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 ...
's
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
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 ...
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