Archimandrite John (Ioann, russian: Архимандрит Иоанн, secular name Ivan Mikhailovich Krestiankin, russian: Иван Михайлович Крестьянкин; 1910–2006) was an

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 ...

of the Pskov Caves Monastery of

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 ...

. He was born in 1910 in the city of

Oryol Oryol ( rus, Орёл, p=ɐˈrʲɵl, lit. ''eagle''), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast situated on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow. It is part of the Central Fed ...

as an eighth child in the family of Mikhail and Elizaveta Krestiankin. The name Ivan was given to the boy in honour of Saint John of the Desert. His letters and theological works are well known and widely published in Russia and some other countries. Many cases of Fr. John's clairvoyance and wonderworking were recorded. In 1950 John was arrested by the Soviet authorities for his pastoral service and sentenced for seven years of labour camps. He was freed in 1955. Father John was a spiritual father and confessor for many Orthodox parishioners, providing religious instructions and guidance on various aspects of the faith and Christian life within the

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Church. Among his notable spiritual children was Archimandrite

Tikhon (Shevkunov) Metropolitan Tikhon (russian: Митрополит Тихон, secular name Georgiy Alexandrovich Shevkunov, russian: Георгий Александрович Шевкунов; born 2 July 1958 in Moscow) is a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Churc ...

, the author of the best-selling spiritual memoir ''Everyday Saints'', and Archimandrite Ilarion (Prikhodko), a highly regarded spiritual father in his own right who ministered in the

Novgorod 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 ...

region. Among his most famous books are "The Experience of Preparing a Confession", "Sermons, Thoughts and Congratulations", "Reference Book for Monastics and Laymen", the compilation "Letters of Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)". John Krestiankin died in 2006 at the age of 95 years. On February 8, 2021, the Pskov Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church announced that it is currently in the process of

canonizing Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of s ...

him. "PSKOV DIOCESE BEGINS PROCESS OF CANONIZATION OF ELDER JOHN (KRESTIANKIN)", (OrthoChristian.com) Portal, February 2021

Bibliography

* The Experience of Preparing a Confession (Опыт построения исповеди) * Sermons, Thoughts and Congratulations * Reference Book for Monastics and Laymen

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Krestiankin, John 1910 births 2006 deaths Eastern Orthodox monks Russian Eastern Orthodox priests Russian Christian mystics 20th-century Eastern Orthodox priests 20th-century Christian mystics 21st-century Eastern Orthodox priests 21st-century Christian mystics Eastern Orthodox mystics Inmates of Lefortovo Prison Archimandrites