Bishop Leontius (secular name Vladimir Fyodorovich von Wimpffen, russian: Владимир Фёдорович фон Вимпфен, born Baron Leopold von Wimpffen; 18 May 1873 in Moscow – 6 June 1919 in Astrakhan) was a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of 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 ...

, auxiliary bishop of Yenotayevka.

Biography

Leontius was from a distinguished noble family, the

Wimpffen The House of Wimpffen is the name of a noble family originally from Germany. They became prominent in the Kingdom of Bohemia during the Habsburg rule. Notable members * Emmanuel Félix de Wimpffen (german: Emmanuel Felix Graf von Wimpffen; 18 ...

. His father, Baron Theodore von Wimpffen, was a German citizen. His Mother, Lyubov Voyeikova, belonged to the families of the Moscow noblemen. He was baptized in the

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

with the name of Leopold and in conscious age, influenced by his mother converted to Orthodoxy and took name Vladimir. On September 28, 1914 was ordained bishop of Cheboksary, vicar of Kazan diocese. Since February 12, 1915 was Bishop of

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

(

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

), vicar of the Georgian exarchate. Since March 24, 1916 was Bishop of

Kustanai Kostanay ( kz, Қостанай, Qostanai ) is a city located on the Tobol River in northern Kazakhstan. It was known as Nikolayevsk (russian: Николаевск) until 1895 and then as Kustanay (russian: Кустанай) until 1997. Kostanay ...

, vicar Orenburg diocese. Since December 16, 1916 he became Bishop of Petrovsk, vicar of Saratov diocese. Came into conflict with the ruling bishop Palladius (Dobronravov). May 5, 1917 was dismissed with the appointment of his seat in the Astrakhan Pokrovo-Boldinsky monastery. Since September 5, 1917 was Bishop of Enotaevka, vicar of Astrakhan diocese. September 26, 1918 Bishop Leontius was retired. June 7, 1919 by order of

Sergey Kirov Sergei Mironovich Kirov (né Kostrikov; 27 March 1886 – 1 December 1934) was a Soviet politician and Bolshevik revolutionary whose assassination led to the first Great Purge. Kirov was an early revolutionary in the Russian Empire and membe ...

was arrested and charged (along with Archbishop Mitrophan of Astrakhan) with organization of the White Guard conspiracy. Shot June 23, 1919 in one day with Archbishop Mitrophan. It is known that they meet before the execution. Bishops in the face of impending death, forgot all his previous wrongs, asked each other for forgiveness, bowed to each other to the ground and embraced. They were thrown into a hole, and refused a burial.

External links

Hieromartyr Leontius Of Tsarevo
Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodoxy in Armenia 1873 births 1919 deaths Barons of Germany Wimpffen family Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy from Lutheranism Russian people of German descent