Metropolitan Tikhon (russian: Митрополит Тихон,
secular name
A legal name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person's legal birth name generally is the name of the person that was given for the purpose of registration of the birth and which then ap ...
Georgiy Alexandrovich Shevkunov, russian: Георгий Александрович Шевкунов; born 2 July 1958 in
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 ...
) is 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 c ...
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 ...
and a popular writer.
He is the Metropolitan of Pskov and Porkhov
and was in 2015–2018 the head of the 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 ...
city. Superior of the
Sretensky Monastery in
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 ...
from 1995 to 2018. Bishop Tikhon is often referred to as the personal
confessor
Confessor is a title used within Christianity in several ways.
Confessor of the Faith
Its oldest use is to indicate a saint who has suffered persecution and torture for the faith but not to the point of death.[Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...]
n President
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
.
[
]
Biography
In 1982 Georgy Shevkunov graduated from the Screenwriter school of the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography. The same year he accepted Christianity, was baptized[ and moved to the Pskov-Caves Monastery first as a toiler then as a ]novice
A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience.
Religion Buddhism
...
. His confessor was 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") wh ...
John Krestiankin.
In 1986 he was transferred to the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, where he worked under Metropolitan . His first appointment was connected with commemoration of the millennium anniversary Baptizing of Rus.[
In the first Perestroika years he published a few polemic articles including "Ne uchastvuyte v delakh t'my" (Do not participate in the business of the darkness) originally published in the and republished more than one hundred times by different publishers. The work criticized then emerged practice of occult healing. His article "The Church and the State" was published by in November 1990. In the article Shevkunov argued that emerging Russian democracy would definitely act against Russian Orthodox Church.][
On 2 July 1991 in ]Donskoy Monastery
Donskoy Monastery (russian: Донско́й монасты́рь) is a major monastery in Moscow, founded in 1591 in commemoration of Moscow's deliverance from the threat of an invasion by the Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey. Commanding a highway to ...
Georgiy Shevkunov took monastic vows assuming the name Tikhon after Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow
Tikhon of Moscow (russian: Тихон Московский, – ), born Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin (russian: Василий Иванович Беллавин), was a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). On 5 November 1917 ( OS) he was ...
. At the same time he was ordained into a Hierodeacon A hierodeacon (Greek: Ἱεροδιάκονος, ''Ierodiákonos''; Slavonic: ''Ierodiakón''), sometimes translated "deacon-monk", in Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a monk who has been ordained a deacon (or deacon who has been tonsured monk). T ...
and in a month he was ordained into a Hieromonk
A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church an ...
.[
In 1993 Tikhon was appointed the head of the newly created Moscow ]Metochion
A ''metochion'' or ''metochi'' ( gr, μετόχιον, metóchion or gr, μετόχι, metóchi; russian: подворье, podvorie) is an ecclesiastical embassy church within Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is usually from one autocephalous or ...
of the Pskov-Caves Monastery. The building of the Metochion was previously occupied by the collective of Orthodox Christian thinker and missionary . Tikhon later criticized Kochetkov and his followers for their "modernism".[
In 1995 the Metochion was reformed into the restored Sretensky ]Stauropegic
A stauropegion, also spelled stavropegion (from el, σταυροπήγιον from σταυρός ''stauros'' "cross" and πήγνυμι ''pegnumi'' "to affirm"), is a monastery or a parish which depends directly on the primate or on the Holy Syn ...
Monastery and on 8 September 1995 Patriarch Alexy II ordained Tikhon into a Hegumen
Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen ( el, ἡγούμενος, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called a hegumenia ...
.[
On 8 September 1998 Tikhon was elevated to ]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") wh ...
status.
In 1999 he was appointed the Rector of the , He graduated (by correspondence) the same seminary in 2004.
On 5 March 2010 he was appointed the Responsible Secretary of the and on 31 March 2010 a member of the Council for Culture at President of Russia
The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...
.
Since 22 March 2011 he has been a member of the .
22 October 2015 the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church appointed Tikhon to be a Vicar
A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...
of Moscow 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 the ...
. The next day was announced the Bishop of Yegoryevsk and on 24 October 2015 Patriarch Kirill of Moscow Chirotonized him as the Bishop. On 29 October 2015 he was appointed the head of the Western Vicariat of Moscow city.
Church building
Tikhon organized construction of a huge Cathedral to New Martyrs and Confessors of Russian Church in the historical centre of Moscow, Lubyanka. The construction is considered controversial as the newly-built cathedral (55 meters high) would be much higher than Dormition Cathedral in Moscow Kremlin (45 meters high). Building of churches higher than Dormition Cathedral was traditionally forbidden in Moscow.[
]
Books
Tikhon is the author of the following books:
*"Father Serafim" (2002) - a children's book telling the story of Seraphim of Sarov
Seraphim of Sarov (russian: Серафим Саровский; – ), born Prókhor Isídorovich Moshnín (Mashnín) ро́хор Иси́дорович Мошни́н (Машни́н) is one of the most renowned Russian saints and is venerate ...
