Saint
Philip II of Moscow
(11 February 1507 ? 23 December 1569) was the
Metropolitan of Moscow and all Rus'
from 1566 to 1568. He was the thirteenth Metropolitan of Moscow to be appointed without the approval of the
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
as had been the norm.
He was one of a few
metropolitans
who dared openly to contradict
Ivan the Terrible
. It is widely believed that the tsar had him murdered on that account. He is venerated as a
saint
and
martyr
in the
Eastern Orthodox Church
.
Life
[
edit
]
He was born
Feodor Stefanovich Kolychov
into one of the noblest
boyar
families of
Muscovy
, in the city of
Galich
(in present-day
Kostroma Oblast
). However, according to some sources, he was born in
Moscow
.
[1]
Grand Prince
Vasili III
took young Theodore into the
royal court
. It is said that since childhood Theodore was on friendly terms with
Ivan IV of Russia
("Ivan the Terrible").
According to other accounts, he was involved in the conspiracy of Prince
Andrey of Staritsa
against
Elena Glinskaya
and, when their plans were discovered, he escaped to
Solovetsky Monastery
on the
White Sea
. Yet another account says that his decision to become a monk occurred on Sunday 5 June 1537, while he was standing in church for the
Divine Liturgy
, on hearing the words of Jesus: "No man can serve two masters" (
Matthew 6:24
). According to this account, he secretly left Moscow dressed as a
muzhik
(peasant), and for a while he hid himself away from the world in the village of Khizna, near
Lake Onega
, earning his livelihood as a shepherd, later joining the monastery at Solovetsk. At any rate, he entered the monastery at Solovki at the age of 30, and a year and a half later he was
tonsured
(took
monastic vows
), receiving the
religious name
of Philip. In the monastery he worked at the iron
forge
and as a
baker
.
[
citation needed
]
Eleven years later, Philip was made
hegumen
(abbot) of the monastery. During his term in office, they constructed two
cathedrals
, a brick-yard, many water-mills and storehouses, and a network of canals connecting 72 lakes. It is said that Philip took part in all these toils together with other monks. As a result, the monastery experienced a spiritual revival. He also adopted a new
monastic Rule
(
Typicon
) for the community. Most of Philip's projects in Solovki survive to this day.
[
citation needed
]
The tsar heard about the indefatigable monk and asked him to fill the vacant
metropolitan see
of
Moscow
. Philip agreed on condition that Ivan would abolish
Oprichnina
. On 25 July 1566 Philip was
consecrated
a
bishop
and enthroned as Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia.
[2]
After only two years, however,
Ivan the Terrible
persisted with committing murders under the aegis of Oprichnina. During
Great Lent
, on the
Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross
, 2 March 1568, when the Tsar came to the cathedral for
Divine Liturgy
, Philip refused to
bless
him and publicly rebuked him for the ongoing massacre. The
Massacre of Novgorod
ensued, and Philip's condemnation followed.
[
citation needed
]
Ivan eventually
deposed
Philip from office by raising incredible charges of
sorcery
and dissolute living. Philip was arrested during Liturgy at the
Cathedral of Dormition
and imprisoned in a dingy cell of the Theophany (Bogoiavlenskii) Monastery, fettered with chains, with a heavy collar around his neck, and was deprived of food for a few days in succession. Then he was transferred and immured at the Monastery of the Fathers (Otroch Monastery) at
Tver
. In November 1568, the tsar summoned the
Holy Synod
, which had Philip deposed. A year later, on 23 December 1569, he was strangled by the Tsar's minion,
Malyuta Skuratov
at Otroch, two days before
Christmas
. As if aware of his approaching death, Philip had asked to receive
Holy Communion
three days earlier.
[2]
Commemoration as a saint
[
edit
]
After his
martyrdom
, monks from Solovki Monastery asked for permission to transfer the body of St. Philip to their monastery. When they opened up the tomb they found the body of the hierarch was
incorrupt
, and various healings began to be reported. The transfer of his remains from Tver to the Solovki Monastery took place in 1590.
[
citation needed
]
In 1652,
Patriarch Nikon
persuaded
Tsar Alexis
to bring Philip's
relics
to
Moscow
, where he was
glorified
(proclaimed a
saint
) later that same year. His memory is celebrated three times a year
[
citation needed
]
:
Appearances in modern media
[
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]
References
[
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]
Sources
[
edit
]
- Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John.
The Penguin Dictionary of Saints
. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.
ISBN
0-14-051312-4
External links
[
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]
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