Metropolitan Philip - Brief Biography. Saint Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus', miracle worker (†1569) Saint Metropolitan Philip short biography
"... the royal choice, of course, not without the will of God, fell on the desert ascetic, rector of the Solovetskaya monastery, known to John in his childhood and once beloved by him. This was hegumen Philip, from the boyar family of the Kolychevs. He belonged to a noble family according to the merits of his ancestors and sincerely pious. Boyarin Stepan Ivanovich was loved by the Grand Duke Vasily as a valiant and honored governor; his wife, Varvara, was pious and compassionate towards the poor. Their son Theodore (the worldly name of Philip) received the best education in the spirit of that time: he learned to read and write from church books, acquired and retained until the end of his life a love for soul-beneficial reading. At that time, many of the noble boyars were not literate. So, we see in one letter of 1566: "... but Sheremetyev and Chebotov did not attach their hands to this letter, that they do not know how to read and write").
Saint Philip (Kolychev), Metropolitan Abbot of Solovetsky of Moscow
Saint Philip (Kolychev), Metropolitan of MoscowThe church suffered from the gloomy suspicion and ferocity of the formidable king
Grand Duke Vasily took Feodor Kolychev to court, and young John fell in love with him. But in the infancy of John, life at court was doubly dangerous: dangerous for life from sedition of the boyars, dangerous for the heart from depravity. The bitter fate that befell the relatives of Theodore ( The Kolychevs suffered for their devotion to Prince Andrei (uncle of Tsar John) during the harsh reign Grand Duchess Helena. One of them was hanged, the other was tortured and kept in chains for a long time.), could not but affect his heart: the young man vividly felt the sinfulness and emptiness of secular life. One Sunday (June 5, 1537) he happened to hear the Savior's word during the liturgy: "No one can work for two masters." The divine words struck him so much that he decided to leave the world forever. This was at the age of 30. 
Theodore secretly in the clothes of a commoner withdrew from Moscow and near Lake Onega in the village of Hizhakh spent some time in the occupations of a peasant in order to go unnoticed in case of a search; then he appeared in the Solovetsky monastery, unknown to anyone, and took on harsh work: the son of famous and glorious parents chopped wood, dug the earth in the garden, worked at a mill and at fishing. Tried for a year and a half, Feodor Kolychev was tonsured, at his request, into monasticism with the name of Philip and placed under the supervision of an experienced elder, Iona Shamin, interlocutor Saint Alexander Svirsky. Hegumen Alexy sent a new monk to the monastery forge, and Philip beat the iron with a heavy hammer; then they made him work in the bakery. Everywhere Philip proved to be the best novice; despite the hard work, he never left church prayer He was the first to enter the temple and the last to leave it. After the Nine Years of Feats, the humble novice, by the unanimous desire of all the brethren, was ordained to the rank of hegumen (in 1548) and worked hard for the monastery of the Monk Zosima and Savvatius ( The works of St. Philip in the rank of abbot of Solovetsky are described in detail in the work of His Grace Bishop Leonid "The Life of St. Philip the Metropolitan". Soulful Reading, 1861, part II, p. 58).
Such was the new chosen one, summoned to Moscow to the throne of the metropolis. The first glance at the king should have made a grave impression on the pious abbot: the restless, irritable look, the sinister fire of the once clear eyes, the sudden, early loss of hair should have told the experienced old man the whole unfortunate story of the king’s soul, devoured by passions. The tsar hoped that he would find in Philip an adviser who had nothing to do with the rebellious, according to John, boyars, as removed from him first by the way of thinking and the rules of education, then by monasticism on the island of the White Sea. The very holiness of Philip was supposed to serve as a reproach to the boyars - in the eyes of the king, unworthy and wicked. It seemed to John that if he handed over to such a person the primatial staff, he would please God with zeal for the good of the Church and would provide himself with a reliable intercessor and spiritual comforter. Moreover, he could hope that the humble hermit would not interfere in the affairs of government, but, shining with virtue, would illuminate the king with it in the eyes of the people. He received the Solovetsky abbot with honor, spoke and dined with him in a friendly manner; finally announced that he wanted to see him at the Metropolitan's chair. Philip for a long time did not agree to accept a high dignity. “I can’t,” he said with tears, “take on a task that exceeds my strength: let me go for the Lord’s sake; why should a small boat entrust a great burden?” The king insisted on his own. Philip finally announced that he would fulfill the will of the tsar, but so that the oprichnina, from which the Russian state suffers, was destroyed. John answered that the oprichnina was needed for the king and for the kingdom, that everyone was plotting against him. The saints persuaded Philip to agree to the will of the angry tsar: "Do not intervene in the affairs of the court and the oprichnina, after the appointment, do not leave the metropolis because the tsar did not destroy the oprichnina, but consult with the tsar, as the former metropolitans advised." Thus, Saint Philip left for his conscience the freedom and duty to mourn for the innocently persecuted and to speak about the truth of the Gospel ( The right of "sorrowing", or intercession, for the condemned and persecuted belonged to the Russian hierarchs from time immemorial. In the letters of John himself and his father we read: "for the sake of his father, the Metropolitan, the sovereign forgives."). For the first time, things went smoothly. The depraved oprichnina fell silent, fearing the desert saint. The king showered him with caresses and respectful attention. Moscow rejoiced to see the silence with the appearance of a new metropolitan.
In the last half of 1567, the cases of the oprichnina rose again: denunciations, slander, murders, robberies; especially upon returning from an unsuccessful campaign of the Lithuanian king, he was very irritated, and the villains took advantage of this. They laughed at the groans of the innocent and indulged in vile deeds. Already many of the noblest boyars laid down their heads, some in Moscow, some in the cities; some in torture, others under the blow of an ax on the chopping block, some fell from John's own hand. Already not only the seemingly dangerous nobles, but also peaceful obscure citizens, fearing the arrogance of the Khemeshniks, were in despair, locked themselves in their houses, and Moscow seemed to freeze in horror; empty squares and streets of the capital. In the midst of a terrible silence, the unfortunate only waited to see if the only saving voice would be heard for them - the voice of Philip ... Meanwhile, the metropolitan urged Vladyka Pimen of Novgorod and other bishops to stand for the truth in the face of an angry sovereign. But St. Herman of Kazan, "an invincible zealot for Bose," was no longer among the living, while the others trembled with cowardice. Then the zealous primate was not afraid to embark on a feat alone, without helpers: he went to admonish John to the Alexander settlement - this lair of depravity and villainy. "The sovereign king!" - he said in private to John. - Clothed with the highest rank, you should most honor God, from whom you received the power and the crown; you are the image of God, but at the same time dust. The ruler is the one who controls himself, does not serve low lusts and does not care about his own state in self-forgetfulness. John boiled with anger and said: "What do you, black man, care about our royal affairs?" The saint answered: "By the grace of the Holy Spirit, by the election of the Holy Council and by your will, I am the pastor of Christ's church. You and I must take care of the piety and peace of the Orthodox Christian kingdom." "Shut up," John said. “Silence is inappropriate now,” continued the saint, “it would multiply sins and destruction. If we fulfill human wills, what answer will we give on the day of the Coming of Christ? he will lay down his own for his friend. If you abide in My love, you will truly be My disciples. " A firm reader of the book, John answered with the words of David: "My sincere ones draw near to me directly and stasha, and my neighbors are far away from me, and I am in need who seeks my life, who seeks evil to me. "- " Sovereign! - said the saint. - must be distinguished good people from the bad: some protect the common good, while others tell you lies according to their appearance: it is a sin not to curb people who are harmful, harmful to you and the kingdom; let love be established in the place of division and enmity." - "Philip! John said. “Do not contradict our power, so that my wrath does not overtake you, or leave the metropolis.” “I did not send,” answered the saint, “neither requests nor intercessors, and did not fill anyone’s hands with money to receive the rank of saint. You have deprived me of my wilderness. Do whatever you want."
