Grigory (Chirkov)

Born on January 1, 1942 in the village of Kozly ^{[K 1]} in a peasant family.

In 1960, after graduating from high school, he entered the historical and philological faculty of the Kirov State Pedagogical Institute . A year later, he transferred to the correspondence department of this institute and at the same time taught Russian language and literature at an eight-year school in the village of Verkhobystritsa, Kumensky District, Kirov Region.

Since 1963 he worked as an inspector of the Kirov State Control Laboratory.

In 1969, after serving in the army, he entered the Leningrad Theological Seminary , then - at the Leningrad Theological Academy .

On March 15, 1973, Metropolitan Nicodemus of Leningrad and Novgorod was tonsured a monk with the name of Gregory, in honor of St. Gregory Dvoeslov . March 25 - ordained hierodeacon , December 4 - hieromonk , appointed assistant inspector of the Leningrad Theological Academy and Seminary.

In 1975 he graduated from the Leningrad Theological Academy with a degree of candidate of theology for his essay “Anthropogenesis of chapters I and II of Genesis as interpreted by the holy fathers and Christian theologians.”

In 1975-1978, a graduate student at the Moscow Theological Academy , at the same time a referent of the DECR .

In 1976 he was elevated to the rank of abbot .

In 1977 he was appointed secretary of the Moscow Diocesan Administration.

In 1978 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite .

In 1981 - appointed rector of the Assumption Church of the Novodevichy Convent .

September 10, 1987 determined to be bishop of Mozhaisk , vicar of the Moscow diocese . On September 12, in the White Hall of the Moscow Patriarchate, he was named Bishop of Mozhaisk. The rite of appointment was made by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Pimen , Metropolitan of Odessa and Kherson Sergius (Petrov) , Metropolitan of Krutitsky and Kolomensky Yuvenaly (Poyarkov) , Archbishop of Zaraisk Job (Tyvonyuk) , Archbishop of Voronezh and Lipetsk, Methodius of Ireland (Methodius of Kazakhstan), Eusebius (Savvin) . September 13, the same hierarchs consecrated bishop of Mozhaisk, vicar of the Moscow diocese ^[2] .

On February 25, 1997, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop .

Until the very last days, when he already felt severe pains, he continued to work in the Diocesan Administration. When he got worse, he spent the last 2-3 days at home, and then was hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the First Town Hospital.

Died February 25, 2018. On the same day, the patriarchal governor of the Moscow diocese, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, performed a memorial service for him at the Assumption Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow. On February 26, the coffin with the body of the hierarch was delivered to the Assumption Church of the Novodevichy Convent, Metropolitan Juvenal and the clergy of the Moscow diocese performed a memorial service. In the evening of the same day, Bishop Roman Serpukhov, in the service of the clergy of the Moscow diocese, made a parastasis at the tomb of the late archpastor ^[3] . On February 27, a funeral service was held there. He was buried on the same day in the Bobrenevsky monastery ^[4] .

• Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh 3rd degree ( 1980 )
• Stavrofor of the Order of Orthodox Stavrofors of the Holy Sepulcher of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church with the presentation of the Golden Cross with Ornaments (1981) and the Golden Cross with the Crown (1988) ( Jerusalem Orthodox Church )
• Order of St. Vladimir 3rd degree ( 1983 )
• Gold Medal of the Soviet Peace Fund ( 1988 )
• Medal "50 years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" ( 1995 )
• Medal "In memory of the 850th anniversary of Moscow" ( 1997 )
• Order of Honor ( 2000 ) - for his great contribution to strengthening civil peace and the revival of spiritual and moral traditions ^[5]
• Order of St. Vladimir 2nd degree ( 2002 )
• Order of Friendship ( 2007 ) ^[6]
• Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, II degree ( 2007 )
• Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, I degree (January 1, 2012) ^[7]
• Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov, I degree (January 1, 2017) ^[8]

• Gregory // Orthodox Encyclopedia . - M .: Church Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia" , 2006. - T. XII. - S. 592. - 752 p. - 39,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-017-X .
• Gregory, Archbishop of Mozhaisk, Vicar of the Moscow Diocese (Chirkov Yuri Sergeyevich) on the website of the Patriarchy.Ru
• Archbishop Grigory of Mozhaisk (Yuri Sergeyevich Chirkov)