Nikon (Sofia)

Born in the village of Ozarnikovo (now a natural boundary in the Chukhloma district of the Kostroma region ^[1] ) in the family of a rural priest Andrei Pavlovich Sofiysky and his wife Maria Onisimovna. When Nikolai was three years old, his father died. A family in which there were seven children (six boys and one girl), who already lived poorly, was left without a livelihood. I was able to get an education only thanks to the labors of his mother, who fed her family, doing hard peasant work. In the same way, other children received education (except for the deaf and dumb brother Vasily), and the older brother Ivan was later archpriest in the Chukhloma Preobrazhensky Cathedral.

Wife - Serafima Fedorovna, nee Panina, daughter of the cathedral priest of the city of Makaryev. Died in 1884 ; their marriage lasted only one year and three months.

He graduated from the Soligalichsky Theological School, the Kostroma Theological Seminary ( 1882 ). He was one of the best pupils, but refused to enter the academy, preferring the life of a rural priest to a spiritual career.

Upon the death of his wife, in 1884, he entered the St. Petersburg Theological Academy , where he graduated with a candidate degree in theology in 1888 (the theme of his Ph.D. work was “The Origin, Character and Importance of the Pharisee Sect in the History of Judaism”). The reviewer of the essay, associate professor I. G. Troitsky, in his review, in particular, wrote that “the most prominent places in the essay include the author’s description of the Pharisees and their teachings, which in its artistry and completeness can be called the best between similar ones.”

Since August 27, 1882 - overseer of the Makaryevsky Theological School.

On February 20, 1883, he was ordained a priest.

Since February 1883 - a priest of the village of Mamontovo, Makaryevsky district .

In 1887 he was tonsured a monk.

Since October 2, 1888 - Inspector of the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary .

Since March 30, 1891 - rector of the Vladimir Theological Seminary with the elevation to the rank of archimandrite .

He was known as a strict mentor, whose activities caused the discontent of many seminarians. Metropolitan Eulogius (St. George) , who served under him at the Vladimir Theological Seminary, gave the following description of Bishop Nikon, explaining his actions:

He was a beautiful, healthy, powerful man, who did not love monasticism. “I would not be a monk, but a hooker on the Volga ...” he said. O. Nikon took the tonsure not by attraction, but by necessity, in order to somehow arrange his miserable fate of the widowed priest ... O. Nikon painfully experienced monasticism imposed on him by external circumstances and for periods fell into gloomy gloom, close to despair ... He himself understood that he is not good at monks. “You cannot find a good monk from a priest or a soldier,” he said ... The plight of Fr. Nikona left a mark on him. Honest, intelligent, capable, he locked himself in the framework of strict legality, alien to love and idealism. He maintained discipline by brutal measures: intimidation and ruthless repression. The seminary created a difficult atmosphere, saturated with anger, fear and hatred in relation to the authorities.

- Chapter 8.

At the same time, when parting with the pupils in 1898 about. Nikon set forth his own point of view on his administrative activities:

I trembled for admonition and correction. But all the strict penalties prescribed by law and conscience, I always dissolved by grace; only to those uninitiated, they seemed like a dry truth. Now, without harm to you, I can say that sometimes even major offenses were completely forgiven, when they were not disclosed, when they were not seduced, and when a pardon, as a secret, could not give rise to consider misconduct as permissible and, thus, serve as an excuse for the institution . Now, without harm to you, I can say that I often didn’t see your child’s pranks when I saw, and when I heard, I didn’t hear when they didn’t testify to moral corruption ^[2] .

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The tough measures of the rector of the academy led to an attempt on his life, which was committed by one of the seminarians, a man mentally unstable. Miraculously surviving, Fr. Nikon secured the release of the assassin (he was admitted to the hospital) and later, becoming bishop, appointed him a psalmist. After the assassination attempt, the spiritual authorities suggested that he move to another, easier and more advantageous position, but he refused and continued to serve as rector for another three years.

Heading the seminary, he showed the abilities of a good business executive: under him a major overhaul of the seminary church was carried out.

On March 3, 1898, Archimandrite Nikon was appointed bishop in the hall of the Holy Synod.

March 8, 1898 in the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra was ordained bishop of Volsky , vicar of the Saratov diocese . The consecration was performed by the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg Palladium (Raev) , the Metropolitan of Kiev Ioannikiy (Rudnev) , the Archbishop of Novgorod Feognost (Lebedev) , the Archbishop of Finland Anthony (Vadkovsky) , the Bishop of Tver Dimitry (Sambikin) , the Bishop of Narva (Ivannian) of Narva Muratovsky) .

In July of the same year, he was appointed temporary administrator of the Tauride diocese in connection with the disease, and then the death of its ruling bishop, Bishop Michael (Gribanovsky) .

Since February 6, 1899 - Bishop of Narva , Vicar of the St. Petersburg Diocese . He was the main observer of the teaching of the Law of God in secular secondary and lower educational institutions of St. Petersburg . In 1901 he became one of the founders of the Kostroma charitable society in St. Petersburg, whose task was to help Kostroma residents who lived in the capital, including minors, orphans, the elderly, and students.

Bishop of Vyatka and Sloboda

Since December 10, 1901 - Bishop of Vyatka and Slobodskaya . He visited almost all the parishes of the diocese, having even visited those of them whose inhabitants have never seen their bishop in their churches . At his suggestion, in Vyatka city churches on Sundays, after Vespers, moral readings were organized. He organized the repair of the Vyatka Cathedral and the bishop's house. He was able to resolve the conflict with the students of the Vyatka Theological Seminary in such a way that fewer students were dismissed than expected, and many of the dismissed were later re-admitted to the seminary, thereby completing their education (apparently, he took into account the difficult experience of his rectorship in Vladimir ).

He supported the single - faith movement (whose supporters serve according to old books, but are in the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church) as opposed to the Old Believers. In his time as diocesan bishop, two self-believing churches were laid. Moreover, at the beginning of the construction of one of them - in the village of Osipinsky Glazovsky Uyezd - the bishop personally made an all-night vigil according to ancient books, which lasted about five hours.

He encouraged missionary work among the Cheremis ( Mari ), Tatars , Votyaks ( Udmurts ), encouraged the translation of religious texts into national languages. He organized missionary foreign courses in Vyatka , at which representatives of these peoples studied, who at the end became psalmists and teachers of parish schools, and then priests. He taught scripture courses himself.

Vladimir Bishop

Since November 27, 1904 - Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal .

He initiated the construction of a new building for the female diocesan school, for which a place was bought in the best part of the city. Amid the unrest of the seminarians, he ensured that the seminary was not closed, and that students arrested by civil authorities were released. On his initiative under the Brotherhood of St. Alexander Nevsky opened a missionary school. Preached a lot, often traveled around the diocese.

May 6, 1906 was elevated to the rank of archbishop .

Exarch of Georgia

Since June 9, 1906 - Archbishop of Kartalinsky and Kakheti, Exarch of Georgia , a permanent member of the Holy Synod.

He was appointed to Georgia in a situation where the local clergy actively demanded the restoration of autocephaly , which the Georgian Church lost in 1811 . During his arrival in Tiflis on August 26, 1906, the Georgian clergy refused to meet the Exarch. In the Zion Cathedral, he was met only by Russian priests and the only Georgian bishop Gori Petr (Konchuev) , who, in his welcoming speech, wished that the newly appointed Exarch himself should seek autocephaly of the Georgian Church. However, the exarch refused to support the demand for the restoration of autocephaly - as a result, the Georgian clergy announced a boycott to him.

He considered it possible to isolate from the structure of the Georgian Exarchate units with the Russian and Greek populations and attach them to the Russian dioceses; the Georgian units of the Exarchate should be given a certain share of independence.

On his initiative, repair of the monument of Georgian church antiquity, the Mtskheta Cathedral , was begun, for which he borrowed considerable funds from the Holy Synod. He also initiated the start of the revision and correction of the sacred and liturgical books in Georgian, for which a special commission was formed. Vladyka Nikon succeeded in introducing the election of the clergy of the Tiflis diocese and the city of Baku (which was unprecedented for Russia); theological subjects began to be taught in Georgian in Georgian theological schools. At his request, significant funds were allocated for the improvement of parish schools. He supported the creation of a religious and philosophical society in Tiflis. Over time, the Georgian clergy decided to partially remove the boycott, and, not recognizing the legitimate archpastor of Georgia in the Exarch, began, however, to enter into administrative-official relations with him.

Archbishop Nikon also secured the allocation of funds to correct the publication of the Bible and liturgical books in Ossetian and Abkhazian languages. After his death, Bishop Dimitry of Sokhumi (Sperovsky) evaluated the activities of the Exarch as follows:

Thanks to powerful support, the Abkhaz translation commission managed to translate and print the rites of the Divine Liturgy, baptism, weddings and burials within one year, with sacred hymns laid on notes. Last fall, we had the opportunity to solemnly open a divine service in the Abkhaz language in my personal presence. Hearing the word of God and prayers in their native language, the Abkhazians came in great joy. This was a great apostolic work, which the deceased martyr archpastor did for them.

Doom

On May 28, 1908, he was mortally wounded by pistol shots on the stairs of the Georgian-Imereti Synodal Office; the killers fled the scene. He died after 20-30 minutes after the assassination attempt.

According to his will, he was buried in the Cathedral of the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir, in a zinc coffin, in the southwestern corner, at the feet of the tomb of the Archbishop of Vladimir and Suzdal Sergius (Spassky) .

Opponents of autocephalists accused adherents of Georgian autocephaly (including from the hierarchs) of involvement in the death of Bishop, but failed to prove anything.

Had orders: St. Vladimir 3rd degree (1899), St. Anna 1st degree (1902); in 1907, a diamond cross was awarded for wearing on a hood .

1. “ Governmental Newsletter ”. May 30, 1908 ( June 12 ), No. 117, p. 3 (obituary and other materials).
2. His Eminence Nikon, Archbishop of Kartalinsky and Kakheti, Exarch of Georgia (1861-1908). M., 1909.

• Nikon, Archbishop of Kartala and Kakheti, Exarch of Georgia
• In memory of His Eminence Nikon (Sofia)
• Biography
• Bondarenko I.I., Klimov D.V. Victims of Political Terror in Russia (1901-1912) / Terrorism in Russia at the Beginning of the 20th Century // Historical Bulletin . - T. 2 [149]. - December 2012). - S. 190-215.