.
*"Death of an Empire. Byzantium Lesson" published by Eksmo
Eksmo (russian: Эксмо) is one of the largest publishing houses in Russia. Eksmo and AST (which it later acquired in 2012) together publish approximately 30% of all Russian books.
Established in 1991 as a small book-selling company, Eksmo gr ...
in 2008.
*" Everyday Saints and Other Stories" (russian: Несвятые Святые и Другие Рассказы; literally "Unsaintly Saints and Other Stories") first published in 2011, translated to English in 2012. The book was published in more than 2 million copies claiming to be the most popular modern book of the Russian Orthodox Church.[ In 2012 the book was the best selling book in Russia, competing only with '']Fifty Shades of Grey
''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...
''.
*"With God's Help Everything Possible. About Faith and Fatherland" (2014).
Movies
* 1989 — Сказы матушки Фроси о монастыре Дивеевском (documentary) (Mother Frosya's Tales about Diveyevo Monastery)
* 2007 — Псково-Печерская обитель (Pskov-Caves Monastery) (documentary).
* 2008 — (documentary). The movie won the Golden Eagle Award for Best Documentary of 2008. While the film's subject is Byzantium, many critics believed that the lesson about frequent turnover of leaders causing the death of empires was directed to modern Russia rather than ancient Byzantium.[
* 2009 — «Чижик-пыжик, где ты был? Фильм о взрослых проблемах наших детей».
* 2010 — «Береги себя». Короткие фильмы антиалкогольной рекламы.
* 2010 — «Давайте выпьем!».
* 2013 — «Женский день».
]
Exhibitions
Tikhon organized a number of historical exhibitions in Moscow Manege
The Moscow Manege ( rus, Мане́ж, p=mɐˈnʲeʂ, a=Ru-манеж.ogg) is an oblong building along the west side of Manege Square, which was cleared in the 1930s and lies adjacent to Red Square. It is the site of Moscow Design Museum sinc ...
. The last one "My History. 20th Century" was devoted to the 1930-1940s in Russia and often talked about supposed positive contributions by Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
. The critics considered the exhibition as an "apology of the Orthodox Christian Stalinism".[
]
Internet
Tikhon is a prolific internet writer. He is the editor-in-chief of the internet-porta
Pravoslavie.ru
and the author of many publications there.
Ideology
Tikhon is considered to be an ultra-conservative, but it is claimed that he never published anything 'xenophobic
Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
.'[ However, while leading a commission investigating the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, Tikhon stated in 2017 that "many members of the commission believe it was a ]ritual murder
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease deity, gods, a human ruler, an authoritative/priestly figure or spirits of veneration of the dead, dead ancestors or as ...
that held special significance for Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
commander Yakov Yurovsky
Yakov Mikhailovich Yurovsky (; Unless otherwise noted, all dates used in this article are of the Gregorian Calendar, as opposed to the Julian Calendar which was used in Russia prior to . – 2 August 1938) was a Russian Old Bolshevik, re ...
," the commander of the execution squad who was of Jewish birth. This description fits the longstanding formula of blood libel
Blood libel or ritual murder libel (also blood accusation) is an antisemitic canardTurvey, Brent E. ''Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis'', Academic Press, 2008, p. 3. "Blood libel: An accusation of ritual mur ...
s used as pretexts for pogrom
A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russia ...
s and other atrocities against Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
s in Europe. Tikhon contested that his accusations were antisemitic or that they referred to Jews at all.
Tikhon supports the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and he is a member of Crimean Expert-Consultative Council.
He is said to be against ecumenism between the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and 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 ...
, repeating the saying “Catholics are not even a church and as a result not even Christian.”
Relations with Vladimir Putin
Tikhon is rumoured to be the personal confessor (духовник) and spiritual adviser of Russian president Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
although both men neither confirm nor denied it. Once asked about his relations with Putin, Tikhon answered: "You can believe those rumours if you want, but they certainly aren’t spread by me," adding "I am no Cardinal Richelieu!"[ Still the men are very close, with Putin often taking Tikhon on his international trips.][ Their acquaintance goes back to late '90s. According to controversial Russian banker Sergei Pugachev, it was he who introduced Shevkunov to Putin.]
Awards
Tikhon is awarded Order of Friendship
The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds ...
(2008) and a number of other church and state awards.[
]
References
External link
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tikhon
1958 births
Living people
Clergy from Moscow
Russian bishops
Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Christians from Russia
Conservatism in Russia
Russian writers
Vladimir Putin
Russian people of Greek descent