Since that time, the guardsmen began to persistently arm the tsar against the metropolitan. The tsar returned to Moscow, and the executions resumed. Noble and simple people came to the saint and begged him with tears for protection. The saint consoled the unfortunate with the words of the Gospel: “Children!” he said. “The Lord is merciful! He does not send more temptations than we can bear; our correction; and happiness is promised to us not on earth, but in heaven. On Holy Cross Sunday (March 2, 1568), the tsar came to the cathedral church. He and the guardsmen were in black robes, with high hats on their heads and with naked weapons. John approached the metropolitan, who was standing in his place, and waited for a blessing. The saint silently looked at the image of the Savior. The guardsmen said: "Vladyka! The Sovereign is before you, bless him." Philip, looking at John, said: “Sire! Whom did you get jealous of by taking on such a look and distorting the splendor of your dignity! You can’t see the king in clothes or in deeds. Tatars and pagans have law and truth, but in Rus' there is no truth; mercy is respected in the whole world, and in Rus' there is no compassion even for the innocent and right. Be afraid, sovereign, of the judgment of God. How many innocent people suffer! Here we bring a bloodless sacrifice to God, and innocent Christian blood is shed behind the altar! Robbery and murder are committed in the name of the king." John was inflamed with anger and said: "Philip! Do you really think to change our will? Wouldn't it be better for you to be of the same thoughts with us!" “What is our faith for?” answered the saint. “I do not pity those who suffered innocently: they are martyrs of God; but I mourn for your soul.” John went into a frenzy and threatened executions: "Do you resist us? We will see your firmness!" “I am a stranger on earth, like all my fathers,” answered the saint quietly, “I am ready to suffer for the truth.” Beside himself with rage, John left the temple. Before the council of bishops, a reader appeared with vile slander against the saint. Vladyka Pimen of Novgorod, humiliating himself before the tsar, said aloud: "The metropolitan denounces the tsar, but he himself does vile things." Then the confessor of truth said to Pimen: "Dear man! By pleasing people you try to get someone else's throne, but you will lose your own." The reader then admitted with tears that he was forced to speak slander by threats. The saint, having forgiven the reader, gave himself over to the will of God. “I see,” he said to spiritual dignitaries, “that they want my death, and for what? Because I did not flatter anyone, did not give gifts to anyone, did not treat anyone to feasts. But no matter what happens, I will not stop telling the truth - I don’t want to uselessly wear the dignity of a saint.
The same boldness of denunciation was shown by the saint during the procession (July 28), where John appeared with the guardsmen in their full attire. At the time when the tsar came, the saint wanted to read the Gospel and, teaching the world to everyone, he saw the guardsman in a tafya. "The sovereign tsar!" said the saint. "Good Christians listen to the Word of God with their heads uncovered; why did these people take it into their heads to follow the Mohammedan law - to stand in tafyas?" - "Who is that?" the king asked. But the guilty one hid the taffia, and his comrades said that the metropolitan was lying and rebelling against the king. John lost his temper, rudely scolded the saint, called him a liar, a rebel, a villain, swore that he would convict him of crimes.
They began to look for false witnesses against the saint in the Solovetsky Monastery, but there everyone called Philip righteous and holy; Finally, hegumen Paisios, who had been promised the rank of bishop, the monk Zosimas and some others with him, dissatisfied with the severity of Philip during his abbess, agreed to be slanderers against the saint. Made a report. In Moscow, Paisius, in the presence of the king and the clergy, accused Philip with all the impudence. The saint meekly said to Paisios: "What you sow, you will reap." And, turning to the king, he said: “Sire! Don’t you think that I am afraid of death? Having reached old age, I am ready to betray my spirit to the Most High, my and your Lord. It is better to die an innocent martyr than to silently endure horrors and lawlessness in the rank of metropolitan. I leave the baton and mantle of the metropolitan. And all of you, saints and servants of the altar, faithfully shepherd the flock of Christ; prepare to give an account and fear the Heavenly King more than the earthly one. The saint took off white cowl and mantle. But the tsar stopped him, saying that he must await judgment on himself, forced him to take back the hierarch's utensils and still serve the liturgy on November 8. At the beginning of the liturgy, one of the vile favorites of the tsar, the Basmans, burst into the cathedral church, and read the condemnation of Philip aloud in front of the people. The guardsmen rushed to the altar, tore off the vestments from the saint, dressed him in rags, pushed him out of the church, put him on a log and took him to Epiphany Monastery, showering him with abuse and beatings. Crowds of people saw off the saint with tears, and he calmly blessed the people. Before the gates of the monastery, he said to the people: "Children! I did everything I could, if not out of love for you, and one day I would not have remained on the pulpit ... Trust in God, be patient." For several days the fearless confessor of truth suffered - in a stinking cell, bound in chains, with a heavy block around his neck, deprived of bread. Here John sent him the head of his beloved nephew and ordered him to say: "Here is your beloved relative, your charms did not help him." The saint stood up, blessed and kissed his head, and ordered that the bloody gift be returned to the king. Finally, John exiled Philip to imprisonment in the Tver Otroch Monastery.
About a year passed as Saint Philip languished in captivity. In December 1569, the tsar moved with his retinue to punish Novgorod and Pskov for imaginary treason. Then, by the will of John Malyuta Skuratov ( The favorite of John and the head of the guardsmen, an inveterate villain, "a man with a stone heart," in the words of the first biographer of St. Philip.) appeared in Philip's cell and, with an air of humility, said: "Vladyka, holy! Give blessing to the king on the way to Novgorod." The saint knew why Malyuta had appeared. Three days before that, he said to those who were with him: "Behold, the end of my feat has approached," and he took communion of the Holy Mysteries. He answered the villain: "Do whatever you want, but the gift of God is not received by deceit." Having said this, he began to pray and asked the Lord to receive his spirit in peace. Malyuta strangled the saint with a pillow and told the rector that former metropolitan died of fumes. It was December 23, 1569. So graduated earthly life my great saint who laid down his life for his flock! The Russian Church has shone with many charitable, great hierarchs, but among them there is only one martyr for truth and philanthropy: his glory is imperishable, as his very remains are imperishable.
Count M.V. Tolstoy
("Stories from the History of the Russian Church". Book. 4. "Priest Martyr Philip Metropolitan". Publishing House of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery. 1991).
Solovetsky monks betrayed the saint
In 1537, hegumen Alexei Yurenev, the son of the wealthy boyar Stepan Kolychev, Fyodor, was tonsured and named monastic Philip (the future martyr, the holy Metropolitan of Moscow). He was brought up at the royal court and as a child played with Ivan the Terrible. He was elected abbot in 1548. The entire Solovetsky monastery was rebuilt by him after the fires and achieved special prosperity and prosperity under him. He made huge treasures from his wealth, decorated the monastery with new stone cathedrals of the Preobrazhensky and Uspensky with a fraternal meal. Instead of the ancient stone bells and bells, real bells were cast. The Holy Lake is expanded and connected by canals to other lakes; good roads were laid throughout the island, and a large cattle yard was set up on Muksolmsky Island. A stone water mill, a brick factory were built, agricultural machines were brought in, and wages for workers were determined. The Solovetsky Compound was established in Novgorod. John the Terrible loved St. Philip and showered the monastery with favors, gave the coastal region with the church of Clement, Pope of Rome, the parish of Soroku with the church of St. Trinity, Sumu parish, salt pans and granted a letter for the duty-free sale of 10 thousand pounds of salt.
For the silent prayer of St. Philip often retired to the Jesus Hermitage, 2.5 miles from the monastery. There is now a chapel named after him. After 18 years of ascetic life and labors as abbess, St. Philip was called by Tsar Ivan the Terrible to the throne of Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia. In the same year, already without the saint, the church, which had been under construction for 8 years, was completed. Transfiguration Cathedral with the chapel of the Monk Savvaty and Zosima. Their imperishable relics, after the consecration of the cathedral on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord, were transferred to their chapel on August 8, 1566, Hieromonk Spyridon was sent to the king with particles of relics and holy water.
