Athanasius (; real name – ''Андрей'', or Andrei) (early 16th century – 1570s) was the Metropolitan of Moscow and all Rus' from March 1564 to May 1566. He was the eleventh Metropolitan in Moscow to be appointed without the approval of the

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople ( Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of ...

as had been the norm.

Early life

In 1530s–1540s, Athanasius served as a priest in

Pereslavl-Zalessky Pereslavl-Zalessky ( rus, Переславль-Залесский, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈslavlʲ zɐˈlʲɛskʲɪj, lit. ''Pereslavl beyond the woods''), also known as Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located on the main Mosc ...

. In 1549–1550, he was appointed archpriest of the Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Moscow Kremlin and became Ivan the Terrible's personal confessor. Athanasius accompanied the

tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...

during his military campaign against

Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering an ...

in 1552 and held a service during the laying of the foundation stone of the Annunciation Cathedral in that city. He was known as a writer and

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

painter. Athanasius participated in the church sobors of 1553 and 1554 as a witness with regards to the restoration of

s and frescos in the Kremlin cathedrals after the fire of 1547. In 1555–1556, Athanasius was engaged in restoring the Icon of

Nikolai Velikoretsky Nikolai or Nikolay is an East Slavic variant of the masculine name Nicholas. It may refer to: People Royalty * Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855), or Nikolay I, Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855 * Nicholas II of Russia (1868–1918), or Niko ...

together with Metropolitan Macarius. In 1567, he participated in the restoration of the Icon of

Our Lady of Vladimir The Virgin of Vladimir, also known as Vladimir Mother of God, Our Lady of Vladimir (russian: Влади́мирская ико́на Бо́жией Ма́тери, uk, Вишгородська ікона Божої Матері), and the Theoto ...

. It is believed that Athanasius is the author of the icon called '' The Belligerent Church'' ("Церковь воинствующая"). Also, he wrote the ''Life of Daniel of Pereyaslavl'' (Житие Даниила Переяславского; 1556–1562) and (supposedly) the '' Book of Generations'' (Степенная книга; between 1560 and 1563). In 1562, Athanasius was admitted to the

Chudov Monastery The Chudov Monastery (russian: Чу́дов монасты́рь; more formally known as Alexius’ Archangel Michael Monastery) was founded in the Moscow Kremlin in 1358 by Metropolitan Alexius of Moscow. The monastery was dedicated to the mi ...

. In 1564, he was elected Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia, replacing the deceased Metropolitan Macarius. It was Metropolitan Athanasius to whom Ivan the Terrible would address his message on the introduction of the

oprichnina The oprichnina (russian: опри́чнина, ) was a state policy implemented by Tsar Ivan the Terrible in Russia between 1565 and 1572. The policy included mass repression of the boyars (Russian aristocrats), including public executions and ...

in 1565. Athanasius would often talk to the tsar and express his concern about the disgraced. Officially, Metropolitan Athanasius left his post due to a "grave sickness", but some Russian historians believe that it was his rejection of oprichnina that would cost him his post. Athanasius moved to the Chudov Monastery and lived there until his death. {{DEFAULTSORT:Athanasius, Metropolitan Of Moscow 1570s deaths Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Moscow Year of birth unknown