantation (PAVI), transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), is the replacement of the aortic valve o ...
(Acts: 9, 36) is located. Initially, a garden was planted on the land. In 1894, a temple was built, dedicated to the
Apostle Peter
An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...
, that was consecrated by Patriarch
Gerasimus I of Jerusalem
Gerasimus I (1839–1897) was Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch (1886–1891) and Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
, image =
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, ab ...
.
Archimandrite Antonin reposed on 24 March 1894.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kapustin, Antonin
Russian Orthodox clergy
1817 births
1894 deaths