Everyone knows the fierce end of the reign of Ivan the Terrible with the oprichnina and executions and the martyrdom of St. Philip; the saint publicly, without fear, denounced the tsar for his atrocities and was imprisoned in the Tver Monastery, where he was strangled by Malyuta Skuratov on December 23, 1570 (commemorated St. Philip on January 9); but not everyone knows the unfortunate fact of betrayal by the brethren of the Solovetsky monastery of their great abbot. To expose St. Philip in non-existent sedition and defrocked, by order of the tsar, a special commission of inquiry went to the Solovetsky Monastery. Hegumen Paisios with the cathedral elders (cellarer, housekeeper, treasurer, sacristan) slandered St. Philip, but afterwards they themselves suffered for this. The king was terribly tormented by his conscience for the innocently shed blood of St. martyr and he attacked the slanderers. Hegumen Paisios was exiled to Valaam, others were also sent to various monasteries, and the Solovetsky Monastery was in disgrace for a long time. Before his death, Ivan the Terrible humbled himself, repented, and again asked the Solovki monks to pray for their sins and commemorate all those he had killed. In 1591 Abbot Jacob, a disciple of St. Philip, transferred his relics from the Tver Monastery to the Solovetsky. The imperishable body of the sufferer was buried under the porch of the church of the Monk Zosima and Savvaty. Many miracles were performed on the relics. On May 31, 1646, with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow Joseph, the relics were opened and transferred to the Transfiguration Cathedral, where they were placed in a new reliquary, to the right of the iconostasis. But in 1652 the relics of the saint were transferred to Moscow. Only particles of relics were left in the Solovetsky Monastery. The second time the monastery lost its holy abbot.
The relics of St. Philip were met in Moscow by the tsar, all the clergy and people. Placed in a chased gold shrine in the Assumption Cathedral. In the same year, hegumen Ilya of Solovetsky, by decree of Alexei Mikhailovich, on the occasion of the birth of Princess Evdokia, was consecrated archimandrite by Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod, with the establishment of an archimandrite in the Solovetsky Monastery from now on.
Hieromartyr Philip (Kolychev), one of the most revered saints in Rus'
Below is a selection of statements about St. Philip, published today by various printed publications: newspapers, magazines...
Yu.V. Gridnev, A.F. Milyukov. The newspaper "Bereg" (Voronezh, 06.02.2004).
On the one hand, on the initiative of John IV, the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow was carried out, printing was organized, and a number of literary monuments of the middle of the 16th century were compiled. (chronicles, etc.), on the other hand, according to some sources, for criticizing the oprichnina, Malyuta Skuratov strangled St. Philip (in the world Fedor Stepanovich Kolychev), Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus', although at that time there was a rumor that he "died hit and buried." In 1652, by decision of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (the Quietest) and Patriarch Joasaph of Moscow and All Rus', the healing relics of St. Philip were transferred from the Solovetsky Monastery to the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow, where they rest to this day.
Orthodox calendar. Evening Ryazan (Ryazan, 01/16/2003)
January 22 - St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, miracle worker (1569). The time when hegumen Solovetsky Philip was consecrated to the metropolitans was the time of the reign of one of the greatest and most controversial rulers of Russia - Ivan the Terrible. The oprichnina weighed heavily on Russia with a gloomy result. Who could resist this? The duty of conscience prompted Saint Philip to intercede for the disgraced and condemned boyars, to counteract the false slander of the guardsmen. He denounced the king himself, which brought upon himself his wrath and reproach. Exiled to the Tver Monastery, subjected to stocks, chains, there he received martyrdom by Malyuta Skuratov.
Orthodox calendar. Express newspaper (Moscow, 01/19/2004) and Pravda Ukrainy (Kyiv, 01/22/2004)
January 22 - the memory of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus', miracle worker. The saint, in the world Fedor, belonged to the boyar family of the Kolychevs. At the age of 30, he went to the Solovetsky Monastery, where he took the tonsure with the name Philip. Soon he became the abbot of the monastery. In 1566 he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan of Moscow. Two years later, the saint was strangled by Malyuta Skuratov.
Orthodox calendar. Northern Territory (Yaroslavl, 01/17/2004)
January 22. Saint Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, miracle worker, is remembered by the Church on this day. He is considered a martyr for truth and humanity. Ivan the Terrible chose him, the Solovetsky abbot, a meek prayer book and hermit, as a metropolitan. But seeing the cruelty and execution of innocent people, Saint Philip came out with a denunciation of the great sovereign. Oprichniki brutally dealt with the metropolitan. Bursting into the altar, they tore off his church vestments, dressed him in rags, and took him on wood to the Epiphany Monastery. Saint Philip accepted a martyr's death - he was strangled by Malyuta Skuratov.
Lyudmila Ashitok. Wave (Arkhangelsk) 01/16/2004
January 22. Memory of St. Philip, Mr. Moscow and all Russia, miracle worker. The name of this saint is known to every person who knows the history of Russia, and the Church commemorates him three times a year. A boyar son from the Kolychev family, playing with the future tsar, a monk and an active hegumen of the Solovetsky Monastery, and finally, the Moscow Metropolitan, appointed almost against his will by a childhood friend - Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Philip did not know how to serve two masters at once - God and the ruler, constantly stood up for the innocently persecuted, spoke to the king about the truth of the Gospel, blamed him for violating the rights of the Church, demanded the abolition of the oprichnina. His "standing for the truth" ended in brutal reprisal, deposition and exile to a monastery in Tver, where, according to legend, he was strangled by Malyuta Skuratov.
Gala Club. (Tambov) 21.01.2004
On Thursday, January 22, the church remembers St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow. Growing up in a pious family, the future Metropolitan fell in love with reading from childhood. Holy Scripture. At the age of 30, he went to the Solovetsky Monastery, where he took the tonsure with the name Philip. Soon he became the abbot of the monastery. He put a lot of work into the improvement of his monastery. His labors were noticed, and he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan of Moscow. These were the difficult years of the oprichnina. On secret slander, the saint was exiled from Moscow and soon accepted a martyr's death.
The names of the saints of the Solovetsky Monastery, the description of whose life and deeds is practically not preserved
Auxentius monk, Solovetsky, Kashkaren | | Adrian hermit, Solovetsky | Aksy monk, Solovetsky, Kashkaren | Alexy Kaluga, Solovetsky hermit | Andrey, Solovetsky hermit | Anthony Solovetsky | Vasily the cell-mate, Solovetsky | Gerasim the Hermit, Solovetsky | Gury, a wonderful monk, Solovetsky | Dositheus the recluse, Solovetsky | | Ephraim the Black, Solovetsky hermit | Jacob Solovetsky, Kostroma | Iannuary of Solovetsky | John the priest-bearer, Solovetsky | Joseph I, Solovetsky hermit | Joseph II young, Solovetsky hermit | Kirik (Kyriak), hospital elder, Solovetsky hermit | Macarius fisherman, Solovetsky | Hieromonk Misail, Solovetsky hermit | Nestor, Solovetsky hermit | Nicephorus-Novgorodets, Solovetsky hermit | Onuphrius, Solovetsky hermit | Savva, Solovetsky hermit | Sebastian, Solovetsky hermit | Stefan laborer, Solovetsky | Tarasius monk, Solovetsky, Kashkaren | Timofey Aleksinets (in the schema Theodore), Solovetsky hermit | Tikhon Muscovite, hermit Solovetsky | Tryphon, Solovetsky hermit | Theodulus from Ryazan, Solovetsky hermit | Philip the Hermit, Solovetsky
Fyodor Stepanovich Kolychev belonged to the noble family of the Kolychev boyars. At the age of 26, he began to serve at the court of Grand Duke Vasily III. But court life weighed heavily on him. In the summer of 1537, he secretly left Moscow, went to the Solovetsky Monastery and took the vows as a monk. Ten years later, he becomes the abbot of the monastery.
