Serapion (russian: Серапион) (died March 16, 1516) was
Archbishop of Novgorod the Great and Pskov from 1506 to 1509. He is a saint 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 ...
; his feast day is March 16 by the
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...
.
Serapion came from the Muscovite village of Pekhorka (now Pekhra-Pokrovskoye within
Balashikha in
Moscow Oblast). He took
monastic vows in the Dubensk Dormition monastery, where he went on to become hegumen. He was subsequently hegumen of the Stromyn Dormition monastery (both cloisters were liquidated in the 18th century), and then became hegumen of the Trinity monastery (now
Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra
The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius (russian: Тро́ице-Се́ргиева ла́вра) is the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. The monastery is situated in the town of Sergiyev Pos ...
) in 1493.
With the consent of
Great Prince
Grand prince or great prince (feminine: grand princess or great princess) ( la, magnus princeps; Greek: ''megas archon''; russian: великий князь, velikiy knyaz) is a title of nobility ranked in honour below emperor, equal of king or ...
Vasily III
Vasili, Vasily, Vasilii or Vasiliy (Russian: Василий) is a Russian masculine given name of Greek origin and corresponds to ''Basil''. It may refer to:
*Vasili I of Moscow Grand Prince from 1389–1425
* Vasili II of Moscow Grand Prince fr ...
of
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
, he was consecrated Archbishop of Novgorod on January 15, 1506, but only served a little over three years. In July 1509, at the
Sobor that considered the conflict between him and
Joseph Volotsky
Joseph Volotsky — also known as Joseph of Volotsk or Joseph of Volokolamsk (russian: Ио́сиф Во́лоцкий); secular name Ivan Sanin (russian: Ива́н Са́нин) (1439 or 1440 – September 9, 1515) — was a prominent Russian ...
(the latter was under Serapion's episcopal jurisdiction but had directly appealed to
Simon
Simon may refer to:
People
* Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon
* Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon
* Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...
,
Metropolitan of Moscow - an act that Serapion deemed to be uncanonical), and his letter of complaint, in which he said Joseph had abandoned heaven (meaning he had abandoned his rightful bishop) and descended to earth. The grand prince took this as a personal insult, that Serapion was claiming the local prince was divinely mandated and Grand Prince Vasilii III was mundane. Serapion was found guilty, removed from office, and confined to the
Andronikov monastery
Andronikov Monastery of the Saviour (russian: Андро́ников монасты́рь, Спа́со-Андро́ников монасты́рь, or ) is a former monastery on the left bank of the Yauza River in Moscow, consecrated to the Ho ...
. In 1511, he was freed and spent the rest of his life in the Trinity monastery. He died on March 16, 1516. Sources claim he made peace with Volotsky and others, but there is some evidence that he remained bitter at his removal to the end of his life. After his death, the See of Novgorod remained vacant for 17 years.
[Michael C. Paul, “Continuity and Change in the Novgorodian Archiepiscopal Office, 1478-1591," ''Orientalia Christiana Periodica'', Vol. 5, No. 2 (2009) pp. 273-317.]
External links
Святитель Серапион
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serapion
Russian saints
Archbishops and Metropolitans of Novgorod
1516 deaths
16th-century Christian saints
Year of birth unknown