Alexius (, ''Aleksii''; before 1296–1378) was Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus' from 1354. He presided over the Muscovite government during Dmitrii Donskoi's minority.

Biography

Alexius, whose name at birth was Eleutherius, was a son of Феодор ( Theodore) Biakont and Mary, his father was a

boyar A boyar or bolyar was a member of the highest rank of the feudal nobility in many Eastern European states, including Bulgaria, Kievan Rus' (and later Russia), Moldavia and Wallachia (and later Romania), Lithuania and among Baltic Germans. C ...

from

Chernigov Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukrain ...

who settled in Moscow and founded the Pleshcheev boyar family. He took monastic vows at the

Epiphany Monastery The Epiphany Monastery (, ''Bogoyavlensky monastyr''; better translated as "Theophany Monastery") is the oldest male monastery in Moscow, situated in the Kitai gorod, just one block away from the Moscow Kremlin. According to a legend, it was fo ...

of Moscow around 1313, at which time he was given the

religious name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholic Church, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should n ...

of Alexius. In 1333 or so, he joined the household of Metropolitan Theognostus. In 1340, Alexius was appointed the metropolitan's deputy in Vladimir and twelve years later was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

as Bishop of Vladimir. By the will of Symeon the Proud, Alexius was appointed adviser to his brothers –

Ivan Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was the B ...

and Andrew. After visiting

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, he was chosen to become the Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus' in 1354. When

Dmitry Donskoy Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy (; 12 October 1350 – 19 May 1389) was Prince of Moscow from 1359 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1363 until his death. He was the heir of Ivan II. He was the first prince of Moscow to openly challenge Mongol ...

and Vladimir the Bold were young, Alexius was their spiritual

tutor Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...

and served as

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

at the same time. He took the side of Dmitrii Donskoi in his struggle against

Tver Tver (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Tver is located northwest of Moscow. Population: The city is ...

and

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

, where he once sent Sergius of Radonezh to suspend service in churches and monasteries, until the political strife was over. In 1357, Alexius was summoned by Jani Beg, the Khan of the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

, to cure his mother Taydula Khatun of blindness. The metropolitan's success is held to have prevented a Tatar raid on Moscow. In 1360s, Alexius founded the Andronikov, Chudov, and Alekseyevsky monasteries. He promoted

Metropolitan Peter Metropolitan Peter may refer to: *Peter of Moscow (died 1326), metropolitan of Kiev *Petro Mohyla (1596–1647), metropolitan of Kiev and Ecumenical Patriarch *Petar II Petrović-Njegoš (1813–1851), metropolitan of Cetinje and ruler of Montenegr ...

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

by the

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

. Shortly before his death, Alexius fruitlessly tried to convince Sergius of Radonezh to become his

successor Successor may refer to: * An entity that comes after another (see Succession (disambiguation)) Film and TV * ''The Successor'' (1996 film), a film including Laura Girling * The Successor (2023 film), a French drama film * ''The Successor'' ( ...

. Alexius was an author of a number of

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...

s and

epistle An epistle (; ) is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The ...

s. He was

canonized 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 sa ...

by the

in 1448 and is revered as one of the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

s of Moscow.

Feast days

12 February, (the day of his repose), 20 May, (the day of the uncovering of his relics) and 5 October, (Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Moscow). His

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s are venerated in Ephiphany Cathedral in Elokhovo.Moscow International Portal

Popular culture

The 2012 film The Horde is a highly fictionalised narrative of how Alexius healed Taidula from blindness.

References

External links

St Alexis the Metropolitan of Moscow and Wonderworker of All Russia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexius, Metropolitan Of Moscow 1296 births 1378 deaths Metropolitans of Kiev and all Rus' (988–1441) Russian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Christian miracle workers 14th-century Christian saints 14th-century Russian clergy