In 1566, Philip became Metropolitan of Moscow. He fearlessly denounced Tsar Ivan the Terrible for cruelty to his subjects, and for this two years later he was deprived of his metropolitan rank, put in chains and exiled to the Otroch Monastery in Tver. And a year later, the saint was strangled in his cell by Malyuta Skuratov, the king's senior guardsman.
When Philip received the rector's staff in Solovki, the monastery burned down shortly before. Philip set to work energetically. The monastery was not only restored, but also began to flourish.
In order for the monastery to have its own funds, Philip organized the development of iron ore and table salt on the island. He connected 52 small lakes into one large Holy Lake; paved roads; dug canals, placing water mills on them; he surrounded the monastery with granite walls... He also built a brick factory, a pier, a hospital, a hotel for pilgrims, erected stone temples of amazing beauty. He started a barnyard with cows and chickens. He bred deer, established the dressing of skins, and in the sewing workshops the monks sewed clothes and shoes for themselves.
Possessing the talent of an inventor, Philip arranged many ingenious technical devices: for example, he invented a self-propelled cart that moved without a horse. The elderly, wanderers, and beggars were kept at the monastery's expense. The library of the monastery grew rapidly. Philip himself bound old books. And with all this, the abbot remained a strict ascetic monk. So everything converged in one person of the rector - energy, will, concern for the brethren, the talent of an inventor, monastic asceticism.
In 1565, Tsar Ivan the Terrible tears Hegumen Philip away from his beloved offspring: he offers to become the Metropolitan of Moscow. The wise Philip understood: he could not escape trouble in such a place. However, the king and the clergy insisted, and Philip gave in, stipulating for himself the ancient right to “mourn” - to intercede before the king for the condemned. But the king did not keep his promise for long...
Executions followed one after another. Saint Philip wrote epistles to the tsar, admonishing him. The tsar, on the other hand, disparagingly called the metropolitan's messages "fellow letters", which have since become proverbial.
Saint Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow in his life, 16th century, Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve.
During the Great Lent of 1568, the Metropolitan publicly denounced the deeds of Ivan the Terrible. Then, threatening the king Doomsday, the saint, in protest against all the atrocities of the oprichnina, moved to the Moscow Nikolsky Monastery. In November of the same year, a shameful trial took place over the metropolitan, who accused him of "stingy deeds." At the trial, the saint said:
- Sovereign! Do you think I'm afraid of you or afraid of death? Not! It is better to die an innocent martyr than to endure the horrors of iniquity in silence!.. The saint was sentenced to life imprisonment in a monastic dungeon and put in chains. But a miracle happened - the chains fell off him by themselves.
One day a hungry bear was let into his dungeon. In the morning the king himself came to see what had become of Philip. But I didn’t see anything “interesting”: the saint was standing at prayer, and the bear… was dozing in the corner.
Icon of Saint Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow in his life
Location of marks:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 6 | 5 | ||
| 8 | 7 | ||
| 9 | 10 | ||
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
1. Birth of Theodore (worldly name of Philip)
2. Baptism of Theodore.
3. Learning to read and write.
4. Theodore leaves the parental home.
5. Arrival at the Solovetsky monastery.
6. monastic tonsure.
7. Ordination to the deacons.
8. Appointment as a presbyter.
9. Appointment to the metropolitans.
10. Saint Philip denounces Tsar Ivan the Terrible.
11. Imprisonment in a dungeon.
12. Saint Philip in front of Protasius, hegumen of the Tver Young Monastic.
13. The murder of St. Philip.
14. Burial of St. Philip.
The icon "St. Philip Metropolitan of Moscow in Life" was previously in the Church of St. Nicholas "Big Cross" in Moscow.
And also in the Cathedrals of the Archangel saints, Moscow and Tver saints
In the world, Theodore came from the noble boyar family of the Kolychevs, who occupied a prominent place in the Boyar Duma at the court of the Moscow sovereigns. He was born in the year. His father, Stepan Ivanovich, "an enlightened man and full of military spirit," carefully prepared his son for public service. The pious Barbara, the mother of Theodore, who ended her days in monasticism with the name Barsanuphius, sowed in his soul the seeds of sincere faith and deep piety. The young Feodor Kolychev devoted himself to the Holy Scriptures and the patristic books, on which the ancient Russian enlightenment was based, which took place in the Church and in the spirit of the Church. The Grand Duke of Moscow, Vasily III Ioannovich, the father of Ivan the Terrible, brought the young Theodore closer to the court, who, however, was not attracted by court life. Realizing its vanity and sinfulness, Theodore plunged deeper and deeper into reading books and visiting the temples of God. Life in Moscow oppressed the young ascetic, his soul longed for monastic deeds and prayerful solitude. The sincere attachment of the young Prince John to him, which foreshadowed a great future in the field of public service, could not keep the seeking City of Heaven in the earthly city.
Monasticism
demise
Criticism of hagiographic tradition
It is known that the Solovetsky "Life of Metropolitan Philip", which underlies the versions of the life of the saint that are now widespread, was written by personal enemies of the saint, who, for slandering him, were imprisoned by the tsar for repentance in the Solovetsky Monastery. So, one of the leading historians in the field of studying sources of the 16th century, R. G. Skrynnikov, points out that: " its authors were not eyewitnesses of the events described, but used the memories of living witnesses: the “old man” Simeon (Semyon Kobylin) and the Solovetsky monks who traveled to Moscow during the trial of Philip"The "monks who went to Moscow" were the very ones who became perjurers at the trial against their hegumen. Their testimony served as the only basis for the Council's condemnation of Metropolitan Philip. by whose criminal negligence, according to the annals of the Tver Otroch Monastery, “ the saint was strangled by unknown persons in his cell».
January 5, 2019 The Church celebrates 450 years since the death of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus'. Saint Philip is one of the most significant and tragic figures in Russian history. For the sake of saving people, he was not afraid to go against Tsar Ivan the Terrible. For the sake of asserting the truth, he spoke out against the general lie, against the serving royal shepherds, boyars and other unkind royal entourage. Metropolitan Philip was defrocked, sent to prison and brutally murdered. But in his fight for the truth, he emerged victorious.
The origin of the future saint
Saint of Moscow and All Rus' Philip(Kolychev) came from a noble and ancient boyar family of the Kolychevs, already known in the 13th century. Philip's father, boyar Stefan Ioannovich, was a dignitary at the court of Grand Duke Vasily Ioannovich (1505-1533) and enjoyed his favor and love. However, despite his dignity, he was distinguished by rare spiritual qualities: righteousness, courage and mercy. And his wife Barbara, who later took the monastic rank with the name of Barsanuphius, was a pious woman. On February 11, 1507, their first child was born, whom they named Theodore, this was the future Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus' Philip. Theodore's parents made every effort to give their son the best possible upbringing.
The pious Barbara planted the seeds of goodness and piety in the child's pure soul. When Theodore grew up, he was immediately sent to learn to read and write. Book teaching in the schools of that time was predominantly ecclesiastical. Theodore diligently took up the teaching and soon fell in love with him. Theodore was not attracted to noisy children's games, nor the fun of his comrades. Indifferent to worldly entertainment, the God-fearing youth had his own attachments. From the very first steps of his teaching, he fell in love with reading. liturgical books Holy Scriptures, the writings of the Holy Fathers, and especially the biographies of "the former and wonderful men," from which he drew the lessons of a righteous life. However, while living in the house of his parents, Theodore did not shy away from worldly activities: he delved into everyday economic affairs and soon gained very great experience in housebuilding. This can already be seen from the fact that later on Solovki he showed himself to be an exemplary host.
Theodore, as the son of a noble boyar, had a high official activity. He needed to serve in the ranks of the military and court positions. But such studies were not to the liking of Theodore, his heart and mind strove for contemplation of God, and all his efforts were directed towards fulfilling the commandments of the Lord.
Chaste, modest and courteous to everyone, Theodore could not therefore get along with his peers. He ran like fire, windy and noble youths with their prowess and cheerful pastime, preferring to them elderly and experienced people, in conversations with whom he tried to draw spiritual benefit for himself. Such sedateness beyond his years, extreme prudence in his actions, and other good qualities of Theodore aroused general astonishment and delighted his pious parents.
close to the king
When Theodore was twenty-six years old, the rumor about the good manners of a young man belonging to one of the noble families reached the royal court. The name of Feodor Kolychev became known to the Grand Duke Vasily himself (March 25, 1479 - December 3, 1533). But soon the prince died. And only after the accession of his son - John IV(August 25, 1530 - March 18, 1584) Theodore was called to serve in the royal court along with other boyar children.
For his excellent qualities, he was soon close to the sovereign, who soon fell in love with Theodore. And this attachment is constantly growing. What a brilliant career awaited this young courtier! But Theodore could not be seduced by his successes in court life. Having learned humility, obedience and chastity from early childhood, Theodore was already not far from the determination to devote himself entirely to the service of God. That is why he did not enter into married life at the age at which, according to the custom of the time, others entered. And soon the hour came when God himself called him to a better life. The reign of Elena Glinskaya (c. 1508 - April 4, 1538), the mother of John IV, was full of unrest and strife among the boyars. The autocracy of her favorite, the temporary prince Telepnev-Obolensky (d. 1539), aroused the indignation of the sovereign's uncle, Prince Andrei Ivanovich Staritsky (August 5, 1490 - December 11, 1537).
Together with others, some of the boyars of the Kolychevs came out in support of him. Not only did the case of Prince Andrei fail, he was also imprisoned, where he died. His adherents were also subjected to cruel executions. These unfortunate events could not but affect the impressionable soul of Theodore. He began to regret that he had not retired from worldly life earlier. Immediately he decided to retire from worldly fuss. Even in early childhood, he heard about the Solovetsky Island. It was there that Theodore decided to go. And he was already thirty years old.
The beginning of the monastic path. Solovetsky monastery
Since then, Theodore has been constantly turning to God with a prayer, asking for help and spiritual guidance. Having changed the attire of a courtier for the clothes of a commoner, Theodore secretly leaves Moscow, taking only bread with him. Meanwhile, his parents, not knowing where their beloved son had disappeared, were looking for him all over Moscow and the surrounding towns and villages. And after a futile search, they indulged in inconsolable sadness, considering him dead. But Theodore was already far away. He sailed across the sea to the holy monastery of Solovetskaya.
Once there, he received a blessing from hegumen Alexy and accepted the obediences entrusted to him. Soon Theodore was tonsured and named Philip as a monk.
The harsh ascetic life of Philip could not hide from general attention; everyone began to talk about him as an exemplary monk, and very soon, with his humility and piety, he gained universal love and respect. And his mentor, the elder Jonah, rejoicing for his disciple, prophetically predicted about him: "This will be the rector in our monastery." With the blessing of the abbot, Philip retired from the monastery to the depths of the island, to a deserted and impenetrable forest, and began to live there, invisible to people.
Nine years of Philip's monastic life passed. Alexy, due to his old age and ailments, wanted to transfer the post of rector to Philip, his decision was supported by the brethren. Philip was soon ordained a presbyter. A year and a half later, the rector of the monastery, hegumen Alexy, rested. After burying the elder, the brethren of the monastery, by common advice, as before, began to beg Philip to take eldership over them. And he, recognizing himself as the legitimate rector of the monastery, with the blessing of Archbishop Theodosius again accepted the hegumenship. The newly appointed abbot tried with all his might to raise spiritual meaning monastery. He looked for an image Mother of God Hodegetria, brought to the island by the Monk Savatiy, found a stone cross, which once stood in front of the monk's cell. The Psalter, which belonged to the Monk Zosima, and his vestments, which since then were worn by abbots during services on the days of the memory of the miracle worker, were found.
The monastery spiritually began to revive. To streamline life in the monastery, a new charter was adopted. Hegumen Philip built two churches on Solovki: the refectory church of the Assumption of the Mother of God, consecrated in 1557, and the church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The abbot himself helped lay the walls of the Transfiguration Church. Under its northern porch, he dug a grave for himself, next to the grave of his mentor, the elder Jonah. Spiritual life during these years flourishes in the monastery: they were Philip's disciples and under him labored among the brethren Saints John and Longinus, Yarenga wonderworkers, Vassian and Jonah of Pertominsk. For secret deeds of prayer, Philip often retired to a deserted place, two miles from the monastery, which later received the name of Philip's Hermitage.
During his term as abbess, he drew up the "Ustav about the monastic dress" ("since one of the brethren should have clothes and shoes in the cell"). The accusatory speeches given in his life against Ivan the Terrible testify to the literary and oratorical talent of Philip. According to researchers, they are based on the original speeches of Philip, in which he used quotes from the popular in Rus' "Teachings of Agapit" (a Byzantine monument known in Russian translation from the 14th century) to give them vivid images.
Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus'
In Moscow, Tsar John Vasilievich, who loved him in his teenage years, remembered the Solovetsky hermit. He hoped that he would find in Philip a faithful companion, confessor and adviser. The choice of the primate of the Russian Church seemed to him the best. Philip for a long time refused to take on the great burden of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, but still the king managed to persuade the Solovetsky hegumen to confer on himself the rank of metropolitan. On July 25, 1566, in the Assumption Cathedral, in the presence of the tsar and the royal family, the whole court and people, Philip was solemnly ordained as Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia.
However, Metropolitan Philip did not feel spiritual closeness with John IV. Philip tried to convince the tsar to stop the repressions, to abolish the oprichnina. The king, on the contrary, tried to prove to him its state necessity. Finally, Ivan the Terrible and the Metropolitan came to an agreement that Metropolitan Philip not to interfere in the affairs of the oprichnina and state administration, not to leave the metropolis in cases where the tsar could not fulfill his wishes, to be the support and adviser of the tsar, as the former metropolitans were the support of the Moscow sovereigns .
But the wave of cruel executions that occurred in 1567-1568 led to Philip's decision to oppose Ivan the Terrible. In July 1567, letters from the Polish king Sigismund and the Lithuanian hetman Khotkevich to our chief boyars with an invitation to leave for Lithuania were intercepted. The most terrible executions began. Not only the boyars, accused of treason, died in terrible agony, but even many citizens suffered. Taking advantage of the unlimited confidence of the tsar, armed guardsmen, under the guise of eradicating sedition, raged in Moscow. They killed all the people they hated and took away their property.
Metropolitan Philip, seeing the incessant atrocities of the guardsmen, finally decided to appeal to the tsar with an exhortation to stop the bloodshed. But before doing this, he tried to involve in this lofty cause the pastors of the Church, who silently obeyed all the orders of the formidable king. Calling them to self-denial, he said to them:
Why have you gathered, fathers and brethren, to be silent, afraid to utter the truth? But your silence brings the soul of the tsar into sin and causes bitter death to your soul, and Orthodox faith causes grief and embarrassment. Are you afraid of losing the glory of corruption, but no dignity of this world will save you from eternal torment if we transgress the commandment of Christ and forget our duty of caring for the piety of the faithful Tsar, for the peace and prosperity of all Orthodox Christianity. Are you looking at the fact that the royal synclite is silent? But the boyars are bound by worldly cares, but the Lord has freed us from them. We have been given the right to rule the great truth, even if we have laid down our souls for the entrusted flock. You yourselves know what truth you will be tortured for on the Day of Judgment.
Only Archbishop German of Kazan responded to the Metropolitan's ardent call, he took the side of Philip, supporting and sympathizing with him. Other pastors not only got scared, but even tried to hinder and harm the primate of the Church. It is no coincidence, apparently, that 80 years later, most of the boyars and archpastors also shut their mouths during the insane church reform of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Patriarch Nikon. And in our years, we see how many who are called to state and spiritual power look indifferently at lawlessness and people's suffering.
Exposing the king's untruth
In the autumn of 1567, the tsar set out on a campaign against Livonia, it was then that he became aware of the boyar conspiracy. The traitors intended to capture the king and hand him over to the Polish king, who had already moved troops to the Russian border. Ivan the Terrible dealt harshly with the conspirators, and again a lot of blood was shed. On Holy Week, March 2, 1568, when the tsar and guardsmen came to the Assumption Cathedral, as usual, in monastic vestments, Metropolitan Philip refused to bless him and began to openly condemn the lawlessness that the guardsmen were doing: “ Metropolitan Philip taught with the sovereign in Moscow to be hostile about the oprichnina". Vladyka's denunciation interrupted the magnificence of the church service. Tsar Ivan the Terrible said in anger: Do you oppose us? Let's see your strength! - I was too soft with you».
Church trial of Metropolitan Philip
The king began to show even greater cruelty in the persecution of all who opposed him. Executions followed one after another. The fate of the Metropolitan-Confessor was decided. But Ivan the Terrible wanted to observe the canonical order. The Boyar Duma obediently passed a decision on the trial of the Head of the Russian Church. A conciliar trial was held over Metropolitan Philip in the presence of the thinned Boyar Duma. It was November 4th.
At the appointed hour, the sovereign himself and the innocently accused primate arrived; dressed in clergyman's robes, he appeared before the court. The reading of denunciations began, but there were no accusers, for the king was afraid to confront the saint with the slanderers. After reading the denunciations, they stopped to listen to the accused. Philip, considering it unnecessary to make excuses, for he knew that his fate had already been decided in advance, turned to the king with these words:
Sovereign and Grand Duke! Do you think I'm afraid of you or death? Not! It is better to die an innocent martyr than to endure all these horrors of lawlessness in the rank of metropolitan. Do whatever you want. Here is the shepherd's rod, here is the hood and mantle with which you wanted to glorify me. And you, servants of the altar,” continued the saint, turning to the bishops, “feed faithfully the flock of Christ: prepare to give an answer to God and fear the King of Heaven more than the earthly one.
Having said these words, Saint Philip took off the signs of his dignity and wanted to leave, but the king stopped him, saying that he should still await a conciliar decision, and not be his own judge. He forced him to take back the saint's clothes and still serve mass on November 8. It was the feast of the Archangel Michael. Metropolitan Philip, in full hierarchal vestments, was serving the Liturgy in the Assumption Cathedral, when suddenly the church doors opened with a noise and the tsar's favorite Alexei Basmanov entered the cathedral with a crowd of soldiers and guardsmen. Basmanov ordered to read aloud before all the people the royal decree and the verdict of the cathedral on the deposition of the metropolitan, and all the slanders against him were announced. At the end of the reading, those who came with fury rushed at the saint and began to tear off his sacred clothes. Metropolitan Philip was not troubled in spirit and tried to calm his clergy. Throwing the tattered and dirty cassock of a simple monk over Philip's shoulders, the guardsmen dragged him out of the church, beat him on the head with brooms, put him on a log and, showering him with abuse and beatings, took him to the Epiphany Monastery. Before the gates of the monastery, Saint Philip addressed the flock around him for the last time with consoling words:
I accepted all this for your good, so that your confusion would be appeased. If it were not for love for you, I would not want to stay here for a single day, but the word of God kept me: The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10, 11).
At the same time, the metropolitan's prophetic words about the fate of the Russian Church were heard:
O children, this separation is mournful, but I rejoice that I have acquired this for the sake of the Church; the time has come for her widowhood, for shepherds, like hirelings, will be despised. They will not hold their chair here and will not be buried in their cathedral church of the Mother of God.
This prophecy finally came true in a few decades. during the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, when most of the archpastors behaved like "mercenaries", they fell away from the right faith and a period of widowhood began in the Church. Having accepted last blessing from the saint, the people dispersed in embarrassment to their homes, and Philip was imprisoned in the monastery. " The martyr was tormented for a long time in the cellars of Moscow monasteries, the elder’s feet were hammered into stocks, they kept him in chains, they threw a heavy chain around his neck.". Finally, they were taken to confinement in the Tver Otroch Monastery.
The murder of the disgraced metropolitan
About a year passed since Saint Philip was in captivity. In December 1569, Tsar Ivan the Terrible moved with an army to Novgorod to punish him for his alleged treason. When he approached Tver, he remembered Metropolitan Philip, imprisoned here, and sent the worst of his guardsmen to him, Malyuta Skuratov, ostensibly for a blessing.
Philip, anticipating his death, told others: “ The time has come for my achievement; my departure is near". And, having partake of the Holy Mysteries, he calmly waited for his end. Malyuta entered the cell and, bowing humbly, said to the saint: Lord, give a blessing to the king to go to Veliky Novgorod».
Knowing why the royal messenger had come, Saint Philip answered him: Do what you came to me for, and do not tempt me by flattery asking for the gift of God". Immediately, the disgraced metropolitan turned to God with a prayer.
Malyuta took a pillow and strangled Saint Philip with it. Then he hurriedly left the cell and, having informed his abbot and brethren about the death, began to reproach them for neglecting the prisoner, who allegedly died from excessive intoxication in the cell. Malyuta ordered to dig a deep hole behind the altar of the cathedral church and there to bury the long-suffering body of St. Christ. At the same time, there was neither the ringing of bells, nor the fragrance of incense, nor, perhaps, the very singing of the church, for the evil guardsman was in a hurry to hide the traces of his crime. And as soon as the grave was razed to the ground, he immediately left the monastery.
But soon the wrath of God overtook the persecutors of the martyred Metropolitan. Malyuta Skuratov was soon killed. The king's anger overtook all the shepherds who slandered Philip, tormented him, turned away from him in the days of severe trials.
Glorification and veneration of Metropolitan Philip
The monks of the Solovetsky monastery twenty years later began to ask Tsar Theodore Ioannovich (May 11, 1557 - January 7, 1598) for the body of Metropolitan Philip. Tsar Theodore fulfilled the request of the Solovetsky monks. Tverskoy Bishop Zacharias(d. 1602) could not disobey the royal command and ordered the abbot of the Otroch monastery to show the place where the saint was buried.
When they dug up the grave and opened the coffin, the air was filled with a fragrance that spilled from the relics, as if from a world of great value; the body of the saint was found completely incorruptible, and even his vestments were preserved intact. Citizens began to flock from all sides to bow to the martyr of Christ. Then handing over the shrine with relics Solovki abbot To Jacob, Vladyka with all the clergy, with crosses and banners, with a great gathering of people, led the shrine to the banks of the Volga River, from where the Solovetsky elders joyfully took it to their distant monastery.
The imperishable body of Saint Philip was buried under the porch of the Transfiguration Cathedral, at the church of the Monks Zosima and Savvaty, the Solovetsky miracle workers. Not only the monks, but also the laity, the neighboring inhabitants resorted to prayer to Saint Philip, and received healing from their ailments.
First church service to the saint was published in the Menaion in 1636 under Patriarch Iosaph I (1634-1640). However, according to researchers, it was compiled earlier. The Solovetsky Monastery is considered the place of compilation of the service, and the possible author is hegumen Jacob(1581-1597), a student of Metropolitan Philip.
Troparion, tone 8.
Receiver of the throne, pillar of Orthodoxy, champion of the truth, new confessor, Saint Philip, laying down his soul for the gospel of Christ. In the same way, as if you had boldness towards Him, pray for our country, for the city and people who worthily honor your holy memory.
Kontakion, tone 3.
To the Orthodoxy of a mentor, and to the truth of an agreeer. Let us praise the Zlatoust zealot, the Russian lamp, Philip the wise. In the food of the words of their rational children, their nourishing. With the tongue, we sing praise, but we speak the singing of prophetic words, as if the secret place of God's grace.
Russian Faith Library
→
In 1646, on April 29, letters were sent from Moscow to the Solovki abbot Elijah from Tsar Alexy Mikhailovich and Joseph, Patriarch of Moscow, in which it was ordered that the relics of St. Philip be placed in new cancer, dress them in new clothes and transfer them from under the porch to the Transfiguration Cathedral.
On July 9, 1652, the relics of St. Philip were solemnly brought to Moscow (at the behest of the then Orthodox Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich). They were met procession with the participation of the king and church hierarchs, the church of St. Philip in the Meshchanskaya Sloboda was subsequently erected at the meeting place. The relics were placed in a silver reliquary in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin near the iconostasis, where they are now buried.
Did you like the material?
Comments (12)
Cancel reply
When will they stop spreading lies from calendar to calendar?! Any person who studies the history of the Church and the Russian State, not according to Karamzin, knows that the death of Met. Philip is on the conscience of Archbishop Pimen of Novgorod. It was he who sent the bailiff Kobylin to kill Philip. Neither Sovereign John Vasilyevich nor Grigory Lukyanovich Skuratov-Belsky were involved in this.
The ROCMP has already shot a documentary film "His name. John" everything is called there on a documentary basis.
the article spreads the Jewish lie about the oprichnina, the locally revered holy noble Tsar John and the holy martyr Metropolitan Philip, who was killed by the Judaizers.
All scientists and historians say that there are practically no archival documents from the period of the reign of Ivan the Terrible in Russia, they were all destroyed in a strange way. Only the letters of Ivan the Terrible remained in foreign archives. This article quotes the words of the metropolitan and provides a lot of historical material, but there is not a single reference to archival or other documents. The article has the status of an artistic and fictitious work, definitely a slander of Tsar Ivan the Terrible and is based on fictitious and false facts. The author did not even bother to go to the Archangel Cathedral, where the Rurikovichs are buried, including John Vasilyevich, his mother, all his wives and children. So the guides tell and show the documents of the autopsy of these tombs in the time of Khrushchev by forensic experts. The conclusion of the forensic experts suggests that all the wives, mother and son, and John himself were poisoned with poison. Tsar John did not kill any of his sons, his son was poisoned like John himself. And in our time, they continue to denigrate the first anointed of God and the creator of the Russian kingdom. Many questions arise as to why it was necessary to disturb the relics of the holy Metropolitan Philip and transfer them to Moscow to the two main schismatics of the Russian Church and the Russian people, Tsar Alexei Romanov and the patriarch Nikon. This is where you need to understand, and not engage in slander and unproven insinuations.
With this approach, soon Peter 1, whom everyone calls “Great”, will soon be made or already done, although, unlike John the Terrible, Peter 1 actually tortured his son on the rack, but there’s no mention of this anywhere, because “Peter 1 created an army , fleet", but as if before Peter there was neither an army nor a navy. Semyon Dezhnev on a Russian ship sailed the strait between Asia and America in 1648, and Bereng on ships created by Peter 1 was able to repeat his feat only a hundred years later. But the strait was not named in honor of its discoverer, but in honor of Bereng.
Maybe John the Terrible is guilty of the death of the Metropolitan, or maybe not, there is no direct evidence. And where was this metropolitan when the whole family of Tsar John was poisoned, because at the beginning his mother Elena Glinskaya, his son and wives were poisoned. Why did the metropolitan not understand these deaths. We have many masters to criticize.
In these annals of Tulupovskaya, Kolychevskaya and Kratkaya, there is nothing about what you write about. the author of the Life of the Tsar-Tormentor." Not a single chronicle says that it is the "Tsar-torturer".
"The "short" edition pays quite a lot of attention to the behavior of Philip during the "Stoglavy" Cathedral. It is this plot of the narrative that reveals to us the fact that the secular authorities of the time of Ivan the Terrible did not have open opposition in the face of the church authorities. However, there were those who were dissatisfied with the decisions of the king, who were not "Thus, Philip's asceticism was manifested in the fact that he was not afraid to speak out against the decision of the Grand Duke to divide the state. As a result, the royal anger fell on one metropolitan. But even this the author does not dare to directly blame the king. According to him , the tsar is in deep thought, and "sovetkintsy, the anger of the accomplice does not stop every kov who lifts up the saint ...". The authors of these chronicles, written after the death of John, "did not dare" to accuse the king. And Voloskova, referring to the annals, or rather not even referring, because she has no references in the article, and the fact that the "Russian Faith" defends her, then you take this personal opinion of the "Russian Faith" and, based on your own conjectures, accuse the tsar. For many years, many enemies of Russia have been pouring dirt on Ivan the Terrible, hushing up his real great achievements, thanks to which Russia has been holding on to this day.
Indicate what "99.9% of the sources" do you think confirm the slander and fictitious insinuations of the Russian Tsar John IV. With such articles we will soon Stoglavy Cathedral let's denigrate.It is bad, under the name of the Russian Faith, to try to support the lies of the Jews about the Great Sovereign, while based on the lives written after the Schism. The martyr could not condemn the oprichnina, which brought out the heresy of the Judaizers in Rus'. Moreover, the condition for the appointment of the metropolitan was his non-interference in the affairs of the oprichnina and the royal court, with which he agreed, otherwise he would not have been put at the head of the Church (the document has been preserved and published). However, by slandering John on Philip and vice versa, the enemies of the Orthodox faith managed to bring some chill into their relationship and the king entrusted his fate church court. In particular, the enemies of Orthodoxy whispered to the tsar that the patriarch condemned the oprichnina…
And when the tsar moved to Novgorod, he sent M. Skuratov to release the metropolitan from church imprisonment and take him with him, because. he knew a lot about the Novgorod separatists. However, an armed barrier appeared on the way of the guardsmen (!) And a battle ensued, in which M. Skuratov was wounded in the stomach. When they nevertheless broke through to the monastery, the villains managed to kill the martyr. And, as usual with the Jews, the murderers started a rumor that he was killed by someone who was going to save him. A vivid example of the same is the death of the son of Tsar Demetrius, who "slaughtered himself" according to the words of a converted maid.
Anticipating the judgment of the Priest about the babies - victims of the "Novgorod pogrom", I will inform you that all the separatists apostates of the Faith, who were executed by the court, were named and counted. But the "quietest" in the Code of 1649. introduced the death penalty for children (I have the original Code in the skin). But modern researchers, being captive of lies, do not in any way connect the remains found during excavations with the sea that soon followed in Novgorod, when entire families indulged in the earth right there, at their households.
The admin should have listened to I. Kalashnikov, and not try to rehabilitate an article containing slander by the Judaizers against the locally revered saint of the Russian pre-schism Church, standing shoulder to shoulder with Patr. Cyril, who ordered to clean the fresco of John in the Assumption Monastery.
Forgive me for Christ's sake...
I wonder which of the Old Believer historians writes that "the oprichnina fought against the heresy of the Judaizers"? What is the source of information? But here, for example, is what St. Svshmch writes. Avvakum: "If someone deigned to serve God, it is not fitting for him to grieve. Not only for the possession of holy books, but also for worldly truth, it is fitting for him to lay down his soul, like Chrysostom for the widow and for the Feognostov garden, and in Moscow for the oprishlin Philip "(Fourth conversation, about icon painting).
As for halos, this is not a certificate of holiness, but a Byzantine tradition (Basily 3 was also depicted with a nimbus). In Byzantium, almost all emperors were portrayed this way, incl. and iconoclasts.
Ivan the Terrible is called "the first Russian Tsar", but this is not entirely accurate. The first legitimate sovereign married according to the Byzantine rite (February 4, 1498) was the grandson of Ivan 3, Dimtiry Ivanovich, who, however, due to the machinations of Sophia Palaiologos (mother of Vasily 3), soon fell into disgrace and died in custody.
The mother of Ivan the Terrible was from Lithuania, the paternal foremother was a Byzantine princess. The remarriage of Vasily 3, from whom Ivan was born, was not recognized by the majority local churches. But M. Daniel said that he "takes this sin upon himself" (Vasily's divorce from Salome), condemned St. Maxim Grek, and then this marriage took place. But here it should also be noted that the Russian folk legend about the ataman Kudeyar (the legitimate son of Salome, who was born by her after being imprisoned in a monastery), has a real historical basis.
Some monarchists have long venerated Ivan the Terrible as a holy great martyr; a special service has been composed for him. But I can’t even imagine how you can combine real historical facts and the Christian concept of holiness to glorify Ivan the Terrible. For example, the story of the "fierce sorcerer" of Ivan the Terrible, Elisha Bomelius (there is a version that it was he who poisoned those wives of the king who ceased to enjoy his love - there were 8 wives in total). “The more Ivan, already nicknamed the Terrible, favored Bomelia, the more he was hated by the boyars and ordinary people. The Pskov chronicler wrote: “Send the Germans to John Nemchin, the fierce Magus, called Elisha, and be loved by him in approach and impose insurance on the Tsar ... and led the Tsar away from faith; he assigned ferocity to the Russian people, and love to the Germans ... ". "http://storyfiles.blogspot.com/2017/10/blog-post_13.html figures (subsequently, however, he was executed by the king). But how can such "friendship" be combined with holiness?
Indeed, in recent times the idea that Tsar Ivan the Terrible was a saint is gaining momentum and, in particular, to the death of Metropolitan. Philip has nothing to do with it. But this is an alternative history, and 99.9% of the sources still adhere to the opinion indicated in the article.
The life of Metropolitan Philip, which was very often used as the main historical source of information about him, has come down to us in a significant number of lists (there are about 170 of them). All its editions are raised to three main ones: Tulupovskaya, Kolychevskaya and Brief. On the website of the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) RAS http://lib.pushkinskijdom.ru there is an electronic publication of the list of the Life.
In all lists, one thing is invariable: Philip morally opposes Tsar Ivan, and he opposes without malice and hatred, fighting with Ivan himself for the good in his soul. Philip, condemning the oprichnina, is depicted as a constant opponent of blood, hatred, lawlessness. Traditional for hagiographic literature the conflict between the tormentor tsar and the saint in The Life of Metropolitan Philip is transferred to the moral and political realm: it is precisely the absence of a moral principle in politics that makes Ivan the Terrible in the image of the author of the Life the tormentor tsar. Of particular importance is the historical "background": construction in the Solovetsky Monastery helps to reveal the creative power of Philip; the theme of Novgorod sounds tragic (pleas to Philip for intercession on his way to Moscow - the betrayal of Philip by the Archbishop of Novgorod - the death of Philip, who refused to bless Ivan IV's campaign against Novgorod, which ended with the death of Novgorod itself as the center of northern Russian culture); the theme of torment and death of the people of the “divided kingdom”, etc.
Saint Philip the Metropolitan of Moscow in his life, an icon of the 17th century. Image from obraz.org
Escape from home
The future Saint Philip fled from Moscow in his youth. Himself from a noble family of Kolychevs, he did not want to participate in the boyar showdown under the teenage tsar, the future Ivan the Terrible. Yes, and had no inclination to court life, he liked to sit with a book, not only divine, but also from fortification science, and engineering, and historical, and agricultural.
All this was useful to him later, on Solovki, where he would build the most modern irrigation system for his time, and melons would be grown in greenhouses.
Fyodor Kolychev fled from a rich house without money and secretly, and along the way he was hired to tend the peasant herd, receiving his bread. He wanted to become a monk. Having reached Solovki, Fyodor Kolychev took monastic vows with the name of Philip.
Fedor Kolychev leaves his parental home; stigma of a hagiographic icon
On Solovki
In the extremely harsh conditions of the north, working a lot and hard on household obediences, Philip tried to retire to the desert for prayer. There, according to the monastic belief, the bloodied Christ appeared to Philip, predicting his future fate and martyrdom.
The brothers repeatedly tried to choose Philip as abbot, but he repeatedly refused. But in 1546, he takes over as abbess and manages the monastery for 20 years.
Abbot Philip's craving for solitude and prayer was combined with rare administrative abilities, and two traditions of the Russian Church - the non-possessor Nil Sorsky and Joseph Volotsky in his life were united without conflict.
In the Solovetsky monastery; stigma of a hagiographic icon
St. Philip quickly increased the land holdings of the monastery, found rich donors (including the king and his family), and began large-scale construction with the funds received.
Under him, the stone Assumption Church, the refectory chamber, the Transfiguration Cathedral, many outbuildings, a network of canals appeared on Solovki, and several technical devices appeared that facilitated the hard work of the monks.
An excellent harbor with a hotel appeared on Bolshoi Zayatsky Island. The monastery library and sacristy were replenished. At the same time, the strict charter developed by Philip did not encourage money-grubbing. The prayer life of the monastery gave a good example to other monasteries of the White Sea region.
You can't escape fate
Ivan the Terrible remembered the abbot of Solovetsky, who personally knew the saint from childhood. He summons Philip to Moscow and offers to become the metropolitan of the Russian Church.
Ivan the Terrible, who was well versed in people, was looking for an ally in the face of the Church and knew that the future St. Philip is not capable of intrigue and betrayal.
The king hoped for the personal devotion of St. Philip, known to him as a person, rather soft and not at all ambitious.
St. Philip set the Terrible a condition - the right to apply to the king with requests for pardon.
The Church used to have this right, but Ivan the Terrible abolished it.
The tsar put forward his condition - the metropolitan should not interfere in the affairs of the oprichnina. In 1566, this innovation was only two years old and there were no bloody deeds behind it. St. Philip agreed.
With the strengthening of the oprichnina order, the monarch less and less listened to the voice of the Church. The bishops who tried to intercede for the "traitors" he himself suspected of betrayal. And the tsar subsequently broke his promise to allow the metropolitan to intercede for the disgraced.
But for some time, relations between the head of the Church and the head of state remain good. So, in one of his letters to the brethren of the Solovetsky Monastery, the Metropolitan, sending alms from Moscow, asked to pray for the sovereign and his family. The message ended with words in which the spiritual core of the saint is clearly visible: “And I bless you and beat you with a lot of foreheads ... for God's sake, live with love.”
Refusal to bless
In 1567, while investigating the case of the equestrian I.P. Fedorov, one of the first persons in the state, the tsar resorted to mass executions. Many innocent people were subjected to repressions - nobles, their servants, family members, peasants. Muscovite Rus' did not know such blood, it was not part of its political traditions.
Metropolitan Philip persuaded the king to abandon the oprichnina: “... I began to ask the sovereign to step back from such an objectionable undertaking. And he reminded him of the Gospel word: “If the kingdom is divided in itself, it will perish,” writes the metropolitan.
Ya.P. Turlygin, “Metropolitan Philip denounces Ivan the Terrible” (1800). Image from aminpro.ru
Having failed to achieve his goal, the metropolitan denounces the guardsmen in public: “We bring a pure and bloodless sacrifice to the Lord for the salvation of people, and innocent Christian blood is shed behind the altar and people die in vain!”
He publicly in the temple refuses to bless the tsar, urging Ivan Vasilyevich to first forgive those who "sin" to him.
Slandered and killed
The tsar did not expect such a firm and public opposition from Metropolitan Philip. The public condemnation of innocent murders, the call for mercy caused rage. The tsar gives the order to seize the metropolitan and put the head of the Russian Church on trial for a "vicious life."
Bishop's robes were torn off Metropolitan Philip right in the temple, during the service, and replaced with a tattered cassock.
Some hierarchs resisted the trial, and when, under pressure from the tsar, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church, Metropolitan Philip, on the basis of slanderous testimony, was nevertheless found guilty of a “vicious life,” they did not allow him to be burned, as was the canon for such a crime. The death penalty was replaced by exile in the Tver Otroch Monastery.
N.V. Nevrev, "Metropolitan Philip and Malyuta Skuratov" (1898). Image from rodon.org
But the revenge of Ivan the Terrible, who failed to achieve a public execution for Philip, did not slow down. The guardsman Malyuta Skuratov-Belsky, the personal murderer of Ivan the Terrible, secretly came to the monastery and killed the saint.
In 1590, the relics of St. Philip were transferred from the Tver Otroch Monastery to the Solovetsky Monastery, and in 1652, by order of Patriarch Nikon and with great celebrations, to the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. There they still arrive in a shrine at the southern entrance to the temple, in front of the iconostasis.
