Joachim of Korsun (russian: Иоаким Корсунянин) was the first bishop of
Novgorod the Great
Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...
(). His surname suggests he probably came from the Byzantine town of
Cherson (Korsun) on the
Crimean Peninsula
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a po ...
and, according to the chronicles, arrived in Kievan Rus’ around the time of the
Christianization of Kievan Rus'
Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
in 988. Upon his arrival in Novgorod, he cast the idol of the god
Perun
In Slavic mythology, Perun (Cyrillic: Перýн) is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees. His other attributes were fire, mountains, wind, iris, eagle, firmam ...
into the
Volkhov River
The Volkhov (russian: Во́лхов) is a river in Novgorodsky and Chudovsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast and Kirishsky and Volkhovsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia. It connects Lake Ilmen and Lake Ladoga and forms pa ...
and built the
Peryn Monastery on the site where it once stood. He also built the first, wooden,
Cathedral of Holy Wisdom, “with 12 tops,” on the site of a pagan cemetery. He also built the Church of Joachim and Anne, named for his patron saints, which stood near the present site of the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom. He was buried there on his death in 1030, but his remains were transferred into the current cathedral in 1598.
Very little is known of his episcopate; although the (''Joachim Chronicle''), a no longer extant source cited in the history of
Vasilyev Tatishchev, was traditionally attributed to Joachim of Korsun. This is now considered to be highly questionable, as is the historical reliability of Tatishchev's work: it is more likely a seventeenth-century compilation and is now often attributed to
Patriarch Joachim of Moscow
Patriarch Joachim (russian: Иоаким; January 6, 1620 – March 17, 1690) was the eleventh Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, an opponent of the ''Raskol'' (the Old Believer schism), and a founder of the Slavic Greek Latin Academy.
Born ...
(d. 1690). Upon his death in 1030, Joachim's disciple, Efrem, administered the
eparchy
Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on th ...
for five years (1030–1035) until the arrival of
Luka Zhidiata.
Joachim of Korsun is venerated as a saint by the
Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
. His feast days are February 10 (the feast of the Novgorodian Saints, in which 10 other bishops and archbishops and others are commemorated) and June 19.
[P. I. Tikhomirov, ''Kafedra Novgorodskikh sviatitelei'',(Novgorod, 1891), vol. 1, pp.9-18.]
References
{{reflist
Archbishops and Metropolitans of Novgorod
10th-century Rus' people
11th-century Rus' people
1030 deaths
Eastern Orthodox saints
11th-century bishops in Kievan Rus'
10th-century Byzantine bishops
11th-century Byzantine bishops
Bishops of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople