Saint Tikhon (Belavin)

Saint Tikhon (Belavin) (1865-1925)

Vasily may be spelt Basil, Vasilii, Vasili, Vasilis, Vasiliy, Vassil, Vassily, as well as Basile, Basilic, Basilie, Basilio, Bazil, Vasile, Vasileos, Vasilij, Vasilije, Vasilios, Vasilius, Vasilus, Vaso, Vasos, Vassilij, Vasya, Wassily, Wasyl.

Tikhon may be spelt Tihon, Tychon, Tykhon.

Belavin may be spelt Bellavin.

Early life of Vasily Ivanovich Belavin

On 19 January, 1865, Vasily Ivanovich Belavin was born into the family of the Priest Ioann and Matushka Anna Belavin. Father Ioann was the priest of the Holy Transfiguration Temple in Toropets, in the Tver diocese, in the Pskov Governorate of the Russian Empire. The city, Tver, is about 180 km (112 mi) northwest of Moscow.

Vasily Ivanovich was raised in the bosom of the Russian Orthodox Church, and he received his primary and secondary education in his home village. He entered the Toropets Spiritual School in 1872.

His childhood and adolescence were spent in the village in direct contact with peasants and their labour. From his early years, he displayed a particular religious disposition, love for the Church as well as rare meekness and humility. When Vasily was still a boy, his father had a revelation about each of his children. One night, when he and his 3 sons slept in the hayloft, he suddenly woke up and roused them. In a dream, he had seen his dead mother, who foretold to him his imminent death, and the future of his 3 sons. One would need protection throughout his entire life ; another would die young (and be brought back to Toropets) ; the third, Vasily, would be a great man. The prophecy of the dead woman proved to be entirely accurate in regard to all 3 brothers.

Higher education, 1878-1888

From 1878 to 1884, Vasily Ivanovich studied at the Pskov Theological Seminary in the Pskov Diocese.

In 1884, at the age of 19, Vasily Ivanovich entered the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy (a year younger than usual).

Vasily was a popular youth : humble, pious, kind, warm, respectful, unaffected, gentle, simple, witty, and always willing to help others with their lessons. He was appointed to be the Librarian of the Student Collection, and he took an active part in all areas of student life, while shunning the temptations of youth. “Amongst his comrades he enjoyed an indisputable authority. His comrades valued his natural intelligence, goodness, and kindness”, and were unwittingly drawn to him. He was affectionately nicknamed “the patriarch” by his fellow-students. He was serious, but he also had a sense of humour.

Like other student bodies of this period, the academy also had both traditionalists and radical reformers. There were readers of L Tolstoi and K Marx. There were many debates.

In 1887, Vasily Ivanovich was present when the rector of the academy, Metropolitan Antoniy (Vadkovskiy), tonsured his friend and room-mate Iakov Bekarevich to be a monk. Francesca Silano reports in her thesis that the metropolitan reminded the candidate :

 that the monk was 'called upon, according to the custom of our Church, to serve as a pastor, [...]
 [to] cultivate and establish in his own soul this need to love God in people'.  He should be so 
 steeped in the love of God that he could love all people.  Like Jesus, he was to be the shepherd 
 who sought out the lost sheep, a pastor for all those 'seeking assistance, support, comfort and 
 consolation'.  The learned monk was one whose vocation to monasticism outside the walls of the 
 monastery allowed him to reach all people, but only if he, himself, was rooted in the love of God 
 gained in deep contemplative prayer.  Vadkovskydrew upon topoi generally reserved for monks living 
 in seclusion to describe the vocation of the learned monk in modern society.  The young Tikhon must 
 surely have been influenced by this description of the learned monk’s vocation, especially given his
 closeness to Bekarevich.   

The manner in which he served as a pastor in the future supports her supposition.

On 11 June, 1888, Vasily Ivanovich completed his programme at age 23, and he graduated from the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy. His thesis at graduating was “Quesnel and His Relationship to Jansenism”. He was still a layman (a rarity in those days), and he was a Candidate (Master of Theology). He enjoyed the right to receive the degree of Master of Theology without having to take an additional oral examination.

At the final serving of the Divine Liturgy for that academic year, Vasily Ivanovich and his classmates listened to the parting words of their rector, Metropolitan Antoniy (Vadkovskiy). Amongst other things, in commenting on the Gospel reading of the day, in which the Saviour had prayed that the apostles be one as He and the Father are one, Metropolitan Antoniy explained (as written by Francesca Silano) that

 Jesus wanted His apostles to remain united as He sent them out 'like sheep amongst wolves'.  The same 
 was true for the students who were now graduating.  They were heading out to begin their 'apostolate',   
 to reap the fruits of their education.  In typical fashion, Vadkovskiy insisted that they were about 
 to undertake this mission in 'exceptional circumstances'.  'We are experiencing one of the most
 important moments in our history', he continued.  People’s 'consciousness' was expanding, and their 
 'religious needs and demands' were becoming increasingly evident.  The students had a responsibility 
 as in no other time to attend to those needs, always remaining 'united in faith'.  With that, he himself 
 sent the graduates out to be 'apostles' to the Russian people.  

Soon after this, Metropolitan Antoniy wrote a letter to Bishop Germogen (Dobronravin) of Pskov and Porkhov, in which he highly recommended Vasily Ivanovich for employment as a teacher in the seminary there. In his letter, according to Francesca Silano,

 Antoniy noted, however, that while it was true that Bellavin studied very well, he was, besides that,
 deeply 'religious' ('tserkovnyi') in the sense of being immersed in the life of the Church.  In this 
 regard, Vadkovskiy wrote, 'he was outstanding among the students'.  This statement, along with his
 choice of Bellavin as librarian, indicates that Vadkovskiy likely saw in Bellavin a model of the
 kind of Orthodox engagement with the world that Antoniy continually proposed to his students.  What 
 is perhaps most striking is that, in a class in which a few young men had taken the tonsure, Vadkovskiy 
 singled out Bellavin, who was neither a priest nor a monk, for his religiosity. 

In Pskov, Vasily Ivanovich returned to the Pskov Seminary, where he became an instructor of Moral Theology, Dogmatic Theology, Homiletics, and French. As a teacher, he gave attention with kindness to the needs of the pupils. He also provided his helpful support in their conflicts with the authorities when they occurred. This was rare in a time of cold formalism. He lived very simply in the mezzanine (a small, partitioned room) of a simple wooden house near Saint Nikolai of Usokhi Temple, in a very friendly atmosphere. In the seminary, he was accepted as an authoritative person, even amongst those who had recently known him as a student.

Monastic tonsure, 1891

In early December, 1891, at the age of 26, Vasily Ivanovich petitioned Bishop Germogen (Dobronravin) of Pskov and Porkhov that he be tonsured as a monk.

On 14 December, 1891, in the Seminary Chapel, he made his monastic profession with full consciousness and determination, and he was tonsured to be a monk by Bishop Germogen. Thus, he began a new life, not as a family man, but dedicating and offering himself entirely to the service of the Church. He was given the name Tikhon in honour of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk.

About the tonsure, his classmate (later Protopresbyter) Konstantin Gavrillovich Izraztsov (a missionary in South America) later recalled :

 Throughout the academic course, he was secular and did not show any particular monastic inclinations. 
 His monasticism after graduating from the Academy was therefore for many of his comrades a complete surprise.

According to Francesca Silano, the Monk Tikhon (Belavin) explained matters to his longtime friend Peter Bulgakov :

 In your letter, you wrote that the news of my tonsure came as little surprise to you. [...] 
 Indeed, during my time at the academy, my soul was drawn to the monastic life.  But I did not 
 dare to take the tonsure, first because I wanted to test myself.  At any rate, I knew myself 
 less then than I do today.  Second, I dare say that if I were to have taken the tonsure 
 immediately after graduating, I would, like other young monks, have been given a commanding post 
 despite my lack of experience.  In most cases, this seems to be accompanied by a certain amount 
 of harm, both to individuals and to the work itself. 

She continues the citation :

 He went on to describe how, at Christmas, he had gone to St. Petersburg where he had met with 
 Vladimir Sabler who had told Tikhon that he would surely be given an administrative position. 
 Tikhon lamented this state of affairs which would see him promoted to a position for which he 
 felt ill-prepared, but insisted that he would have to accept it.  'What can you do ?' he wrote, 
 'more than anyone, a monk should stock up on patience and humility ; at the same time, he should 
 not feel sorry for himself, nor spare himself.  Still, the way in which such affairs were arranged 
 remained distasteful to me.  To use the monastic rank in order to gain prestige was a betrayal 
 of the monastic vocation.  Is it not clear that we have failed in our dealings, that we are more 
 concerned about ourselves [...] than we are about the work ? And while this might be understandable 
 and excusable in people who have bound themselves to the gains of this life, how can we, who have 
 renounced the world, justify ourselves ? ! With all of my heart I wish for you steadfastness in 
 the pursuit of the ideals of truth and goodness.

Diaconal ordination, 1891

On 15 December, 1891, the Monk Tikhon (Belavin) was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by Bishop Germogen in the Pskov Holy Trinity cathedral.

Presbyteral ordination, 1892

On 22 December, 1891, the Hierodeacon Tikhon (Belavin) was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Bishop Germogen in the Pskov Holy Trinity cathedral.

Pastoral service

In 1892, soon after his ordination, the Hieromonk Tikhon (Belavin) was elevated to the responsibility of Seminary Inspector in Pskov.

On 17 March, 1892, the Hieromonk Tikhon (Belavin) was transferred from the Pskov Seminary to Kholm (now Chełm), and to the Theological Seminary of the Kholm Diocese in Poland, where he began as a supervisor (inspector).

Then, on 24 May, 1892, he was briefly assigned to serve as the rector of the Kazan Theological School in Kazan.

At the same time in 1892, the Hieromonk Tikhon (Belavin) was raised to the dignity of archimandrite.

However, shortly afterwards, on 15 July, 1892, Archimandrite Tikhon (Belavin) was sent back to Chełm to serve as the rector of the seminary there. In Chełm, he exhibited great administrative abilities, tact (learnt by experience), and an easy disposition and charm. These simple, unaffected manners endeared him to the local population. He improved the students’ discipline and living conditions, and he introduced daily liturgical services for them. During the Advent (Nativity Fast) and Great Lent, he preached sermons to them in the Church of Saint Theodosius of Chernigov. He also accepted wider responsibilities in the Archdiocese of Chełm/Warsaw.

Primarily because of his God-given and great abilities, and his nobility of spirit, Archimandrite Tikhon served in a multi-faceted and fruitful manner : as the personal assistant to Archbishop Flavian (Gorodentskiy) ; as Dean of Monasteries ; as President of the Chełm division of the Diocesan Educational Council ; as President of the Orthodox Brotherhood of the Mother of God ; as Censor for the Brotherhood’s publications. His gentle and unprovocative ways also helped him to work amongst the Polish Roman Catholic majority population in that region. Much of this area had been torn away from the Orthodox Christian Faith, and it was forced into the Unia 300 years earlier. It had been partially reclaimed for the Orthodox Faith a mere quarter-century previously.

On 6 May, 1895, Archimandrite Tikhon (Belavin) was awarded the Order of Saint Anna, Second Degree.

In late 1896, Archimandrite Tikhon's reputation had grown so much through his labours in the diocese, that Archbishop Flavian (Gorodetskiy) nominated him to the Most Holy Governing Synod to become his vicar-bishop in the newly-vacant vicariate of Lublin. However, the archimandrite had not yet reached the canonical age of 33, so the nomination was refused. Thus, the archbishop managed without the needed help until the archimandrite had arrived at the correct age. Archbishop Flavian again nominated Archimandrite Tikhon, and this time the nomination was blessed. In the refusal of the nomination and its later acceptance can perhaps be seen a first hint of the multitude of challenges which the future confessor/hieromartyr would face.

Episcopal Ordination, 1897

On 19 October, 1897, Archimandrite Tikhon was ordained to the Holy Episcopate by Metropolitan Palladiy (Raev) of Saint Petersburg and Ladoga, together with Archbishop Arseniy (Bryantsev) of Kazan ; Archbishop Antoniy (Vadkovsskiy) of Vyborg and Finland ; Bishop Ioann (Kratirov) of Narva ; and Bishop Guriy (Burtasovskiy) of Samara, in the Holy Trinity Sobor of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg.

Bishop Tikhon (Belavin)

Episcopal service

Lublin, Poland, 1897

At the time of his episcopal ordination, Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) was assigned to serve as the Bishop of Lublin, which was a vicariate of the Diocese of Chełm (Kholm). As Vicar-Bishop of Lublin, he then returned to Kholm for what would be less than a year. He zealously devoted his energy to the establishment of the new vicariate, which in time became the Diocese of Lublin and Kholm. Bishop Tikhon's attractive moral make-up won the general affection not only of the Russian-Ukrainian population, but also of the Lithuanians and Poles. His pastoral, paternal love not only for the Orthodox, but for others as well, bore fruit in part in the return of many Uniats (Greek Catholics) to Orthodoxy.

He steadily gained a reputation as a respected peacemaker and unifier. He was not prone to using force, but rather he issued a gracious call from his kind heart ; he offered a helping hand, and he radiated joy. He served the Divine Liturgy solemnly on Sundays and on Feast-days, and he served Saturday services before the beloved Wonder-working Icon of Our Lady of Chełm. In the 11 months of his service there as a bishop, he made over 120 pastoral visits, and he preached at every service, always before a large congregation.

On 14 September, 1898, when word arrived about his assignment to the Diocese of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska (in actuality, the whole of North America), tears flowed in abundance in Chełm. Even Archbishop Flavian’s successor, Bishop Gideon (Pokrovskiy), is said to have wept publicly when he was informed that he was losing such an effective assistant. Crowds even larger than normal flocked to Vladyka Tikhon's final services, and many delegations appeared in order to pay their respects. His archdeacon recorded that “even the Jews were amazed at why they would take from Chełm ‘such a good bishop’”. There was, however, considerable wisdom in the Most Holy Synod’s decision. The vast majority of the Orthodox flock in America shared the same background as the Faithful of Chełm, amongst whom he had enjoyed such great success. For the movement from Unia to Orthodoxy to continue, a leader of Bishop (Saint) Tikhon’s proven abilities was clearly required.

His farewell Divine Liturgy in the Chełm Archdiocese, served on 11 October, was concelebrated with priests from across the region. Then, at the end of his farewell talk, he bowed to the earth, and he asked forgiveness, and the people wept aloud. In the evening, after boarding a train for Saint Petersburg, distraught people from all walks of life sought to block his departure by lying down on the railway tracks. When he begged them to let him depart in peace, they sorrowfully obeyed. The bishop stopped en route in Pskov to visit his former colleagues, and in Klin to see his mother and kinsfolk.

He spent 26 October to 15 November in the northern capital (Saint Petersburg), as he prepared for his new service, and spoke with anyone who might be able to teach him something about his new flock. He learned that he was succeeding a very popular hierarch, who had turned around a failing “enterprise”, and who had given hopeful confidence to his flock. Indeed, following after the work of Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov) would be a formidable task for the young hierarch.

Assignment to the Diocese of the Aleutians and Alaska, 1898

At that time, the North American Mission was rapidly expanding, while Russian Government funds supporting it remained unchanged. It would be necessary that he grow quickly into the position of being the de facto representative of all the Eastern Orthodox Church in the “New World” (as were his predecessors), at a time when that Church was attracting the attention of many other Christians who were seeking rapprochement and friendship. Simultaneously, he would be perceived to be the representative of Russia (despite the presence of a formal diplomatic corps). Unlike diplomats, the bishop is amongst the people constantly. He was for them the image of the Russian Orthodox Church, and beyond it of the whole society. He had to weigh his every word and action.

At 8:15 p.m. on 17 November, 1898, in Saint Petersburg, an apprehensive Bishop Tikhon boarded a train, bound for Warsaw. At the railway station, in order to bid him farewell, were : the Assistant Ober-Procurator, K Sabler ; Academy Professor P I Zhukovich ; A P Lopukhin ; I S Pal’mov, and other former colleagues (diocesan clergy, seminary professors, and students). He asked the forgiveness of each of them, and he gave a blessing to each one. The bishop’s younger brother, Mikhail Belavin, who would serve as his personal secretary, and 2 cantors, Benedict Ieronimovich Turkevich and N F Grivskiy (who had come over from San Francisco as an escort), accompanied him to his new post in North America.

Their route took them through Verzhbolobo, Eidkunen, Berlin, Paris, and Le Havre. In Berlin, he met with the Archpriest A P Mal’tsev of the Embassy Church there, and also the diplomatic staff. He did the same in Paris, where he celebrated the Vigil for the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple. The ship “Champagne” sailed from Le Havre at midday, on what would be a smooth passage.

Bishop Tikhon (Belavin)

Mission in North America : the Diocese of the Aleutians and Alaska, 1898

The bishop and his companions docked in New York City on 12 December (New Style), but they were forced by regulatory statutes to spend the first night in quarantine. Therefore, a large crowd of clergy and laity that had assembled to greet him had to return home in disappointment. The Orthodox Christian Faithful of North America were most anxious to meet (and to assess) this new hierarch.

Early the next morning, the Arabic-speaking Orthodox of the Greater New York Area were prominent in the crowd at the foot of the gangplank by which the new bishop descended from the ship to the pier. Following short words of welcome by the Russian General Consul V A Teplov, and Mr. Peters (who led a delegation of intellectuals from the newspaper “Russkaia Beseda”, "Russian Conversaton"), one of the Syrian poets offered an Arabic panegyric to their new “Sayidna”, which their pastor, Archimandrite Raphael (Hawaweeny) translated into Russian for his benefit. At the conclusion of his translation, Father Raphael, with Father Ephrem, and Archimandrite Anatoliy (recently of Sitka), escorted Bishop Tikhon into Manhattan, and to the Russian Saint Nicholas Cathedral for the “Moleben (prayer service) of Thanksgiving”.

The Cathedral Dean, Father (Hieromartyr) Alexander Hotovitzky, delivered the official welcoming speech the next morning. In this speech, he diplomatically veiled the apprehension that some clergy and people felt concerning this transition to a new hierarch  :

 You have now put your episcopal hand on the rudder [...] O Master ! There are many wild branches in the vineyard 
 which the Lord has made your lot : childish whims and the stubbornness of human hearts — and the whims of 
 children who lack their father’s kindness [...].  Faithlessness preys on the people’s hearts here ; our brothers, 
 segregated by the heterodox milieu and oppressed by need, have fallen here, members of the holy Church.  The 
 Uniat hosts are blinded ; they scorn truth and veracity ; for them, Orthodoxy is hateful ! [...] And in Alaska, there 
 are the fervent tears of the unfairly-treated Orthodox sons of our Church ! [...] A difficult and sorrowful path – 
 but is it not through this struggle that you will achieve your purpose ? The Lord, who cares for all will not 
 leave your zeal, love, care in vain, but will allow us to see the moment when your flock will, in return, for 
 the care you show it, call your name blessed.  Then the Lord who cares for all will accept their prayers, and, 
 in return for the moments and spiritual difficulties and physical ills, will crown you with a heavenly reward 
 [...].  Where the labours are great, the crown is great too ! May the Lord give you strength in this new apostolic 
 labour !

Vladyka Tikhon (Belavin) responded :

 ‘May Thy Kingdom come !’ That is, may Orthodoxy spread in this land of religious freedom to which those 
 enslaved in false obedience to the Pope in the Old Country are constantly streaming ; our common task is to 
 allow ‘the inner powers of our soul to go out to meet God’s mercy !' 

Father Raphael then stated the question most clearly. Speaking on behalf of “the whole twenty-thousand Orthodox Syro-Arabic colony, both in New York and the whole United States”, he dutifully pledged the community’s complete loyalty. He then asked that, in return, Bishop Tikhon

 continue to show all of us Orthodox Syro-Arabs who live within your Divinely-protected Diocese, the same 
 maternal love, paternal care, and archpastoral attention that your Most Reverend predecessor showed us [...]. 

Responding in equally concrete terms, Bishop Tikhon vowed that he would be

 equally well-disposed to all Orthodox of whatever nationality, for Orthodoxy is catholic ; if in Russia we do 
 not experience that catholicity, so to speak, it is because all Orthodox there are Russians.  But here, outside 
 of Russia, where under the roof of an Orthodox Church the Russian, the Greek, the Arab, etc., are all 
 striving equally — the concept of catholicity is fully clear for us. 

Then, blessing the congregation, he departed to the rectory for a joyous, festive tea. There, he received representatives of the brotherhoods, the parishes, and a few Americans. The new hierarch made a very good impression. The next day, he received such notable clergymen as Fathers Alexis Toth, M Balog, and Gregory Grushka. He was certainly inclusive as a pastor, as he followed the example of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 by becoming "all things to all men".

Thus, Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) followed and took up the work of his predecessor, Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov), the 5th bishop to serve as the Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska. Bishop Tikhon was now the 6th bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska. This diocese could claim Saint Innocent (Veniaminov) in its lineage of bishops, although Saint Innocent had actually been the Bishop of Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands (which included Alaska). Bishop Tikhon now stepped into the missionary field which had been established after 1794 by the Russian missionary monks, amongst whom were Saint Herman of Alaska and Saint Juvenaly (Hovorukhin) of Alaska. Here, Bishop Tikhon was responsible for laying a solid foundation for the future growth and development of the Orthodox Church on the North American continent.

On his first full morning in his new responsibility, Bishop Tikhon celebrated his first Divine Liturgy in the makeshift Russian cathedral. At that time, he ordained a man to the Holy Diaconate in order to serve there. For some reason, Bishop Nicholas had unusually managed to serve without a deacon. Preaching on the pericope (see Matthew 23:13-22) of the Pharisees who withhold the keys of the Kingdom to those desirous of entering, he warned that the Russians, without becoming proud, must understand that God will judge them if they fail to proclaim the truth of Orthodoxy to those in the country where they now lived, and who find themselves, unknowingly, lost in errors. Zeal, he declared, is absolutely required of North American Orthodox Christians.

The next morning, he demonstrated his determination to serve all the Orthodox Christians equally, by celebrating his second Divine Liturgy in the Saint Nicholas Syro-Arabic Church in Brooklyn, where he ordained another man to the Holy Diaconate. Having ministered to the largest Orthodox Christian community in the major port of entry for all immigrant groups, Bishop Tikhon, accompanied by Father Hotovitzky, set out on a cross-country tour which would end at his San Francisco Cathedral See. As he left New York, the bishop left the distinct impression amongst the clergy and laity alike that Divine Providence had sent them a man who would not seek his own good. Rather, he would continue and build upon all the good which Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov) had done ; that the Orthodox Church in North America would, as they had hoped but scarcely dared to believe, go “from glory to glory”.

Saint Nicholas Cathedral Brooklyn

After visiting Washington, DC, the bishop crossed Pennsylvania on Saturday, and on Sunday, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy in Allegheny (Pittsburgh). There, he ordained a local man to the Holy Priesthood. Afterwards, he visited with clergy gathered from as far away as Osceola Mills and Cleveland. In Chicago on Monday morning, he spent a few hours at the Temple, where he visited with Father John Kochurov, whose relatives he had met in Russia. He then proceeded fairly swiftly and directly for the west coast. He arrived in San Francisco on 23 December.

From the ambo at Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco, Bishop Tikhon proclaimed the major theme of his episcopacy. Citing Hosea 2:23, “a people not my people”, he discussed the relationship of bishop to people in biblical and patristic terms — as the marital relationship between husband and wife. He invited the clergy to serve as his advisors, and the people, being members of the Church, to make full use of their gifts as members of the Body of Christ.

The immediate impression was the pleasant, if disarming, one of a completely atypical Russian bishop. He was not at all pompous, and completely unpretentious. In his office, Bishop Tikhon spoke simply and with humour and tact. He reproved lovingly and with a disarming air of jocularity. He was utterly simple and genuinely friendly. People responded to him with undisguised love. He was accessible and responsive to the people’s needs, meticulous about details, yet able to grasp the whole of a situation. Anything that could be blessed, he blessed (and as expeditiously as possible). He needed this, for difficult steps were clearly required if the diocese were to be stabilised. No longer anyone’s assistant, but with the full responsibility on his shoulders, he rapidly matured into a most able administrator under very delicate circumstances.

Above all, he had to inspire the often parsimonious parishioners to shoulder the responsibility for their own Temples, and to be weaned from their accustomed subsidies. This meant that he had to counter the unrelenting Uniat propaganda that the “Moskaly” were richly endowed. In fact, the available funding fell far short of allowing anyone (much less everyone) the possibility of having a place of worship and clergy to serve them, were the parishioners still to have no personal cost or responsibility. Were it true that such generous subsidies existed, the formation of new missions (which were almost always the result of mass defections from the Unia) could have been severely impeded if such supposed subsidies were to be suddenly stopped and the existence of a mission were made contingent upon the parishioners’ pledge of adequate financial support for their pastor.

However, in fact, this policy about parish and personal financial responsibility succeeded in rallying the converts. It gave them a sense of belonging and of responsibility. This, in turn, made it possible to ask that they share responsibility for the upkeep of institutions outside their local parish which served the larger needs of the entire Mission : the Seminary in Minneapolis ; the proposed monastery ; the Cathedral in New York City. The exceedingly “hard nut” of parochialism was successfully cracked, and people who tended to yield to the temptation of division learned to live together in peace and agreement.

Saint Nicholas Cathedral : 15 East 97 Street, New York City

Saint Mary's Church, and the seminary, Minneapolis

In his early years, Bishop Tikhon was the only bishop on the continent. As a result, he had to meet the pastoral and spiritual needs of Yup'iks, Aleuts (Unangans), Alutiiqs, Tlingits, Athabascans, other indigenous peoples, Anglo-Americans, Hispano-Americans, Anglo-Canadians, Franco-Canadians, Syrians, Greeks, Galicians, Carpatho-Rusyns, Russians, Serbs, Romanians, Bukovinians, Bulgarians, Albanians and others. It was during his time as the Bishop of the Aleutians (beginning in 1898 in San Francisco) that the emigration from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean Countries to North America increased greatly.

Year 1899

The year 1899 was very full for the new bishop. From late April through early June, he crisscrossed the continent (mostly using the railway, but sometimes also horses). In so doing, he became acquainted with 18 communities. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, he spent time with the seminarians in the mission/pastoral school which Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov) had moved there from San Francisco. Vladyka Tikhon held conferences with the clergy. He presided at a convention of the Russian Brotherhoods Organisation, and he enjoined them to practice true brotherhood. Returning to New York on 20-22 May, he celebrated with the Arabic-speaking Syrians even before serving with his own "Russians" (this term can only refer to those who came from the Russian Empire, since very many were not from "Great Russia").

En route to Galveston, Texas, on the return journey to the west, Bishop Tikhon made the best of a prolonged stop in Houston. There, he invited representatives of the small colony of Christian Arabic-speakers to discuss their spiritual needs with him. Before leaving the bishop’s quarters late at night, a poet delivered a florid, impromptu poem expressing his people’s “profound love for the Archpastor of all Orthodox” in America.

Vladyka Tikhon dedicated late June through early September to a visitation of the largest and most accessible settlements along the coastline of Alaska. This journey covered 15,509 km (9,637 mi). In Saint Michael's Cathedral in Sitka (the former Novo-Arkhangelsk), he felt the proximity of his great predecessor, (Saint) Archbishop Innocent (Veniaminov). He venerated the Altar Blessing Cross with which the saint had blessed the Faithful ; he celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the antimension which the saint had signed ; he stood on the eagle-rug ("orlets") which the saint's daughter, the nun Polyxenia, had woven with her own hands.

Bishop Tikhon made a point of visiting the Serbian Orthodox community in Jackson, California, where he was welcomed by (Saint) Father Sebastian (Dabovich), the first American-born Orthodox priest. He offered the bishop the following words :

 May you and this little-cultivated field enjoy forever that blessing of the Apostles, the success of the 
 great Hellenic hierarchs, the power of the Syrian martyrs, the prayers of the Russian monks, and with them, 
 the Serbian miracle-worker, Bishop Savva.  Amen. 

In December of that year, he again journeyed to the east coast in order to celebrate the "Winter Pascha" holidays in New York, and to inspect final plans for the building of Temples there and in Chicago. On the day after the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, he honoured Archimandrite Raphael’s request to ordain Michael Husan to the Holy Diaconate. After the ordination, he assigned Deacon Michael to the parish in Lowell, Massachusetts. On the eve of his departure for the west, he stood as godfather for a Syrian baby.

Year 1900 : Diocese name-change, “Diocese of the Aleutians and North America”

Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) was travelling constantly by rail and by ship, by horse and by foot. He visited the developing communities of immigrants, and he helped to organise them ecclesiastically and civilly. He blessed the foundation and organisation of parishes throughout Canada and the USA.

Following his first full year in North America, Bishop Tikhon settled into a more realistic, somewhat less-taxing, if not perfectly-balanced schedule. Now, he made alternate-year visitations to Alaska on the one hand, and to the rest of the Mission on the other. Holy Week and the Feast of Pascha were kept in his cathedral, and then it was time again to travel.

In May, 1900, Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) boarded a ship, and he sailed to Alaska for a 78-day pastoral visit. This time, he travelled inland, and he thus became the first bishop in 55 years to penetrate some parts of Alaska's vast interior. About much of his journey of 11,748 km (7,300 mi), an Alaskan veteran wrote :

The inconveniences of travel in this region often oppress even the local people who are used to them.  How 
much more difficult must our travels have been for the bishop, a novice.  But not only did the bishop never 
express fatigue or inconvenience, he even inspired cheerfulness in us by his good-natured attitude toward the
various inconveniences.

The local indigenous peoples gave him the nickname "Aliutukhta" in their language, and he treated them as though they were his own children. He ate with them ; and like them, he ate from a common pot. He taught them ; he offered them gifts ; he administered medicine as he visited the sick ; and he most memorably celebrated beautiful and impressive services for them.

By 1900, there was so much immigration to the eastern USA that Vladyka Tikhon understood that a reorganisation of the diocese was required. He therefore petitioned the Most Holy Synod in Saint Petersburg for this change. Thus, during that year, the Most Holy Synod blessed the change of name from the “Diocese of the Aleutians and Alaska” to the “Diocese of the Aleutians and North America”.

November, 1900 : Bishop Tikhon, Hieromonk Sebastian (Dabovich) and Priest Alexander Kochurov attend the ordination of an Anglican Bishop in Wisconsin

There were many new communities being established in the area round about New York, New Jersey, and other east-coast states. In 1901, for example, it is recorded that Father (Hieromartyr) Alexander Hotovitzky addressed a group of Faithful who were preparing to build a church in Watervliet, New York. “Orthodox America 1794-1976” gives us this record of his words to them :

 You are a grain of mustard seed that shall rise and grow till its branches overshadow the earth. You are few 
 but this work is the work of God.  His smile is upon you, and your children shall fill the land forever. 

It was this great influx of immigrants that Bishop Tikhon immediately began to address pastorally by his personal presence. He further demonstrated his commitment as archpastor and father by soon becoming a citizen of the USA.

Year 1901 : early stabilisation of Canadian parishes and administration ; other pastoral visits

In the spring of 1901, the bishop travelled eastwards from San Francisco by railway. The highlight of this journey was the blessing of the cornerstone for the new Saint Nicholas Cathedral in New York City. He increasingly was becoming an apologist for the Orthodox Christian Faith, as he had to counter false claims by the Uniats. He sanctified many newly-constructed and renovated Temples for those who had left the Roman Catholic (Greek Catholic) church. He spent a substantial amount of time in the Greater Pittsburgh Area, which was rapidly expanding as a centre of Orthodoxy ; Galician Uniats were returning to their ancestral Orthodox Christian Faith in large numbers ; Serbians and Arabic-speakers were requesting pastors.

In May, the Allegheny Arabic-speaking Syrians held a dinner in his honour. The bishop repaid their hospitality by giving each one there a flower, along with a blessing. In August, Vladyka Tikhon sanctified the Pan-Orthodox Temple of Saint Spiridon in Seattle, Washington, during which he used a mixture of English, Greek, and Church Slavonic.

After this, he made his first crossing of the border into Canada.

This was his first archpastoral visit to Canada, which was also accomplished by using the railway. First, he travelled north to Vancouver, British Columbia, and then eastwards to Calgary, Alberta, and finally northwards to Edmonton, Alberta. In doing so, he retraced the fundamental route of the first missionaries, Father Dimitry Kamnev and Deacon Vladimir Alexandrov, who had been sent in 1898 by Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov) to organise the new Orthodox Christian settlements and parish communities near Edmonton, Alberta. It is entirely likely that he visited the small Greek Orthodox community in the Vancouver region, as they had done, but it is not written. From Edmonton, he visited many communities on the prairies of Canada. Sadly and painfully, during this visit, he suffered serious leg injuries which he sustained in an accident with the carriage in which he was driven.

After the first visit to Canada in 1901, Vladyka (Saint) Tikhon ordered icons, relics and other necessities for several Temples across the prairies, and one of these relics was of the Great Virgin Martyr Barbara. He helped the forming communities to organise themselves in the context of civil law (meaning that they became legal entities). The format which he offered allowed a reasonable approximation to normal Orthodox ecclesiastical polity. The format had to allow for the requirements of Canadian laws. Therefore, although he was prepared to incorporate the bishop of the diocese, he was not able to achieve the usual ownership of all the properties under the bishop's authority. Although the Roman Catholics and Anglicans had such provisions because of their already lengthy history on Canadian territory, the current rules preferred the ownership of parish properties by the parishioners themselves.

In September, Bishop Tikhon boarded a ship for a brief visit to Sitka. He had made this arrangement since he knew that in 1902, he would have to attend to matters in New York City and in the eastern USA.

During 1901, Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) received notice that he had been awarded the Order of Saint Vladimir, Third Degree.

Year 1902 : transfer of diocesan centre from San Francisco to New York City

By 1902, Bishop Tikhon was more than ever convinced that San Francisco must yield to New York City as the diocesan see. Work began on providing him a permanent residence in that city. The construction of Saint Nicholas Cathedral had not met the contract deadline (because of a very difficult winter), so the planned sanctification was postponed until the autumn, and the neighboring parishes received a far larger portion of their bishop’s time than anticipated. Diocesan matters on the east coast continued to be pressing, so for the first time in history, hierarchical services were celebrated in and around New York City during the early part of Great Lent.

During the second week of Great Lent, Father Raphael (Hawaweeny) and his fellow clergy were pleased to meet and welcome into their midst Father Alexander Nemolovskiy (a man who would play an important part in their lives within several decades), as he arrived from Russia via Bremen on 2 March. They had some time to become acquainted with him before he set off on 27 March for his first assignment in Catasaqua, Pennsylvania.

Some missionary workers, 1902

On the second Sunday in Great Lent, Bishop Tikhon visited his Arabic-speaking Syrian flock in Brooklyn. Father (Saint) Raphael (Hawaweeny) had just returned from a pastoral visit in Mexico. He reported on the status of the church building fund in New York which, despite successful collections across the country, still fell short of what was needed to begin work. Father Raphael joined the bishop’s entourage for a visit to the Philadelphia Shipyards, where Bishop Tikhon blessed the newly-completed Russian battle-ship "Retvizan". The crew of this ship had been most generous to the American Mission during the 5 years of construction.

When Bishop Tikhon returned to New York City (and to his new apartment on East 97th Street) in the autumn of 1902, he sanctified 2 Temples which were dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra. The first was on Sunday, 27 October, 1902 : a renovated building for the Arabic-speaking Syrians at 299, Pacific Street in Brooklyn. The second was on 10 November, 1902 : the long-delayed future cathedral for the “Russians”. To Father Raphael’s flock he said :

 We rejoice because we are your brothers in Faith.  We have with you one Lord, one Faith, one system of 
 sacraments, and, here in America, one hierarchical principle.  We rejoice also because, just as in your 
 homeland of Syria, the Russian people co-operate with you in preserving your Faith and nationality, so too, 
 here, we have helped in building your church.  Here is a donation from our most pious Emperor, and a mite from 
 the spiritual authorities and local Russian people.  Therefore your church is near and dear to us as well.  
 Let today’s celebration of consecration bring us even closer together and bind us with the unbreakable bonds 
 of faith and love for Christ Jesus, to the greater glory of the Orthodox Church and to our common good.  

During this year, Bishop Tikhon and his administration made attempts to incorporate the bishop-and-diocese in the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa. However, federal incorporation by Parliament in Ottawa had been slowed by Protestant-minded and imperial British-minded MPs who did not care for this sort of “foreign bishop”. Of course, to them, such an Orthodox bishop would also have been considered to be too much like the Roman Catholics. However, it was the Québec-dominated Senate (hence Roman Catholic-dominated) which blocked the progress of the legislation.

Achieving this corporate status was crucial in the struggle to retain the Church of the Transfiguration in Star, northeast of Edmonton, as Bishop Tikhon had been advised by the legal firm Short and Cross in Edmonton. At that particular time, in what is now Alberta, there was a long-standing dispute about the ownership of this Temple. The dispute was between the Uniats (supported by the Roman Catholic bishop) and the Orthodox. This particular dispute was resolved in Bishop Tikhon's favour only when the matter was taken to the Privy Council in London, England. Nevertheless, as a result of this incorporation, there was an adequate foundation for the corporate existence of the Bishop of Canada and the parishes that he would bless into existence.

Bereavement : repose of Michael Belavin

When Bishop Tikhon received the news of the sudden death of his brother Michael Belavin in San Francisco on 16 December, 1902, he had to change his plans. He returned to San Francisco for a month, and then he spent Great Lent and the Feast of Pascha in the eastern USA, where he attended to the remaining scheduled sanctifications of Temples.

He petitioned the Holy Synod for a leave-of-absence in order to accompany his brother’s body home for burial ; to comfort his aged and now grieving mother in Toropets (she soon afterwards fell asleep in the Lord) ; and to conduct some official business (including participation in the glorification of Saint Seraphim of Sarov).

Year 1903 : bereavement furlough in Russia ; incorporation of the bishop-and-diocese in Canada

Permission from the Holy Governing Synod arrived on 24 February, 1903. En route to New York, and doubtless with a sense of relief after interminable planning and 1 year of actual construction, Bishop Tikhon sanctified the magnificent Temple of the Holy Trinity in Chicago.

In May, he accepted back into the fold of Orthodoxy the Uniat community in Mayfield, Pennsylvania, a community which very soon would prove pivotal in an event of surpassing importance for the entire Mission : the acquisition of farmland on which to establish Saint Tikhon’s Monastery.

Then, on 13 May, 1903, Bishop Tikhon boarded the "S S La Gascogne", as he left behind a melancholy flock.

"La Gascogne"

As one priest wrote :

 In him we had a Guardian Angel, protecting and encouraging us in the darkest moments when the ignorance of the 
 people whom we were called upon to save, and the continuous intrigues of the enemies of Orthodoxy contrived to 
 dash our brightest hopes and to frustrate our efforts — it was such a comfort to know that in difficult 
 moments, our leader was with us.

In July, the spiritual flock was further disheartened to learn that Bishop Tikhon had been elected to membership in the Holy Governing Synod, which obliged him to spend the next full year in Saint Petersburg. Gratitude for the honour and responsibility bestowed on their bishop could not offset fears for their own future. Numerous telegrammes were dispatched across the Atlantic Ocean, which entreated the authorities to send him back some day soon. Nevertheless, while he was serving on the Synod for 8 months, the bishop did not neglect his distant flock.

In Canada, overcoming many difficulties with the help of his senior clergy and lay advisors, Bishop Tikhon finally managed to incorporate the bishop-and-diocese through a 1903 act of the Northwest Territories Legislature (pre-Alberta and pre-Saskatchewan). As a result of these challenges, Bishop Tikhon was already gaining experience of governments that were resistant (if not hostile) to the Orthodox Faith. It was during 1902 and 1903 that Saint Tikhon strove to find a way to incorporate the bishop as a means to provide corporate status for the many Temples and communities being developed in Canada.

Father Iakov Korchinsky was very much involved in this process.

Year 1904 ; ordination of vicar-bishops

While he was yet in Saint Petersburg, Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) participated in the ordination to the Holy Episcopate of Archimandrite Innocent (Pustynsky). He became the Vicar-Bishop of Alaska. At the same time, he secured the blessing for the next episcopal ordination.

On the first Sunday after his return to North America, on 11 January, 1904, Bishop Tikhon declared :

 I have placed myself and my path in life in God’s care, and I rejoice that in the New Year I shall have to 
 cross the old field of my ministry — that I am amongst you again after an eight-month separation.  But while
 I was away physically, in spirit I remained always with you, and my link with my flock never broke.  Even in 
 Russia, I occupied myself with your concerns ; I was an advocate for your needs, and prayed constantly for you 
 whenever I served — for you, the flock which God has given me. I have gratifying witnesses that you, too, did 
 not forget me in my absence.

He turned next to the future :

 Let us [...] pray, labour, and work out our salvation, carrying each others’ burdens ! It is not to support that 
 former, old order of ecclesiastical life — that so-called spiritual ‘conservatism’ — that we are called by the 
 profound words of today’s epistle reading : ‘But continue in the things which you have learned and have
 been assured of, knowing of whom you have learnt them’ (2 Timothy 3:14). Rather, this scripture speaks only 
 of ‘remaining unshaken and faithful in preaching Christ’s truth’ — something that fans of innovations often 
 accuse [...] of amounting to stagnation and lifelessness.  

The next episcopal ordination was the ordination to the Holy Episcopate on 6 March, 1904, in New York, of the dynamic Bishop Saint Raphael (Hawaweeny) of Brooklyn (†1915). This ordination, which had the blessing of the Holy Governing Synod in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was accomplished by Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) and Bishop Innocent (Pustynsky) of Alaska. The ordination took place in the Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, and it was the first ordination of an Orthodox bishop on the continent. Bishop Raphael became the Vicar-Bishop of Brooklyn, and Bishop of the Arabic-speaking Syrian Mission (in those days sometimes called "Syro-Arab"). It can be said, therefore, that this ordination clearly underlines the continuity of the Church in North America with the Orthodox Churches throughout the world, and the Orthodox Churches in history, all the way to the Holy Apostles, to those ordained by them, and to their immediate successors, such as Saint Ignatius of Antioch. It also demonstrates the unity of the one Orthodox Church here in Canada (even if we do speak many different and unrelated languages).

Bishop Tikhon ; Bishop Innocent ; Bishop Raphael

Bishop Saint Raphael (Hawaweeny) was given primarily the responsibility of leading all those Christians who were arriving from the Middle East, although he also certainly spoke Russian. Saints Raphael and Tikhon were both self-emptying ("kenotic"), missionary-minded, Christ-loving shepherds. This significant pastoral act, the ordination of Bishop Raphael, was amongst the many other pastoral acts and deeds accomplished in just a few years, which reveal Saint Tikhon’s understanding of the visible unity which is the nature of the Orthodox Church. This unity that Saint Tikhon nurtured is precisely the expression of the teaching of the Apostle Paul concerning the Church as being the Body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12).

Later, in August, 1904, Bishop Tikhon proposed to the clergy that they undertake an expansion of the Minneapolis Seminary at Saint Mary's Church in that city.

Despite all his other work, from 1903 until 1908, Bishop Tikhon had to cope with the effects (particularly in Canada) of the "Seraphimite" schism. This had to do with the irregular ordination and arrival in Canada of the so-called "Metropolitan" Seraphim (Ustvolsky), who had established and proclaimed the "All-Russian Patriarchal Orthodox Church", and himself as "Bishop and Metropolitan of the Orthodox Russian Church for the whole of America". The situation required both his attention and the attention of Igumen Arseny (Chahovtsov) who was sent to Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1908.

Archbishop Tikhon made another pastoral visit to Canada during 1904, and he sanctified new rural and urban Orthodox Christian Temples there. Indeed, it was during the years of his pastoral responsibility in North America that very many churches and chapels were established across Canada. These provided the historical foundation of the present Archdiocese of Canada, and of many other dioceses not now a part of this administration. Many churches in rural Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and in Montréal, Québec, have celebrated their centennial anniversaries in the first several years of the present 21st century. Most of these were established through the blessing of Saint Tikhon, and some were actually sanctified by him during his pastoral visitations (such as Holy Trinity Sobor, Winnipeg, Manitoba ; Dormition of the Theotokos, Shandro ; Saints Peter and Paul, Dickie Bush ; Holy Trinity, Stary Wostok, and Nativity of the Theotokos, Kysylew, in Alberta).

When Saint Tikhon travelled, he would often stay in the homes of the faithful people, especially in rural places. Sometimes he would take care of the children while the parents were at work in the fields. The labours of this loving Christian father and archpastor bore much living fruit wherever he went. His habits were similar as he blessed the beginning and continuation of development of communities in the USA.

During 1904, Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) was awarded the Order of Saint Anna, First Degree, in recognition of the development of the diocese and of the increasing stability of both the parishes and the diocesan administration.

Year 1905

On 25 March, 1905 (which is both the Feast of the Annunciation to the Theotokos on the New Calendar, and “Greek Independence Day”), Bishop Tikhon ordained a Greek man, Deacon Michael Andreades to the Holy Priesthood. After celebrating the Feast of Pascha in San Francisco for the last time, Bishop Tikhon bade farewell to the people of Holy Trinity Cathedral there on 3 May, and he boarded the Southern Pacific Railroad night train bound for Chicago.

Several hours after his departure, a cable arrived in San Francisco from Saint Petersburg. It informed the bishop that he had been elevated to the dignity of archbishop by the Most Holy Synod on 5 May, 1905. An official “ukaz” (decree) about this from Tsar Nicholas II arrived 2 days later.

This decree, dated 19 May, 1905, cited “his extraordinary zealous service and special labours”. At the same time, the North American Mission was elevated to be an archdiocese by the Holy Governing Synod in Russia. He thus became the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Aleutians and North America.

On his way, Archbishop Tikhon stopped in Chicago. On Sunday, 18 September, the new archbishop elevated the Hieromonk Sebastian (Dabovich) to the dignity of archimandrite. He also assigned him to serve as the official Head of the Serbian Mission. It was Vladyka Tikhon's intention and hope that Archimandrite Sebastian would later follow Bishop Raphael (Hawaweeny) into the episcopate. The Serbs thanked Vladyka Tikhon for all the care and help that he had shown their people in North America.

On 20 May, 1905, Archbishop Tikhon presided at a clergy conference in the Temple of Saint Theodosius in Cleveland, Ohio.

Establishment of Saint Tikhon’s Monastery and Orphanage, 1905

On 26-27 May, Vladyka Tikhon visited Mayfield, Pennsylvania, in order to inspect several parcels of land which were being offered by their owners to house the first monastery of the archdiocese, and also an orphanage. On the first portion, the zealous Rusyn farmers had already erected a simple chapel, and they had dedicated it to the Nativity of the Theotokos. On close inspection, Vladyka Tikhon approved the construction. There, he conducted a "moleben" (prayer-service). However, as he made further examination of the land and its situation, it was found to be isolated from emergency services, and it could be seen that its soil was too poor to support a large monastic community. Therefore, Vladyka Tikhon politely declared that he would go on to examine a second farm (which was offered by another group of Rusyns). The second site was larger, more scenic, less isolated, and it had possibilities for expansion through the purchase of an adjoining farm. Clearly favouring this location, Vladyka Tikhon faced the East, and he invoked God’s blessing on the proposed arrangement. He then entrusted the final negotiations to the Hieromonk Arseny (Chahovtsov), who would become the first abbot. On the carriage-ride back to Mayfield, Archbishop Tikhon and Igumen Arseny mused about the future, and they stopped often to admire the beautiful Pennsylvania landscape.

On 10 August, 1905, the Holy Governing Synod of Russia authorised plans ("Ukaz" no. 7806) for developing a seminary in the USA. In September, Basil M Bensin, a graduate of the Moscow Theological Seminary and veteran teacher in several Russian seminaries, arrived in Minneapolis to organise the project.

On 20 September, Bishop Raphael (Hawaweeny) led the delegation of diplomats, clergy, and consistory (central office) personnel which awaited the archbishop at the railway station in New York City, and Vladyka Raphael was the first to speak in the cathedral following the Moleben of Thanksgiving. Vladyka Tikhon emphasised that the transfer of the See City of the diocese from San Francisco to New York City was intended not to serve anyone’s advantage, but rather to serve the entire Mission’s needs in a better manner.

Beginning on 11 October, Archbishop Tikhon began a 3-day visit to Saint Tikhon’s Monastery and Orphanage, now an accomplished fact. On the way, he stopped first in Wilkes-Barre in order to visit Father Alexis Toth. As Vladyka Tikhon approached the monastery in a covered two-seat carriage in the mid-afternoon, Father Arseny (Chahovtsov), in full monastic habit (together with the first 2 novices in cassocks) came out to meet him. They made the appropriate full prostration before their superior. The first 2 orphans to be taken into the Orphanage also approached, together with their supervisor, and they offered the bishop the traditional welcome with bread and salt. After a "moleben" in the simple house-church, Father Arseny pointed out that all the great monasteries in history had begun with a single monk.

North America’s first Orthodox Christian monastery was ideally located in a perfect location, both beautiful and tranquil. There, monastics could live in peace, focus their lives on God, grow in love for Him, and praise and worship Him as He commanded human beings to do. They would also love the land they till, and the orphans for whom they care. Vladyka Tikhon was assigned a small room on the second floor, above the orphans’ quarters. He found the facilities better than in many established orphanages in Russia, and well-repaired, especially considering their condition upon purchase. Vladyka Tikhon next inspected the separate house for the monks, and he examined the novices’ reading material in each cell. He prayed at the site of the future Temple (where a Cross had been erected), and he prayed in the cemetery. After dinner with the children, he retired to his own cell.

Father Arseny celebrated Vespers and Compline at 6:30 p.m., after which those present began repeating the Jesus Prayer in silence. Morning Prayers, Nocturns, and Matins began at 4:30 a.m., followed by the Divine Liturgy at 8:00 a.m., which was attended by some of the local farmers. Vladyka and Father Aleksei Boguslavskiy spent the rest of the morning trout-fishing, after which they dined at noon with the monks as the "Lives of the Saints" ("Synaxarion") were read. At 4:00 p.m., Father Iliya Zotikov arrived from New York to instruct the community in the proper execution of monastic chant, and he led the singing of Vespers. In the evening, the archbishop discussed building plans with Father Arseny. On Thursday, following the morning services, Vladyka Tikhon chanted the Akathist to Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, and he prayed for the new institution. After lunch and prayers, he departed for the railway station.

He then continued to travel to other places and to serve the Divine Liturgy, after each of which he had also to address the various difficulties in the troubled parishes of Eastern Pennsylvania. These troubles often involved the controversies surrounding the return to the Orthodox Faith of immigrants from countries where Eastern Catholicism prevailed in an oppressive manner. Many in these areas had come from "Carpatho-Rus'". He then sanctified a Temple in Ansonia, Connecticut.

A very weary Vladyka Tikhon vacationed at the monastery during July. He served on Sundays in the neighbouring parishes, and he attended to matters which required quiet and attention on his part before he dealt with them. He helped the monastic brothers to cut firewood in the forest ; he worked the soil ; he harvested grain, and he gathered cucumbers ; he tended the bees ; he assisted in construction projects by fetching boards and pounding nails. He shared the simple monastic life, and he demanded (and received) no special treatment. He attended the daily services, and he read such ascetical literature as “Unseen Warfare”. On 13 August, after Vespers, he tonsured the first monk of Saint Tikhon’s Monastery. This was Brother Antoniy (Repella). At the Divine Liturgy the next morning, he tonsured the second monk. This was Brother Seraphim. On 14 September, he ordained Brother Antoniy to the Holy Diaconate at the monastery.

Father Feofan Buketov described Archbishop Tikhon’s travels :

 In order to spare the mission the cost of automobile travel, he always took the train.  At every station,
 his 'patriarchal figure' in a warm blue cassock and hat from which flowed long hair, attracted attention.  
 People stood up.  Many approached him, shook his hand, and asked advice.  Many of the places he visited were 
 so isolated that trains stopped only once a day, so he spent the night in rectories, and — in many places 
 lacking permanent clergy — in private homes. 'He lives like a true Apostle, without complaint, bearing with 
 joy all the difficulties and inconveniences while proclaiming the Good News about Christ'.  He has truly 
 'tak[en] the form of a servant' [Philippians 2:7], being afforded none of the royal treatment taken for 
 granted by hierarchs in the Old World. 

Father Feofan wrote prophetically that “something even greater, more responsible” must be being prepared for him by Divine Providence.

Year 1906

In May, 1906, Archbishop Tikhon returned to Saint Tikhon’s Monastery, along with Bishop Raphael, in order to sanctify the new Monastery Temple on 30 May, 1906.

In 1906, a project regarding the English language and the Divine Services came to fulfilment with the publishing of the first edition of the Service Book which had been translated by Isabel F Hapgood. Miss Hapgood had already proved herself to be competent in translating literature from Russian into English. Now, particularly impressed by the Russian Orthodox liturgical services and with Russian choral singing, Isobel Hapgood wanted to translate the liturgical texts for North Americans. Archbishop Tikhon supported her efforts, and he also became her friend. Isabel Hapgood helped to organise the choir for the sanctification of the Saint Nicholas Cathedral in New York City in 1903.

In 1906, when Father Leonid Turkevich and his family arrived in New York (at the bishop's invitation), he found Vladyka Tikhon to be “Americanised”, as were the rest of the clergy : uncharacteristically animate in speech for a Russian (or many other Europeans) ; friendly, and simple, yet still very much an archpastor, keeping everyone in their correct place. Father Leonid commented :

 The Mission’s workers are full of trust, love, and the desire to be obedient to their patriarch and head.

In November, 1906, Vladyka Tikhon travelled across the country to Butte, Montana, in order to sanctify the isolated Holy Trinity Serbian Temple there. An anonymous person wrote about him :

 [He is] a wise Archpastor, full of pure, profound faith ; a concerned leader, firm director, humble instructor,
 authoritative conversor, happily combining an openness to all and yet preserving the dignity inherent to him.  
 We saw before us not only a bishop, but a person as well, who was kind, condescending, strict with himself, 
 sincere and patient, often covering over the impatience of others.  All felt equally close to their bishop and 
 valued his nearness to them.  A friendly Missionwide family was created ; a friendly common work and ministry 
 was held by all who accepted the yoke of this responsibility.  

The spirit of loving unity between the bishop and his flock is likely Archbishop Tikhon’s greatest legacy to the North American Church. When he arrived in New York, Archbishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky) declared in Saint Nicholas Cathedral :

 I see already here that the name of Archbishop Tikhon is surrounded with a halo of love, and the fond memory 
 of him will never die here.  

The unity and unification of the various national groups within one spiritual family was perhaps the greatest fruit of Archbishop Tikhon's labours.

Year 1907

On 13 January, 1907, the “Russian Orthodox American Messenger” published a front-page story, which cited “reliable, but not official sources”, that Archbishop Tikhon had been transferred to the historic and prestigious See of Yaroslavl' and Rostov in Russia. The editors congratulated him on the promotion, but they expressed that

 the American Mission cannot conceal the feeling of deepest sorrow in parting with their kind,
 fatherly-solicitous, and wise Archpastor.

Official word arrived on 28 February, 1907, in an “ukaz” which had been signed by Tsar Nicholas II on 26 January.

There remained one major project to complete : the convening of the first All-American Sobor (Council) in Mayfield, Pennsylvania. Because he had already received notice of his transfer, Archbishop Tikhon could not preside officially, but he did act as a supervisor during the proceedings. This assembly set the foundation and precedent for the future assemblies (sobors, councils) of the North American Church. On Thursday, 22 February, between the working sessions, the archbishop hosted a luncheon for the clergy. After the meal, he rose to speak :

 Fathers and Brothers :
 
 This is our farewell meal, but the sorrow of my parting with my flock is tempered by the fact that I have the 
 possibility today of seeing almost all of my colleagues in the States.
 
 And so, I take the opportunity of this gathering to express to you my thanks for our work together.  We
 laboured and toiled together.  In some matters, I took the initiative for you, inspired you, and you did
 the work, realising my ideas.  Conversely, in other cases, you gave me ideas — and I am not ashamed to 
 admit it.  Then I sought the means and possibility to realise your idea practically.  I appealed to you to 
 work together from the very beginning — in my first speech in the San Francisco Cathedral ; and my words were 
 not in vain.  If anything has been done here, it has not been by me alone, but together with you. (It is 
 evident that the Lord God helped us.) More than once have I told you that the more I study the history 
 of the Orthodox Church in this country, the more I am convinced that our work here is God’s work ; that God 
 Himself is helping us ; that when it seems as though everything we do is ready to fail — the work of Russian 
 Orthodoxy — on the contrary, it not only does not die, but it grows in new strength and brilliance.
 
 I recall how strongly I was disturbed by the news of my appointment to America.  I was not saddened so much by 
 leaving the flock in Chełm whom I had gotten used to and where (it seemed) I was of some use.  I was sorrowful 
 not so much at the thought of having to go to a country distant and of leaving my very old, ailing mother at 
 home — as I was depressed when I realised that I was little suited for this work for which I was being sent, 
 and little acquainted with it.  And what happened ?
 'No one but God ?' or 'Who else but God ?'
 
 He helped me spend over eight years here in service which not only gained praise from people, but was somewhat 
 useful for our work here itself.  And now, I am inclined to think that even my appointment to America occurred 
 not so much by human judgment as by God’s design — that it was well-timed for the flock here. [...]
 
 From the very beginning I gave my colleagues wide room for initiative.  As long as the work got done, it was 
 not important to me whether it began with me or others.  And the consequences of this were not slow in being 
 told : parishes began to multiply ; new churches were built ; the number of parishioners grew ; new 
 institutions were established.  On the other side, they cannot reproach me for lack of firmness or patience.  
 On the  contrary, when others thought it necessary, for example, to abandon some project or take some 
 stringent measures to suspend someone, I always took my leave humbly and patiently, preferring to wait it 
 out — fearing  that I might extinguish smoking flax and shatter a broken reed.  And who knows how many 
 people and projects have thus been preserved [...].  But I should not boast ; better I turn to my 
 weaknesses.
 
 You know that there is no full perfection in the world, that very often our virtues and perfections border on 
 faults and weaknesses.  It is not in vain that they say that genius and insanity are related.  So, too, with 
 me.  That which was worthy, that which brought good to the diocese, especially in the beginning, little-by-
 little changed, and in the final account, could be accompanied by harm.  As we said, I gave my colleagues wide 
 initiative and independent work.  But tell me, are sensible and true voices not sometimes heard to say, in 
 effect, 'We are allowed too much'.  That 'Something needs to be suppressed' (which is sometimes done, but 
 after the fact).  Or, for example, does my patience not sometimes pass over into connivance ?  Or, for example,
 I sometimes boast that I have string instead of nerves — it is hard to draw me out, that I bear the most 
 unexpected misfortunes with relative composure, that I do not lose my presence of mind over them, that it is 
 hard to perturb me by them.  But this is close to apathy, to complete indifference, to stony insensitivity — 
 which are not only not virtues or merits, but, on the contrary, can be evil and sin, from which we pray 
 that God will deliver us.
 
 And so, I think that those things in which I was useful here for a while — for which I was perhaps even sent 
 here — have now passed and are no longer needed ; that you need something different, a different worker with 
 a different approach and character.  It is in this thought that I find the chief motive and justification for 
 the transfer of hierarchs from one diocese to another, and not at all in a desire for greater comforts, peace, 
 honour, and other earthly blessings — the desire for which is ascribed (not always rightly) to hierarchs when 
 they are transferred.  
 
 Let me depart, Fathers and Brothers, with peace to a place where the qualities I manifested here will, 
 perhaps, still be of value. And allow me to wish you further successes in your tasks, and to remain here 
 happily.  

The archbishop understood his hearers’ childlike tears, and their inability to respond. At the close of the Council, he addressed them again :

 You know, of course, that I am departing from you, and perhaps shall not see many of you again.  Under these 
 circumstances, the touching prayer of Christ our High Priest to His Heavenly Father comes to my mind — the 
 prayer for the Apostles and believers [see John 17:6-26].  Preparing to part with His disciples, the Saviour 
 beseeched God to keep the flock together as Christ Himself had kept them ; to preserve them from enmity so that 
 none would be lost ; to sanctify them in mutual love.  Following the image of our Supreme Shepherd, Jesus Christ, 
 I too, preparing to part with you, pray first of all for my former flock. [...] And my present prayer 
 to the Heavenly Father before parting is that He would preserve you in the True Faith and defend you against 
 the malevolence of  enemies.  

 Our Saviour, parting from this world, feared for the fate of his not-numerous disciples who were facing many 
 enemies.  'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat' (Luke 22:31-32). 

 How can we help fearing for our small flock ? How easily the candle can be extinguished by the wind coming 
 through the open window.  How easily can an oarsman in a frail boat be overturned by the sea waves.  Here, we 
 cannot boast of great numbers, neither of renown, nor of wealth, nor of learning — all that is valued in this 
 world.  We are strong here only in one thing — in possessing the True Orthodox Faith, but even 'that not of 
 yourself ; it is the gift of God' (Ephesians 2:8), and we should ask the Lord for the increase of this gift.  
 Let them stand fast in Your Holy Church, in the Orthodox Faith.
 
 And you, brethren, when departing from here and going to those who delegated you, strengthen your brethren in 
 the Faith and the love of Orthodoxy.
 
 'Moreover, I will endeavour that you may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance' 
 (2 Peter 1:15). 

Unannounced, and travelling through heavy snows, Vladyka Tikhon paid a final visit to the monastery where he had found such “happiness and solitude”. He encouraged Father Arseny (Chahovtsov) and the brotherhood to live a life worthy of monks. Their only consolation, said the abbot, was that their beloved archpastor would soon be “surrounded in all the grandeur and glory” that he deserved “in the bosom of Holy Mother Rus’”. On 24 March, the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the archbishop celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the last time in North America, and from the ambo, he took the opportunity one last time to express his views on what it means to be Orthodox in North America :

 It is not enough, brethren, to celebrate the 'Triumph of Orthodoxy'.  We have to concur in this triumph.  And 
 for this, we have to guard sacredly the Orthodox Faith, to stand firm in it, disregarding the fact that we 
 live in a non-Orthodox country ; not giving heed to opinions one hears, such as : 'This is not the Old 
 Country, here.  This is a free land.  Therefore, supposedly, we may not have to observe everything that the 
 Church requires' —  as if the Word of God is suitable only for the Old Country and not for the whole world ;  
 as if the Church of Christ is not catholic ! as if the Orthodox Faith is not the one that 'sustains the 
 universe !'
 
 But guarding the Orthodox Faith sacredly and loving it is not enough.  Christ the Saviour said that lighting 
 the candle, one does not put it 'under a bushel, but on a candlestick' (Matthew 5:15), and the light of 
 Orthodoxy is lighted not for a small circle of people.  No, the Orthodox Church is catholic ; she remembers 
 the will of her Founder : 'Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, teach all the 
 nations' (Matthew 28:19 ; Mark 16:15).  We ought to share our spiritual wealth, truth, and light with others. 
 [...] Thus, each of us should consider this task of propagating the Faith as his own task, dear to his heart.
 
 I have spoken of this many times to my flock, and now, departing from here, I leave it to you as my last will 
 — to cherish and to fulfill.  And first of all, you, brethren of this holy Temple [...] testify to your beliefs 
 as Russian people in your cultural traditions. [...] May God strengthen you always in devotion to the Orthodox 
 Faith ! [...]
 
 Farewell to you, this country.  For some you are a fatherland, for others you were a haven and gave them 
 shelter, work, and prosperity.  Still others in this free land obtained the right to profess the sound, true 
 Faith.  In antiquity, God spoke through the prophets : 'And seek the peace of the city to which I have caused 
 you to be carried, [...] and pray the Lord for it : for in its welfare you shall find your welfare' 
 (Jeremiah 29:7 [Masoretic]).  And we pray likewise 'for the abundance of the fruits of the earth, for healthful 
 seasons [...]' in all our services.  So let the blessing of God be with this country and this city and this 
 Temple, and may the blessing of God be with all of you, now and always and unto the ages of ages.

Transfer to Russia, and to Yaroslavl’, 1907

On 26 March, 1907, Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) sailed for Europe aboard the ship “SS Kronprinz Wilhelm”. Once he had arrived in the Diocese of Yaroslavl', his fatherly tenderness drew many to our Saviour. It was written :

 One can state that in Yaroslavl', Archbishop Tikhon was in the bloom of his archpastoral talents, adorned by 
 his administrative experience in America. 

The ancient archdiocese had declined sharply since the Revolution of 1905 (which followed the Russo-Japanese War), and he managed to improve the religious and political situation significantly. Archbishop Tikhon proved to be very popular, particularly at the solemn services that he served in parish Temples. He also participated in the highest levels of the Russian Church, as a member of the Holy Governing Synod, or of the Preconciliar Commission. In this, Vladyka Tikhon learnt both the good and bad points of the tsarist and synodal systems. Vladyka Tikhon became acquainted personally with the most prominent hierarchs, and he participated in the ordination of young hierarchs. All these were factors which would serve him well in his future, greater responsibilities.

In 1909, Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) was awarded the Order of Saint Vladimir, Second Degree.

In the spring of 1912, the "Yaroslavl' Committee of the Orthodox Missionary Society", in a special appeal signed by the Chairman of the Society, Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin), asked Igumen Seraphim (Samoilovich) of the Tolga Monastery to "assume the title of Full Member of the Yaroslavl' Committee of the Orthodox Missionary Society and take part in the board of this committee".

In 1913, for the benefit of the monastery and of the surrounding flock of rational sheep, Igumen Seraphim (Samoilovich) organised an agricultural bee-keeping school for the orphan children for whom the monastery cared. Thanks to the generous donation of Archbishop Tikhon to Father Seraphim of 5,000 rubles for this purpose, the monastery's reception-house for visitors and strangers was expanded.

Because of his humility and his approachability, Vladyka Tikhon (Belavin) became as popular, loved and respected in this diocese as he had been in Chełm and in North America. His gentleness and love were combined with firmness on matters of principle. It was as a consequence of this in particular that a conflict with the governor of Yaroslavl' arose. It was this governor who used his influence to bring about the transfer of Vladyka Tikhon away from this diocese.

Before his departure, Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) was made an honourary citizen of Yaroslavl'. This was the first time that a bishop had been given this honour, and this is almost the only case in Russian history.

Year 1913 ; transfer to Vilnius

From Yaroslavl', Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) was transferred to the Diocese of Vilnius (Vilna, Vilno), Lithuania, on 23 December, 1913. Vilnius was the capital city of the Vilna Governorate (province). There, he did much in terms of material support for various charitable institutions, as his generous soul and his love for human beings clearly manifested themselves.

Vilnius was a most sensitive position, since it was also a veritable “hotbed” of Roman Catholicism and Uniatism. It is true that there were Orthodox Temples and even monasteries in the new diocese, but most of the population professed the Roman Catholic faith in one or the other manner. However, the innate simplicity and humility of Vladyka Tikhon, and his great difficulty in displaying pomp when he was required to do so, put off the intelligentsia. Nevertheless, his warmth, wisdom, and approachability generally won the respect and love of the masses, as he laboured to break down national and religious barriers, and to establish trust. In doing so, because he embodied Orthodox ecclesiology, he "swam" against the now-prevalent movement of nationalism. (The Russian officials and people were very anti-Polish and anti-Catholic.) He continued to serve in the parishes without pomp, even walking about on foot (a phenomenon which was utterly unheard of amongst bishops). With his priests, he was simple and kind, good-natured and unbureaucratic. His Orthodox flock included many former soldiers who were in need of special spiritual support and healing. He used his own funds to provide them with aid.

In 1913, Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) was awarded the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky.

Year 1914 ; World War I

It was not long after his arrival in Vilnius that World War I began. Now he had to concern himself with refugees.

In the spring of 1915, German forces invaded Lithuania through East Prussia, and now Lithuanians were fighting each other : some fought with Germany, and some fought with Russia.

German invasion of Vilnius, 1915

When the front threatened to cut Vilnius off from Russia, Archbishop Tikhon watched the battle rage around his cathedral before he would obey the military orders to accompany their last echelons out of harm’s way.

When he was in the situation of being compelled to flee from Vilnius and the fighting, before leaving the cathedral, Vladyka Tikhon took care to take away from the cathedral for safekeeping the important sacred vessels and books, and also the relics of saints. Amongst these relics were the relics of the 14th century Martyrs Anthony, John and Eustathius of Vilnius. He also evacuated the Wonder-working Zhirovitsky Icon of the Mother of God for protection. He later returned this icon to the Zhirovitsky Monastery (now in Byelorus).

Archbishop Tikhon was first evacuated to Moscow, where he set up Vilnius institutions in exile. However, finding Moscow to be too remote from his flock, he dared to return to Dzisna where he experienced “all the adversities and deprivations of parochial life”. He worked with displaced persons ; he visited hospitals. Several times, he risked his life under hostile fire in order to care for the frontline soldiers in the trenches.

For this kindness, courage and bravery, he was later decorated with a military order by Tsar Nicholas II for his heroic conduct.

At this time, it was Archbishop Tikhon's turn to attend meetings of the Most Holy Synod (also called the Holy Governing Synod) in Saint Petersburg. In this capacity, he served with great distinction, and he attracted the attention of, and gained respect amongst the hierarchs.

Vladyka Tikhon chaired the Educational Commission of the Most Holy Synod, which early in 1915 established by-laws for the North American Theological Seminary. These by-laws made the seminary graduates eligible for admission to the Russian theological education institutions. The commission also opened academies and universities on the territory of the empire itself.

Vladyka Tikhon served as the president of the Voronezh-based Saint Vladimir Brotherhood, which was dedicated to promoting the Orthodox Faith amongst Rusyns, Galicians, Bukovinians, and other Slavic émigrés to North America. The brotherhood published religious and ethical books and pamphlets aimed at countering erroneous views about the Church, and it helped to finance building projects in the USA.

Meanwhile, Vladyka Tikhon spared no effort to help the poor residents of the Vilna region who were left without a roof over their heads or means of subsistence because of the war with the Germans, and who flocked to their archpastor in droves.

In 1916, Archbishop Tikhon was awarded the right to wear a diamond Cross on his klobuk.

Year 1917 : 2 revolutions ; Metropolitan of Moscow

First revolution, February, 1917

In 1917, the February Revolution (the first revolution) occurred on 24-28 February). When the revolutionary spirit spread to the Church, Vladyka Tikhon suffered along with his fellow hierarchs under the heavy-handed administration of the new Ober-Procurator Vladimir Nikolaevich L’vov.

V N L’vov expelled from their diocesan sees those members of the Holy Synod whom he deemed to have obtained their appointments through the influence of Grigoriy Rasputin. However, the removals were a part of his dissolution of the Most Holy Synod as he reconstituted it to make the membership more convenient for himself. Amongst those who were removed from their episcopal chairs were the 2 senior metropolitans of the Russian Church : Metropolitan Makariy (Nevskiy) of Moscow, and Metropolitan Pitirim (Oknov) of Saint Petersburg, and Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) of Vilnius. According to the opinion of the radical would-be reformers, the removed bishops were unacceptable because of their traditional views. Concern for proper canonical order in the episcopacy prompted the hierarchs to comply, and they opened their diocesan sees to new elections.

In March, 1917, Archbishop Tikhhon, freed by Mr. L’vov from attending the Holy Synod, found himself living in Petrograd (the new name for Saint Petersburg since 1914), in a 2-room suite in Bishop Agafangel’s house.

In elections for a successor to Metropolitan Pitirim (Oknov) in the See of Petrograd, Vladyka Tikhon was one of the minor candidates.

The unprecedented freedom in Russia at that time made it possible for free elections to the Moscow and Saint Petersburg dioceses. Indeed, in ancient times, people chose the bishops in the Church ; but over the centuries this tradition had been lost, and bishops began to receive an appointment from the authorities. Suddenly, that these elections had become possible in the main dioceses of the Russian Church attracted general attention. The more reformist and radical Mr. L’vov did not see all his plans develop as he had hoped.

On 2 July, 1917, the Diocesan Assembly of the Clergy and Laity of the Moscow Diocese opened for the main purpose of the election of the next bishop of the diocese. This was the first time in more than 200 years that the Moscow Diocese had met in assembly.

Although he was virtually unknown to the Faithful in Moscow, Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) was one of many nominees to succeed Metropolitan Makariy (Nevskiy). One of the candidates was Alexander Dmitrievich Samarin, the former Ober-prokurator, whose candidacy was proposed by N D Kuznetsov, Prince E N Troubetzkoy, Mikhail Alexandrovich Novoselov, and S N Bulgakov.

The elections did not live up to the hopes of V N L'vov, whose candidates were rejected by the Faithful of the Church (not by any means were all the nominees his candidates).

July, 1917, election to be Metropolitan of Moscow

On 4 July, 1917, the extraordinarily solemn Diocesan Assembly of Clergy and Laity, in a fully free election, and by secret ballot, elected Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) to be the ruling bishop of Moscow. He received 481 of 799 votes.

On 6 July, 1917, the decision of the Holy Synod (no. 4159) decreed :

 The Diocesan Assembly of the clergy and the laity of the Moscow Diocese elected Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) 
 of Lithuania and Vilna to be the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Moscow and Kolomna, and Archimandrite 
 of the Holy Trinity Lavra of Saint Sergiy (without the elevation to metropolitan until the decision is made).  

On 24 August, 1917, Archbishop Tikhon was elected by a large majority (407 to 33) of the delegates to be the chairman of the imminent Sobor (assembly).

On 26 August, 1917, by a decision (no. 4979) of the Holy Synod, Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin) was elevated to the dignity of metropolitan.

On 27 August, 1917, after the confirmation by the Provisional Government and the blessing of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Tikhon (Belavin) was enthroned in Moscow.

In Red Square, Metropolitan Tikhon blesses the 2nd Moscow Women's Death Battalion before the were sent to the front

Immediately after the enthronement, Archbishop Tikhon began to visit the parishes of the diocese that was his new responsibility.

It was written about him :

 In every responsibility he was ever given, he was a zealous archpastor, widely known even outside his 
 country.

At about this time in August, an unusual event was reported to have occurred at the Solovetsky Monastery in the White Sea of Northwest Russia. Archbishop Ioannikiy (Kazanskiy), one time Archbishop of Arkhangelsk, went to visit the monastery. After his arrival, and as he approached the hospital, he saw a monk open a window from the inside, stand on the sill, and begin to bless with both hands those approaching. He cried out : "We, humble Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia declare [...] and we bless you". Vladyka Ioannikiy asked who this was. The abbot replied that this was the monk Tikhon, who had gone out of his mind a year previously, and who had been blessing people frequently in just this manner since then.

All-Russian Church Council ; restored patriarchate, 1917-1918

On 28 August, 1917 (the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Old Calendar), the local council, ("The All-Russian Sobor"), was opened in Moscow. It opened in the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin, and the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was led by Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlenskiy) of Kiev, who served with many other bishops. This was the first council of the Russian Church to have been convened since the one of 1681-1682, after which Tsar Peter I had prohibited the election of a successor to Patriarch Adrian and he had introduced his reforms. This council in 1917 was the culmination of the reform movement in the Church of Russia which had had its beginnings during the late nineteenth century.

This Sobor, which had been in preparation for 11 years, was democratically constituted, and apart from exterior political pressure. It was very representative of society, and it numbered 564 delegates. The Sobor, which met in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, had as its aim to restore the life of the Russian Orthodox Church on strictly canonical principles. More than half of the participants in the Council were laymen. According to the Charter of the Council, the right to vote was granted to clergy and laity along with the bishops, but the Bishops' Sobor had the right (if necessary) to veto decisions taken at plenary meetings. It can be confidently stated that in Russian history there was no Local Council that was so truly conciliar, representative, responsible and courageous, so inspired by living Faith and ready to undertake such a feat as the Local Council 1917-1918.

One of the next primary concerns of this Sobor was the restoration of the Patriarchate (which had been abolished in 1721 by Tsar Peter I and then replaced with a committee, the Most Holy Synod). However, there first had to be agreement. Many leaders of the Russian Church, who were accustomed to synodal governance, believed that patriarchal governance would be like monarchical autocracy that they had just been freed from. They feared that it would destroy collegiality and give free rein to the arbitrariness of one person, the patriarch. Therefore, they thought that such personal leadership would be dangerous and harmful. However, after many meetings and heated discussions, during which wonderful personalities, remarkable thinkers, and people of holy life spoke, it was finally decided to elect the patriarch.

The turmoil, confusion and uncertainty which followed the February Revolution and the overthrow of the monarchy produced an urgent need for the Russian Church to have a single responsible leader. Such a leader had to be able, with the help of God, to unite the clergy, monks and lay people under his authority, love and wise archpastoral activities.

Therefore, in mid-October, the Council took up the question of restoring the patriarchate. There began a lively debate about the nature of the required higher Church administration. The project of restoring the patriarchate was widely supported both by the clergy and by the laity. However, the debate took time. Those who were of a radical disposition (such as those who rather soon formed the "Renovationist" schism) opposed the restoration of the patriarchate. Their leader was Professor Boris V Titlinov.

However, after the next revolution (when the Bolsheviks came to power in Petrograd on 28 October/10 November), the debate on the matter was discontinued and a decision was taken to restore the patriarchate.

Second Revolution : October, 1917

When the Bolshevik Revolution began on 25 October, Metropolitan Tikhon (Belavin) celebrated the "Moleben for Peace". He also suggested that the Council cease debates and proceed to an election. The suggestion was taken up only on 30 October. On that day, by a vote of 141-112 with 12 abstentions (there was no longer a quorum because of the revolutionary turmoil and shooting ; some fled, and some were unable to get the cathedral), the Patriarchate of Moscow was re-established.

The next day, nominations for the responsibility of patriarch were held at the suggestion of Count Paul Mikhailovich Grabbe (of the Vladikavkaz diocese). The order for doing so followed the rules in effect in the 17th century, just before Peter the Great abolished the patriarchate. It was decided that all the members of the Sobor would select 3 candidates, and then a lot would reveal the will of God. This is a very old custom, and it tends to reduce political tensions. The members of the Sobor first nominated 28 candidates from amongst the Russian hierarchs. From amongst these, they then chose 3 candidates. On the first 2 ballots, Archbishop Antony (Khrapovitsky) of Kharkov received a plurality. Archbishop Arseny (Stadnitskiy) of Novgorod received nomination on the third ballot, and Metropolitan Tikhon (Belavin) on the fourth.

Of these, Archbishop Antony of Kharkov was understood to be the wisest ; Archbishop Arseny of Novgorod was perceived to be the strictest, and Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow, was considered to be the kindest.

By 2 November, there was shooting and constant artillery fire, and commotion everywhere day and night. Buildings caught fire from the shooting, or they were set afire. Despite the danger, and having to dodge bullets while walking, as many delegates as possible continued to meet. There was considerable uncertainty and confusion. It seemed to many that society was in danger of descending to anarchy. It was in such an environment that the patriarchal election took place 3 days later.

Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, 1917-1925

On 5 November, 1917, the Divine Liturgy was served by the Hieromartyr-to-be, Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlenskiy) of Kiev, in the presence of the Vladimir Icon of the Theotokos (which had been brought from the Dormition Cathedral in the Kremlin). During the Divine Liturgy, the sealed ark containing the lots had rested before the Icon of the Theotokos of Vladimir. Following the Divine Liturgy and a moleben before the Vladimir Icon, an old and blind respected monk (Elder Alexey of the Saint Zosima Hermitage) removed 1 of the 3 ballots from the ballot box, which stood before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The future hieromartyr Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev announced Metropolitan Tikhon as the newly-chosen Patriarch.

Metropolitan Tikhon accepted the results “with entire dignity, [...] not overcome by alarm”. As he always had, he humbly bowed before the will of God, and he responded with the prescribed words in the usual Church Slavonic :

 Since the Sacred and Great Council judged me, although I be unworthy, to be in this service, I give thanks, I 
 accept, and I say nothing to the contrary. 

Of course, Vladyka Tikhon was clearly accepting this turn of events with his characteristic humility. He spoke the traditional words from his heart.

After the election, and after the singing of "Ton despotin [...]", Metropolitan Antony (Khrapovitsky) addressed Vladyka Tikhon :

 This election should be called primarily the work of Divine Providence because it was unconsciously predicted 
 by the friends of your youth, your comrades in the academy.  This is just like a century and a half ago, when the 
 boys in the Novgorod bursa were amicably joking at the piety of their comrade Timofey Sokolov by raising incense 
 before him made from their bast shoes, and they sang glory to him as God's saint.  Then their grandchildren made 
 a real censing before his incorrupt relics.  I speak of your heavenly patron Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk.  Similarly, 
 your own comrades called you the patriarch when you were still a layman, and when neither they nor you yourself 
 could even think about the actual implementation of such a title [...].  

In accepting the will of the Sobor, Patriarch Tikhon referred to the scroll that the Prophet Ezekiel was told by the angel to eat, on which was written : “lamentation and mourning and woe” (Ezekiel 2:10). He foresaw that his service would be filled with affliction and tears. He further said that he felt to some extent like Moses, and that he would likewise have to ask the Lord : “Why have You maltreated Your servant ? Why have I not found Grace in Your sight, that You lay the burden of this people on me ? Did I conceive all these people ? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a nanny carries a nursing child ?' [...] I am not able to bear this people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me” (Numbers 11:11-14). He told his hearers that he was grateful to God that the responsibility had come to him as it did : not of his own will, but despite his own will, and despite the will of the majority. He was thus able to put his complete trust in the help of the Lord who chose him, and who would make the burden bearable. He further gave thanks for the obvious involvement, presence and protection of the Mother of God, whose Wonder-working Icon of the Theotokos of Vladimir had twice been present during the proceedings. He was certain of her protection, and he publicly asked for her help, not only for himself, but for all the Russian people.

On 7 November, 1917, the Patriarch-designate departed for the Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra, where he remained for several days. The memoirs by Archimandrite Kronid (Lyubimov) (†10 December, 1937), the Namestnik of the Lavra about this retreat in the Lavra, were preserved and they can be read.

On 12 November, 1917, the Archpriest John Kochurov was tortured and murdered in Tsarskoe Selo, not far from Petrograd. He was the first priest to become a martyr after the revolution.

On 21 November, with smoking, joking Bolshevik guards posted at the doors of the Dormition Cathedral, Vladyka Tikhon was seated by his fellow bishops on the patriarchal throne (at age 52). He was then invested with the green mantle (“mantiya”) of the patriarch of Moscow, and then the rounded, white and blue velvet patriarchal cowl (“koukoulion”), which had belonged to the last patriarch, Patriarch Nikon (Minin). He then accepted the pastoral staff (crosier, “zhezel”) which had belonged to Metropolitan Saint Peter of Moscow. He was presented with it by the soon-to-be-martyred Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlenskiy) of Kiev.

As he received the pastoral staff, Patriarch Tikhon said :

 The patriarchate is being restored in Rus' at a terrible time, in the midst of shooting of weapons of death-dealing fire. 
 Perhaps it will itself be forced to resort more than once to anathemas in order to bring the disobedient to their senses, 
 and to restore Church order.  However, as in ancient times, the Lord appeared to the Prophet Elias not in the storm nor in 
 the earthquake but in the coolness and the breath of a quiet breeze (3 Kingdoms 19:12), so now to our pusillanimous reproaches 
 'Lord, the sons of Russia have abandoned Your covenant ; they have destroyed your Altars ; they have fired at the holy things 
 of the Temples and the Kremlin ; they have slaughtered your priests' (3 Kingdoms 19:10) – the quiet breath of Your words is heard : 
 'there are still seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to the contemporary Baal, and have not betrayed the true God'.  
 The Lord, as it were, says to me : 'Go and search for those for whose sake the Russian Land still stands and is maintained ; 
 but do not abandon the lost sheep who are doomed to destruction and slaughter – sheep who are truly pitiful.  Shepherd them ; 
 and for this, take this, the staff of goodwill.  With it, search out the lost sheep ; return the oppressed ; bind up the 
 wounds of the wounded ; strengthen the sick ; destroy those who have grown fat and obstreperous ; and shepherd them with
 justice'.  

After this, Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) led a Cross-procession around the whole Kremlin, as he sprinkled its walls with holy water (this is a long distance). At the approach of the “bent old man”, the revolutionary soldiers “instantly pulled off their caps and rushed towards the patriarch, as they stretched out their hands for the blessing”.

Patriarch Tikhon's position in Russia was now in fact unique. The Bolsheviks had dissolved the constituent assembly of government. Now, Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) was the only leader in the land who had been legally elected by the people. This was so because the majority of the country's population had participated in the election of members of the Council who then elected the patriarch.

Vladyka Tikhon did not change after becoming the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. He continued to be accessible, unassuming, kind and friendly throughout all the suffering that was to come. He was against any advice that he conserve his energy. He served the Divine Liturgy and other services wherever and whenever he was requested. The burden of responsibility had been clearly and obviously given to him by God, and he therefore lived the rest of his life on that basis.

The people unusually loved and honoured their archpastor. Patriarch Tikhon was often invited to serve in various Temples in Moscow and the Moscow province. When he arrived in a city near Moscow, all the people met him, and the city usually stopped working for the whole time of his stay.

The new patriarch blesses the faithful people

Patriarch ; civil war ; beginning of persecution, and life of a confessor

The term "patriarch" literally means "arch-father", and it is truly in this spirit of a loving father that Patriarch Tikhon and all great patriarchs serve the Lord in leading the flock of Christ under their responsibility.

Patriarch Tikhon was given the heavy responsibility of leading the Moscow Patriarchate just at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution (the second revolution), and he bore this with his usual dedication and paternal love. This period was clearly the most difficult for him. During these years, the new communist government was actively working at destroying the Orthodox Church. Churches, monasteries and seminaries were being closed. Clergy, monks and lay-persons were being killed in very large numbers (myriads, tens of thousands). Properties and resources were being confiscated. Holy things were being stolen or destroyed. Communications became very difficult locally, and often impossible internationally.

When he was elected to be patriarch in 1917, Patriarch Tikhon was required to maintain unity in the episcopacy in the face of and despite the Bolshevik threat. He succeeded (much to the horror of the Soviets) because the old-line synodal bishops respected him, and they also sought his advice.

During this time, the Temples and palaces in the Kremlin were badly damaged by the revolutionaries, and meetings were held at the Christ the Saviour Sobor near the Kremlin.

Patriarch Tikhon

First Session of the Sobor

The first session of the All-Russian Sobor (Council) adopted several legal documents for the purpose of organising Church life under the new conditions. One was the definition of the legal status of the Church within the state, which, in particular, provided for : the fundamental public legal position of the Orthodox Church in the Russian state ; the independence of the Church from the state (subject to harmonisation of Church and secular law) ; compulsory confession of the Orthodox Faith for the head of state, the minister of religious bodies and minister of public education. Another was the "Regulations on the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council", which was approved as defining the highest governing bodies between the convocations of local councils.

On 7 December, 1917, a new Holy Synod of Bishops was established. It was to consist of 12 members. The Patriarch of Moscow would be chairman "ex officio", and the Metropolitan of Kyiv would have a permanent seat on this synod, "ex officio". Other members were to be chosen for terms of 1 to 3 years. Further decisions were taken with regard to the organisation of the government of the Russian Orthodox Church.

At the same time, in Petrograd, direct attacks on the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra began.

Year 1918 ; beginning of Communist Soviet rule

The Moscow Council recessed for the Christmas holidays.

During this time, Patriarch Tikhon was invited to Petrograd, where he visited for about a week. During the journey from Moscow, characteristically, the authorities refused to provide the patriarch with a compartment at his request, but rather gave him a seat in the reserved seat carriage. Nevertheless the railway workers, contrary to this order, attached a whole carriage to the train and they placed Patriarch Tikhon with all his accompanying persons in it. By the time Patriarch Tikhon arrived in Petrograd, the whole city had gathered near the railway station square. Not only the whole square, but also all the surrounding streets were filled with crowds of people.

Then, an amazingly solemn meeting began in Petrograd. The patriarch was met by Metropolitan Benjamin (Kazanskiy) of Petrograd and Gdov, the Vicar-Bishops of the Petrograd Diocese, and many clergy. There was no limit to triumph. The patriarch went to the metropolitan's chambers in the Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra. A patriarchal service was held at the Holy Trinity Catholicon, which included Metropolitan Benjamin and other bishops. The whole of the Lavra grounds was filled with people. After the service, the patriarch blessed the people from the balcony of the metropolitan's house.

Second Session of the Sobor

On 19 January, 1918 (the Feast of Theophany), the Council re-convened in Moscow. The reconvening occurred under conditions of extreme instability in society.

On 1 February, 1918, without mentioning them by name (perhaps because he was moved to include more than the obvious persons and parties), Patriarch Tikhon anathematised and excommunicated the "enemies of Christ, open or disguised" and "the godless rulers of the darkness of our time" :

 Come to your senses, madmen.  Cease your bloody violence, for what you are doing is not only cruel, it is 
 indeed satanic, and for it you will be subject to the fires of hell in the life to come beyond the grave, and 
 to a terrible curse from posterity in this earthly life. 
 By the power given to us by God, we forbid you to proceed to the Mysteries of Christ. We are anathematising you, 
 if you still bear Christian names, and even though you belong to the Orthodox Church by birth. 
 We adjure all of you, faithful children of the Orthodox Church of Christ, not to enter into any fellowship with 
 such monsters of the human race : 'put away from yourselves the evil person' (1 Corinthians 5:13).  

He advised his fellow bishops, priests, and the Faithful that they zealously defend the Church and avoid any communication whatsoever with the godless attackers. Fierily he exhorted the pastors to invite the Faithful to be spiritual warriors and to resist evil with fervent prayer.

 it is better to spill one’s blood and be made worthy of a martyr’s crown than to allow the Orthodox Faith to 
 be profaned. 

This anathema was confirmed by the All-Russian Council while it was still in session, and this anathema has never until now been revoked. Indeed, it was proclaimed in the midst of the wildly destructive mob-mentality that followed the Bolshevik Revolution and that continued into the Civil War.

During the Second Session of the Council, many events unfolded, and in the midst of many dangers the remaining delegates continued to meet.

On 7 February, 1918, Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlenskiy) was tortured and murdered in Kiev. There was a flood of news about this, and about many reprisals against the clergy. This news prompted the establishment of a special commemoration of the Confessors and Martyrs, "who gave up their life for the Orthodox Faith". The Parish Charter was adopted, which designed to rally parishioners around the Temples. There were rulings about diocesan governance (involving more active participation of lay people). There were rulings established against the new secular laws about civil marriage and its dissolution (the latter should in no way affect a Church marriage). Many other documents were produced.

On 14 February, 1918, the new communist government adopted the Gregorian New Calendar as the official calendar of the soviet state.

In March, 1918, Patriarch Tikhon condemned the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk which had just been signed on 3 March by the Bolshevik government and the German government along with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria, in an effort to end participation in the war. This treaty left millions of Russians in captivity and it freed the Bosheviks to turn the general war into a civil war.

In a series of epistles of 1918-1919, Patriarch Tikhon condemned the policy of bloodshed and called for an end to internecine warfare. He rejected the Church’s participation in the struggle against Soviet power, and he called for reconciliation. He sought to maintain neutrality in the civil war, and finally to determine the position of the Church’s apoliticality (without involvement in political parties or activities).

The apolitical policy and stance of the Church was not reciprocated. Ironically, the anti-monarchist Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) had recently overthrown the monarchy and with it the established system of government and administration. The atheist, anti-Church and anti-religion policies of the Communist government now began by every means, on the one hand, to destroy and eradicate the Church. On the other hand, for their own purposes, they ironically turned to the old methods used by the Romanov dynasty since Tsar Peter I to control the Church in order to do the same thing. Although there was now no ober-prokurator, there were specific persons within the government who were charged with the responsibility of overseeing the activities of the Church, of receiving reports, and of devising methods to fulfil the aim of the removal of all religion, but especially the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church was, regardless of the state policies, at the root of Russian self-identity.

In the first years, when few believed that this form of government could be long-lived, the patriarch was prepared to offer his life as a sacrifice to free the country. However, when the protracted and chronic character of this disease in the Russian government (and the Russian spirit) became obvious, he understood the necessity of taking these circumstances into account. He then submitted to the facts, much as the early Christians had submitted to the fact of the rule of Nero, and the rule of other anti-Christian emperors. The anathema of 1 February, 1918, has continued until now to refer to the fact that

 the persecution of the truth of Christ was revealed by the veiled and secret enemies of this truth who 
 strive to destroy the work of Christ ; and instead of Christian love they sow the seeds of anger, hatred 
 and fratricidal battle everywhere.  Christ's commandments about love for our neighbours are forgotten and 
 trampled upon : daily news comes to us of the terrible and atrocious beatings of innocent people, and beatings 
 even of those lying sick in bed, of people who are guilty only of honestly fulfilling their duty to the 
 Motherland, that with all their strength they rendered their service for the good of the people.  All this is 
 done not only under the cover of the darkness of night.  However, even in the daylight, with unprecedented audacity 
 and merciless cruelty, without any trial and with the violation of all rights and law, it is being done today in 
 almost all the cities and towns of our homeland : in the capitals and on the remote outskirts (in Petrograd, Moscow, 
 Irkutsk, Sevastopol, etc.).  
 
 All these things fill our heart with deep, painful sorrow and compel us to turn to such monsters of the human race 
 with the formidable word of conviction and punishment according to the covenant of the Holy Apostle : 'Those who are 
 sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear' (1 Timothy 5:20).  

Session of the All-Russian Sobor

The Council supported Patriarch Tikhon's position that the Church would not relinquish property to nationalisation by the government. Reacting to rumours that his arrest was imminent, the Council urged the patriarch to protect himself “for the good of the Church” (even if it meant that he become a refugee abroad, in exile). He quietly and politely declined :

 The flight of the Patriarch would be too convenient for the enemies of the Church ; they would use this for 
 their own ends.  Let them do what they will. 

The Faithful of Moscow organised round-the-clock guards for their Father in Christ.

On 21 July, 1918, in a word spoken about the Gospel in the Kazan Sobor on Red Square, Patriarch Tikhon condemned the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and the fact that “the Executive Central Committee approved this and recognised it as lawful”. In this public and emphatic denunciation of the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, he further stated that "whoever does not condemn it will be guilty of his blood".

On 3 September, 1918, an article in the newspaper of the Moscow Soviet accused Patriarch Tikhon of being part of a counter-revolutionary plot to overthrow Soviet power, a plot that supposedly involved the British diplomat Bruce Lockhart. The Soviet government was beginning its first sustained public campaign against the patriarch. They purported to be unmasking him as an enemy and a fraud.

On 7 September, 1918, the All-Russian Council adjourned because of lack of funds. The members planned to meet again in 3 years. In the interim, a Synod of Bishops and a Supreme Ecclesiastical Council were established in order to assist the patriarch.

After Patriarch Tikhon had prayed in July for the murdered imperial family, rumours of a pending arrest had begun to intensify. Once again, the patriarch rejected Synodal pressures to flee the country.

In October (November), at the first anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, the patriarch called on the communists to halt "the persecution and destruction of the innocent". At that time, he alone had the courage openly to speak in defence of the helpless and the unjustly oppressed. Again the patriarch studiously avoided taking sides on any strictly political matter. The members of the Supreme Ecclesiastical Council unsuccessfully opposed a letter which Patriarch Tikhon addressed to the Soviet commissars on the first anniversary of their take-over. It was very direct and dangerous for him. It listed their failures and injustices very forcefully.

On 25 October/7 November, 1918, at the first anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, Patriarch Tikhon wrote a very direct letter to Mr. V Lenin, in which he clearly outlined the disasters that were befalling Russia in the wake of the revolutionary activities. This letter has been described as being "prophetic", and indeed the letter opens with words describing the epistle as being so.

The words of the patriarch's “Address to the Council of People's Commissars” on 26 October/8 November, 1918, are clear :

 'All who take the sword will perish by the sword' (Matthew 26:52).  
 
 This is the Saviour's prophecy.  We are turning to you, the current arbiters of the fate of our country, who 
 call themselves 'people's' commissars.  You have held state power in your hands for a whole year and you are 
 already going to celebrate the anniversary of the October Revolution ; but the rivers of the shed blood of our 
 brothers, mercilessly killed at your call, cry out to Heaven and force us to tell you the bitter word of truth.
 
 Seizing power and calling on the people to trust you, what promises did you give them and how did you keep these 
 promises ? 
 
 In truth, you gave them a stone instead of bread and a snake instead of a fish (see Matthew 7:9-10).  To the people, 
 exhausted by the bloody war, you promised to give peace 'without annexations and indemnities'.  
 
 What gains could you give up, leading Russia to a shameful world, the humiliating conditions of which even you 
 yourself did not dare to disclose fully ? Instead of annexations and indemnities, our great homeland is conquered, 
 diminished, divided ; and in payment of the tribute imposed on it, you secretly export gold to Germany that you 
 have not accumulated. [...]   

Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) pleaded with the Orthodox people "not to leave the path of the Cross, sent down by God, for the path of the admiration of worldly power". He especially warned them not to allow themselves to be carried away by the passion of revenge. The patriarch reminded the clergy of the Church that “according to their rank, they should stand above and beyond any political interests”, and not participate in political parties and speeches.

On 24 November, 1918, the patriarch's personal quarters were searched (in association with the accusation of counter-revolutionary activities.

Fierce persecutions and confiscations broke out in December, 1918. The patriarch was placed under house-arrest until the Feast of Pascha, and he received horrifying reports about the incalculable losses amongst the clergy.

The Council of the United Parishes of Moscow understood that the life of the Patriarch was in danger, and they organised unarmed security from the volunteers at the chambers of the patriarch at the Holy Trinity Podvoriye of the Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra in Moscow. (A "podvoriye" is a representation Temple or embassy Temple.)

Holy Trinity Podvoriye, Moscow

Year 1919, relentlessly increasing persecution

Mr. V Lenin was determined not to make of Patriarch Tikhon “a second Germogen” (who was killed during the "time of troubles", before the rise of the Romanov family to power). Thus, he restrained his followers from physical attacks against him. Nevertheless, on 13 June, 1919, the patriarch was wounded in a knife attack by a deranged woman, P K Guseva. “Moral terrorism”, however, was waged through promises that in exchange for stopping the patriarch's alleged “counter-revolutionary acts”, the killings could be slowed.

On 14 August, 1919, the People’s Commissariat issued a decree on organising the opening of relics.

As the Soviet regime stabilised, Patriarch Tikhon sincerely abandoned politics, and he publicly advised the clergy to do likewise. Political activity was fruitless, and it served only to increase bloodshed. In order to try to restrain the active anti-Bolshevik activities, he adjusted his tactics so far as to condemn the White Movement on 25 September, 1919. He wrote directly to the clergy about avoiding involvement in political activities and struggles :

 The commandments of God are more binding than human directives.  Remember the canonical rules and the testaments 
 of the Holy Apostles and guard yourselves from those who create discord and dissention.  Decline from participation 
 in political parties and speeches.  Obey your human superiors in external matters, as the Apostle Peter directed.  
 Give no reason to the Soviet authorities to suspect you, and submit to their commands insofar as they do not 
 contradict faith and piety.  We must obey God according to the apostolic exhortation more than men (see Acts 4:19 ; 
 Galatians 1:10 ; 1 Peter 2:13-14).  

When Patriarch Tikhon was summoned before the Special Political Division (GPU), he was offered safe passage to the USA. However, he refused, since he preferred to suffer with his flock. Crowds gathered at the gates of the Lubyanka No. 2 Political Building whenever he was summoned for questioning. Their pious bows to receive his blessing infuriated the Bolsheviks. The Soviet press attacked him constantly and viciously. He continued to serve the Divine Liturgy and other services openly, since

 the Patriarchal services were, in a way, the only bright and joyous thing instilling rest and overshadowing the 
 seal of sorrow which lay on the people’s heart. 

Francesca Silano provides an interpretation of the positive attempts of the patriarch, and the Bolshevik tactics against him :

 In October, 1919, Patriarch Tikhon wrote an appeal to all the clergy and laity of the Russian Orthodox Church, 
 warning them against interfering in politics and 'making the liturgical rites a tool of political demonstration'. 
 He urged people to take the current context of 'unbelief and atheism' as a call to personal conversion, concluding 
 with the exhortation to 'Devote all your efforts to preaching the Word of God and the Truth of Christ !' The 
 Central Agency on Press Distribution of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee ('Tsentropechat'), which was 
 responsible for disseminating propaganda during the civil war, considered printing two thousand copies of the message 
 for public distribution.  Peter Krasikov, the head of the eighth department of the People’s Commissariat of Justice, 
 which was charged with implementing the 1918 decree on the separation of church and state, wrote to 'Tsentropechat', 
 explaining why such a move would be a serious mistake.  Krasikov wrote about the patriarch’s previous 
 'counter-revolutionary messages', arguing that this latest appeal was only an attempt on the part of Tikhon and the 
 hierarchy to get a 'reprieve', in order to regroup their counter-revolutionary forces.  The message, Krasikov
 continued, portrayed Orthodox people as being 'innocent victims of government persecution'.  Those who still wanted 
 to obey the Church hierarchy had recognised that to rise up in open conflict or what 'in the language of the patriarch, 
 is called "strife"', would only weaken their cause.  The state should not be fooled by such strategies, but should push 
 forward in crushing the counter-revolutionary cell of the hierarchy. 
 
 As the editor of the first official anti-religious journal, 'Revoliutsiia i tserkov’' ('Revolution and the Church'), 
 Krasikov devoted many articles to dissecting what he called the 'language of the patriarch'.  He accused Tikhon of 
 'camouflaging' his messages in 'the rules and dogmas of religion, the scriptures, the Bible, the Apostles, etc.'  
 The investigatory file is full of these kinds of interpretations, where secret police interrogators and representatives 
 of the Commissariat of Justice, in particular, devoted time and energy to exposing what they believed to be the true
 meaning behind Patriarch Tikhon’s words.  In preparing for the trial against Tikhon, state representatives understood 
 that it was not enough simply to silence the patriarch ; rather, his whole narrative of Russian history and society had 
 to be undermined, beginning with the very words he used.  In February of 1923, Nikolai Krylenko, the Deputy People’s 
 Commissar of Justice, wrote a summary of the narrative of Tikhon’s crimes.  Referring to the message of noninterference, 
 he wrote that it was necessary to establish that, from 1919 to 1921, Tikhon had been working with those hostile to Soviet 
 power for the overthrow of the state.  On this basis, he concluded, it could be surmised that 'Tikhon’s public appeal to 
 the clergy about non-interference in politics [...] is in actual fact hypocritical, deceitful, and only a tactic to mislead 
 Soviet power'.  
 
 Indeed, for the Bolsheviks, Patriarch Tikhon’s words were never to be taken at face value ; they were always linked to an 
 action or to an intention to act.  Language was always the sign of an already-occurring or a soon-to-be executed sinister 
 plot.  The few Western scholars who have written about the patriarch have, in turn, usually considered his messages for 
 their political import.  Even those who seek to move beyond a merely political interpretation of Tikhon’s writings have 
 not made a serious attempt to compare them to his pre-1917 work.  Yet, in order to understand the roots of the language 
 which Krylenko and Krasikov sought to undermine, it is necessary to consider how and why Tikhon developed a certain 
 vocabulary and framework by exploring some of the recurrent aspects of Tikhon’s language, as it developed within the 
 contexts in which he lived and acted.  Moreover, such an investigation illuminates how and in which ways the patriarch’s 
 worldview developed and changed in the clash with Bolshevik power.  

House-arrest

On 24 December, 1919, the "Cheka" (All-Russian Extraordinary Commission) decided again to subject the patriarch to house-arrest, the main purpose of which was to isolate him. While he was thus confined, Patriarch Tikhon constantly served in the Saint Sergius Temple of the Holy Trinity Podvoriye.

At this time, the relics of some of the most revered saints of Russia were exposed and mocked. This included both Saint Sergius of Radonezh and Saint Seraphim of Sarov. This caused a storm of indignation. Despite the fact that the opening of the relics was extremely offensive to the Church and meant a direct persecution of Faith, the people did not leave the Church.

The opening of the relics was accompanied by the closure of monasteries.

Patriarch Tikhon could not leave this mockery unanswered and he wrote an appeal, demanding an end to blasphemy.

Year 1920

On 25 August, 1920, the liquidation of relics in the Temples began on an all-Russian scale. Many relics were destroyed. In the case of some relics of Russian saints, including the most revered, such as Saint Sergius of Radonezh and Saint Seraphim of Sarov, it was known that there had been 65 healings from cancers.

On 13 September and 10 October, 1920, Patriarch Tikhon was interrogated.

On 7 November, 1920, in the face of increasing persecution, Patriarch Tikhon took the precaution of issuing “Ukaz” (decree) no. 362. The context in which he wrote this document was the defeat of the White Army by the Red Army in the Crimean region, and the departure by sea of many ships bearing away the remnants of the White Armies to Constantinople. Aboard were also some Russian Orthodox hierarchs who were likewise departing into exile.

The "ukaz" established governance rules for dioceses of the Church that found themselves cut-off from the patriarchal administration. This ukaz became the basis for various actions and decisions by the elements of the Russian Church outside the fatherland, and it provided for the temporary organisation of dioceses in those places. Although it is likely that the intention of this directive was to enable dioceses within the territory of the now Soviet Union to maintain the life of the Church, the directive was also implemented by the Karlovci Synod in Serbia (since these bishops were also cut off from the patriarch). Afterwards, controversies arose about the legitimacy of the Karlovci Synod's interpretation of the "Ukaz".

Nevertheless, this ukaz not only gave the bishops the basis for their independent activity, but it also helped the patriarchal Church to survive during the ascendancy of the "Renovationists". It was also used by other "underground" and secret ecclesiastical groups within the Soviet Union which did not remain in communion with the patriarchal Church, but neither did they participate in the so-called renovation.

Year 1921 : Famine of 1921-1922

In 1921, a terrible famine began in Russia. This famine ultimately killed an estimated 5,000,000 people, primarily in the Volga River and Ural River regions.

In August, 1921, as the famine spread, the patriarch appealed to the Orthodox Churches worldwide, as well as to the Pope of Rome and to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and particularly to the Bishop of the North American Diocese, Archbishop Alexander (Nemolovsky). Help did arrive. An association called ARA (American Relief Administration) was organised, which together with other international organisations saved a large number of people. Undoubtedly, the voice of Patriarch Tikhon played a huge role in this matter, because it was in him that there was the most confidence abroad.

The authorities did consider easing the stranglehold they had imposed upon the Church. However, wanting to achieve greater success in the propaganda direction, the Church was accused of greed, and of unwillingness to help the suffering. The authorities wished to try to confiscate all the resources of the Russian Orthodox Church, rather than to accept the voluntary contributions of a very large amount. Another wave of arrests of clergymen arose.

Patriarch Tikhon was released from this period of house-arrest not earlier than September, 1921. However, during that time, the restrictions were gradually eased, so that the patriarch began to be able to go out of the "podvoriye" for services elsewhere. In December, he marked the 30th anniversary of his monastic tonsure.

Year 1922

In 1922, reduced to living in filth (without complaint) in what was in effect now a prison, Patriarch Tikhon how looked forward to celebrating, his 25th anniversary of ordination as a bishop, and his fifth anniversary as patriarch. Nevertheless, he confided to Father Pashkovsky that he doubted he would live to see the Feast of Pascha in 1923. Indeed, the situation worsened, when the émigré bishops in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia, addressed the Genoa Conference, and called for all nations to arm anti-Soviet forces rather than to provide the aid requested by the patriarch. The Bolsheviks blamed Patriarch Tikhon, and the press began to demand the confiscation of church treasures to help to feed the people.

On 23 February, 1922, the Soviets issued a decree regarding the seizure of ecclesiastical properties, since they were convinced that opposition to this would allow them to widen the persecution. Indeed, this led to bloody clashes between the local soviets and the believers. Defending the Church from sacrilege, many Orthodox believers suffered martyrdom. Many were brought to trial. Many were executed or sent into exile.

Many of these actions were a product of secret letters written by Lev Trotskiy. Ironically, it was reported that the Soviets did not sell the tsar's jewels, but rather they demanded the holy articles of the Church, which were far less valuable. At the same time, they isolated Patriarch Tikhon by either arresting the hierarchs who were assisting him, or by ordering them out of Moscow, and back to their sees. In general, the "secret letter" of V Lenin at that time (which was rooted in L Trotsky's thought) determined the overall programme of goals of the party which was to be implemented in the coming decades with regard with the Church : to eliminate the institution of the Church ; to liquidate the clergy ; to find gold for the world revolution and strengthen the proletarian and atheistic state.

In this context, on 28 February, 1922, Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) extended an appeal to the whole Church through letters sent to the bishops, which were intended to be shared with the clergy and the Faithful insofar as it was possible to do so :

 [...] We found it possible to allow Church parish councils and communities to donate to the hungry such precious 
 Church decorations and objects that were not used for worship, as the Orthodox population was notified on 19 February, 
 regarding a special appeal, which was authorised by the government for publication and distribution to the public.
 
 But after this, after sharp attacks in government newspapers in relation to the spiritual leaders of the Church, 
 on 23 February, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided to withdraw from the Churches all precious church 
 items, including sacred vessels and other Church items.  From the point of view of the Church, such an act is an act 
 of blasphemy, and we considered it our sacred duty to clarify the view of the Church on this act, as well as to inform 
 our faithful spiritual children.  We admitted, in view of extremely difficult circumstances, the possibility of donating 
 Church items that are not consecrated and have no liturgical use.  We call believers, the children of the Church, for 
 such donations now, only wanting that these donations be a response of a loving heart to the needs of our neighbour, 
 if only they would really provide real help to our suffering brothers.  But we cannot approve of the withdrawal from 
 the Temples, even through voluntary donations, of sacred objects, since their use for ungodly purposes is prohibited 
 by the canons of the Ecumenical Councils, and it is punishable by the Church as sacrilege : for laymen, excommunication 
 from her ; for clergy, deposition from their clerical dignity (73rd Apostolic Canon ; 10th Canon of the Quinisext Ecumenical Council).  

These efforts of Patriarch Tikhon were interpreted as expressing the desire of the "Black-Hundred clergy" to defend Church property.

At a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee on 20 March, 1922, it was decided to implement the "17 theses" of L Trotsky. In essence, this meant a shift from making a show of using legal means against the Church to using military methods and force against the Church.

Then, any popular resistance everywhere was ruthlessly crushed. In the courts, there were opened "trials" of "churchmen", and executions swept across Russia. The Supreme Tribunal ordered the revolutionary tribunals to do what was necessary to incriminate Patriarch Tikhon, Metropolitan Benjamin (Kazanskiy) and other Church hierarchs as being the ideological leadership of the popular resistance to the revolution.

Renovated/"Living Church"

The patriarch had no-one to help him when Bishop Antonin (Granovskiy) (✝1927), who was recently released from arrest, and who was to become a leader in the “Living Church”, initiated a revolt against his authority, and testified as an "expert in canon law" about the legality of the confiscation laws.

Thus, a fake church was invented (with the active co-operation of many others) by J Stalin, and many clergy betrayed and abandoned the canonical Church for the sake of an easier way. Many of the so-called bishops were married men. They brought considerable suffering upon the true Church, and they contributed to the imprisonment of the patriarch.

The patriarch's attention was now necessarily focussed on struggling with the “Living Church”. This required refining of the patriarch's attention soon found expression in the well-known conciliatory declaration in relation to the Soviet power. It is important that we look upon these concessions by the patriarch as his final pastoral self-sacrifice for the good of his spiritual flock. Instead of the crown of martyrdom, he accepted dishonour and the world’s humiliation, along with those who for a time were being allowed to torment the country.

The Church had tried to maintain a neutral stance during the Russian Civil War (1918-1922) which had almost immediately followed the revolution.

Metropolitan Benjamin (Kazanskiy) of Petrograd was one of the few people in Russia with no apparent interest in politics. However, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Soviet State had diametrically opposite world views, and the Church was viewed as dangerously counter-revolutionary by the atheistic Soviet authorities.

Patriarch Tikhon ; Metropolitan Benjamin

The actual conflict, however, came out into the open when the Soviet authorities demanded that the Church hand over church valuables to pay for famine relief.

Mr. V Lenin became obsessed with the idea that it could be possible to plunder several billions of rubles from the Church. On 19 March, 1922, Mr. Lenin, in harmony with the opinions of Mr. Trotsky, wrote to the Politburo that

 right now and only now, when people are eaten by hunger everywhere and hundreds, if not thousands of corpses 
 are lying on the roads, we can (and therefore must) seize Church valuables ​​with the most frantic and merciless 
 energy and not stop suppressing any resistance. [...] The more representatives of the reactionary clergy and 
 reactionary bourgeoisie we are able to shoot on this occasion, the better".  

On 21 March, Patriarch Tikhon was arrested, and he was interrogated in the Lubyanka Prison (the GPU internal prison, and headquarters of the secret police in central Moscow). "Interrogation" commonly included both physical and psychological torture. Despite the denial by the patriarch that he had been tortured, such practices have been so frequently reported that they may be understood to be ubiquitous. He was given to read an official notice that the government “demands from citizen Belavin, as the responsible leader of the entire hierarchy, a definite and public definition of his attitude to the counter-revolutionary conspiracy, led by hierarchy subordinate to him".

On 24 March, 1922, "Izvestia" posted an editorial stating in a harsh tone that the peace period in the campaign for the seizure of valuables ​​had ended. No matter how hard the Bolsheviks had tried, the campaign to seize Church property was not completed according to plan. The "frantic" campaign that was conducted did not reach the goals set by the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b). The authorities received only about one thousandth of the planned amount of gold. The collected jewels made up only a small part of the amount that was counted on. They amassed only a little more than 4,500,000 gold rubles, which were mainly spent on carrying out the extraction campaign itself. However, the damage cannot be made to fit into any numerical estimate. The shrines of Orthodoxy, the national treasures of Russia, had perished.

At the same time, another destructive programme was being developed.

On 25 March, 1922, a group of priests which declared itself opposed to the patriarch and in favour of the Soviets’ social actions by a return to primitive Christianity, officially formed the “Living Church”.

On 28 March, 1922, Patriarch Tikhon was summoned to the Lubyanka and questioned. This happened twice more over short intervals.

On 19 April, 1922, Patriarch Tikhon was arrested, and again he was taken into the Lubyanka Prison. He was "interrogated" (which again implies that he was brutally treated).

“Show trials” of ecclesiastics began, with the patriarch being called to testify.

At the infamous “Trial of the Fifty-four” on 5 May, 1922, with great self-control and dignity, Patriarch Tikhon appeared as a witness for the defence. The presiding judge asked him : "Do you consider the laws of the state obligatory or not ?" Patriarch Tikhon replied boldly : "Yes, I recognise them, to the extent that they do not contradict the rules of piety". During the course of the questioning, Vladyka Tikhon refused to answer to his secular name (Vasilyi Belavin). Eventually, he declared from the witness box :

 These people did their duty ; they acted on my orders, so they are not guilty of anything.  I accept their 
 guilt myself.  Try me.  

The press utilised his statement "they acted on my orders. [...] I accept their guilt myself" by twisting it into an admission of guilt so that they could intensify their campaign to destroy his public image and neutralise his influence (as they wrongly considered that he had “power”). Vladyka Tikhon was portrayed as a monarchist, and the centre of the Karlovci opposition, despite the fact that he had issued an “ukaz” on 5 May, 1922, in which he declared the Karlovci group to be illegal and in which he gave Metropolitan Evlogiy (Georgievsky) full authority over the entire Church abroad. (He fell short of the Bolsheviks’ demand that he excommunicate the political émigrés outright.)

Vladyka Tikhon was returned to strict house-arrest. In his absence, his quarters were searched for foreign publications.

On 6 May, 1922, he was again arrested and taken from the "Troitsky Podvoriye" where he had been staying, and he was taken again to the Lubyanka Prison, yet again for "interrogation".

On 8 May, Patriarch Tikhon was returned to "house-arrest" confinement, but this time in the Donskoy Monastery. He was confined in the former treasury chambers of this monastery. In reality, the so-called treasury cells were located in the building adjacent to the western gates of the monastery, The patriarch was housed in cells adjacent to the Tikhvin Gate Church of the northern gates. He was kept in complete isolation from the outside world.

On 12 May, the “Living Church” newspaper joined “Izvestia” ("News") in attacking the patriarch. It dispatched to him a 5-man delegation (with 2 State Political Directorate (GPU) guards) to demand his abdication, in view of his purported inability to govern the Church.

It is written that the context of the previous events were as follows :

 On 12 May, 1922, 'Archpriest' Alexander Vvedenskiy, along with the 'priests' Kalinovskiy, Krasnitskiy, Belkov and 
 the psalmist Stadnik, arrived at the Trinity Podvoriye on Samotyok, where Patriarch Tikhon was then under house-arrest. 
 After accusing the patriarch of rash policies leading to the confrontation of the Church with the state and anarchy 
 in Church administration, the group demanded that he temporarily renounce his authority.  After some thought, Tikhon 
 signed a resolution on the temporary transfer of Church authority from 16 May to Metropolitan Agafangel of Yaroslavl'. 
 On 14 May, 'Izvestia' published an appeal signed by Bishop Antonin Granovskiy and a number of priests to the 
 'Believing Sons of the Russian Orthodox Church', which spoke of the need to hold a new Local Council to overcome Church 
 ruin, the blame for which rested entirely with Patriarch Tikhon : 'The top hierarchs sided with enemies of the people. [...]
 The civil war of the Church against the state, led by the highest hierarchs, must be stopped'.  The appeal of Antonin and 
 his ilk was also published in the Bolshevik newspaper 'Pravda', where it was accompanied by an article from the editors of 
 'Church democracy against church feudalism', ending with the words : '[...] you need to welcome the step of church 
 democracy, tearing all disguises from the greedy "holy" persons'.  

Defiantly, Patriarch Tikhon demanded instead that the Soviets allow the canons to be observed, with his authority being transferred to Metropolitan Agafangel (Preobrazhenskiy) of Yaroslavl’ (the oldest of the bishops) pending the convening of a council. However, Metropolitan Agafangel was prohibited from leaving Yaroslavl'.

On 15 May, the deputies of the "Renovationists" were accepted by the chairman of the "All-Russian Central Executive Committee", Mikhail Kalinin, and the next day the establishment of a new "Supreme Church Administration" (VTsU) was announced. The latter consisted entirely of proponents of renovationism. Its first leader was "Bishop" Antonin (Granovskiy), later elevated to the rank of "metropolitan".

House-arrest

On 16 May, the now “Locum Tenens” (Metropolitan Peter (Polyanskiy) (a future hieromartyr) was summoned to Moscow to assume authority. The patriarch was kept retired in the Donskoy Monastery, and in de facto imprisonment, after his having thwarted the rebel Bishop Antonin’s ambitions for the short term. He was held in squalid, strictly-isolated quarters and constantly guarded. He was to be allowed short periods of outdoor exercise 3 times a day, 1 appearance a day at his balcony to bless the masses, and Holy Communion only once a week.

 Every device is put into practice in order to insult the Patriarch, both in public and in private, to 
 humiliate him as a prelate and a man. [...] Patriarch Tikhon, who is far from having completed his 
 three-score years, and is by nature wise and calm, sometimes produces the impression of a living corpse.  

On 19 May, 1922, Patriarch Tikhon's imprisonment in the Donskoy Monastery was shifted to one of the apartments of a small two-story house near the northern gate. Now he was kept under strict guard, and he was forbidden to worship. Only once a day he was released for a walk in a fenced area above the gate, resembling a large balcony. Visits were not allowed. The patriarchal mail was intercepted and seized. Despite all pressures, the patriarch did not resign.

The case of Patriarch Tikhon was transferred to the GPU, and the management of his case was carried out by the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b). Together with Patriarch Tikhon, Archbishop Nikander (Phenomenov), Metropolitan Arseny (Stadnitskiy) of Novgorod, and the Head of the Chancellery of the Synod and Supreme Church Administration Peter Guriev were brought in for investigation. Together with the Patriarch, the affairs of all the members of the Holy Synod were investigated in the GPU, and about 10 people were detained.

During these months, there was also the example in Petrograd of Metropolitan Benjamin (Kazanskiy) and his closest associates. During the campaign to seize property, Metropolitan Benjamin took an even softer position than did Patriarch Tikhon. He called on everyone to give everything up without resistance. However, he steadfastly refused to co-operate with the "Renovationists". As a consequence, he was arrested and convicted in an “open” trial. On the night of 12-13 August, 1922, Metropolitan Benjamin was shot.

The Renovationist Schism developed according to a plan agreed upon with the Cheka, and it quickly absorbed all the unstable elements that were in the Church. In a short time throughout Russia, all bishops and even all priests received demands from the local authorities (from the Cheka), that they submit to the "All-Ukrainian Central Council" (that is, to the "Living Church"). Resistance to these demands was understood to be collaboration with the counter-revolution. Patriarch Tikhon was declared to be a counter-revolutionary, a White Guard, and the Church, which remained faithful to him, was labelled "Tikhonist" or "Tikhonism".

By the end of 1922, the Renovationists were able to occupy two-thirds of the 30,000 Temples operating at that time. Thus began the so-called Renovationist Schism, which until a certain time was supported by the state authorities of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The ecclesiastical structure (“Old Church”), led by Patriarch Tikhon, was outlawed. Nevertheless, the masses of the Faithful remained loyal to Patriarch Tikhon and to the canonical Orthodox Church.

After his "house-arrest" confinement, Patriarch Tikhon was kept in prison from May, 1922, until 26 June, 1923. The conditions of such prisons were abominable, brutal, and accompanied by torture.

Year 1923

Between January and March, 1923, there were discussions that began in Greece with regard to the possible change to the "New Calendar". In Greece, by royal decree, the " Revised Julian Calendar" was adopted, and it was imposed by force in the Church of Greece on 1 March. Soon, a conference of some patriarchs which was called by Patriarch Meletius IV of Constantinople added several other autocephalous Churches to the number that accepted the Revised Julian Calendar. Many, however, did not accept the change.

The use of the Gregorian New Calendar (not the Revised Julian Calendar) by the Soviet State was supported by the "Renovationists".

Judging from the numerous publications in the Soviet press in the spring of 1923 of letters from citizens demanding to punish the "cannibal" Tikhon severely, the authorities were preparing for reprisal against the patriarch.

On 28 March, 1923, Patriarch Tikhon’s name headed a “list of enemies of the people”, published in “Izvestia”. His entire staff, including Father Alexander Hotovitzky, were arrested, and

 the Prelate standing at the helm of the Church was without any means of directing the ship of the Church 
 during the most dreadful storm. 

On 6 April, 1923, the newspaper "Izvestia" published a report : “On 11 April, the judicial board of the Supreme Court begins to listen to the former Patriarch Tikhon and his closest minions. [...] The process will be heard in the Hall of Columns”.

The 11 April issue of the same newspaper contained a brief notice : “The process regarding ex-patriarch Tikhon is postponed for some time. There will be a special announcement about the day of the beginning of the process”.

On 12 April, 1923, at a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), a secret resolution was passed : “To entrust the Central Committee Secretariat to conduct the Tikhon case with all severity corresponding to the amount of colossal wrongdoing committed by Tikhon”. This meant that they indicated to the Tribunal that it was to pronounce the death sentence on Patriarch Tikhon.

On 19 April, Vladyka Tikhon was taken into custody within the GPU internal prison, where an interrogation took place.

The "Second Local All-Russian Council" (the first "Renovationist Council"), which opened on 29 April, 1923, in Moscow, at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, expressed support for the Soviet government. That conference purged 60 opponents. A second Renovationst conference (which opened with 476 politically-screened delegates from 72 of 74 dioceses) was still divided over which programme to follow. Their quarrels repelled the believing people, and raised questions amongst others.

On 3 May, 1923, 54 of the 66 bishops present “unanimously” condemned Patriarch Tikhon for “bringing into jeopardy the very existence of the Church”. They nullified his anathema against the Soviets, deprived the “apostate” and “traitorous” Vasiliy Belavin of both his rank and monastic calling, and they abolished the “restored Patriarchate”. Nevertheless, during that meeting, there were objections and questions raised by some of the bishops with regard to the proposed condemnation of Patriarch Tikhon. Then the "Archpriest" Vladimir Krasnitskiy stood up and threatened them all by saying : "He who does not immediately sign this resolution will only leave this room straight for the prison". The terrorised bishops were afraid of the prospect of a return to prison camp and torture. Although they were against the resolution, they did sign it.

Conditions such as these are characteristic of the term "kangaroo court". This term is used for situations in which the normal and correct rules of legal procedure regarding evidence and witnesses (and many other details) are lept over for the sake of expediency, pressure, politics, influence and the like.

On 4 May, 1923, according to the "Izvestia" report, the decision of the Council was handed personally to Patriarch Tikhon. Patriarch Tikhon rejected the council’s competency, as he signed the formal notification, and he annotated it with one word : “Illegal”. The decree read as follows :

 [...] The Holy Council of the Orthodox Church of 1923 condemns the counter-revolutionary struggle and its methods – 
 the methods of misanthropy.  In particular, the 1923 Council grieves over the anathematisation of the Soviet 
 government and everyone recognising it.  This Council declares that anathematisation as having no power.  
 The 1923 Council condemns all those who took this path and led others along it.  First of all, this concerns 
 the responsible leader of the whole of Church life – Patriarch Tikhon.  Since Patriarch Tikhon, instead of genuine 
 service to Christ served the counter-revolution, and, as a person who should lead the whole Church life, misled 
 the broad masses of the Church, the Council considers Tikhon an apostate from the true covenants of Christ and 
 a traitor to the Church.  Based on Church canons, the same declares him deprived of episcopal dignity and 
 of monasticism, and returned to a basic secular position.  Henceforth, Patriarch Tikhon is the layman Vasily Belavin.  

Despite this condemnation by this assembly, none of the Faithful people had any doubt that this sentence was the direct work of Soviet power.

On 8 May, 1923, Patriarch Tikhon was moved to the place he previously occupied in the Donskoy Monastery (while continuing to be in custody). This was done so that delegates of the "Renovationist Sobor", which had been taking place since the end of April, could come there with the announcement of the deprivation of his dignity and monasticism.

In the midst of the struggles of Patriarch Tikhon against the "Renovationists", as Bishop John (Maximovitch) reported in 1938,

 Patriarch Gregory VII [of Constantinople] recognised the decree of the council of the Living Church 
 concerning the deposing of Patriarch Tikhon, whom not long before this the Synod of Constantinople had 
 declared a 'confessor', and then he [Patriarch Gregory] entered into communion with the 'Renovationists' in Russia. 

This statement of recognition of the "Renovationists" meant that the Patriarch of Constantinople did not recognise the duly elected and enthroned Patriarch of Russia Tihon (Belavin) ; but rather, he recognised the secularised puppet entity of Mr. Stalin and his cohorts. This action on the part of the Constantinopolitan Patriarchate was a denial of the legitimacy of Patriarch Tikhon, but also of the Local Council and its participants who had freely elected him in 1917. It is known that Patriarch Gregory VII supported the Renovationists in part under pressure from the Kemalists (that is, those with Mustafa Kemal Ataturk). Patriarch Gregory and others for political reasons supported those who had the best relations with the Soviet authorities. This betrayal may be called a fraternal betrayal. Indeed, it likely made Patriarch Tikhon even more vulnerable to what would soon follow. (This recognition of the Soviet "Renovated Church" persisted until after World War II. This lengthy recognition indicates that the support of Consantinople for the "Renovationists" was a very determined position.)

On 20 May, 1923, the newspaper "Izvestia" ("News") announced a take-over of the Patriarchal Chancery, and the formation of a Provisional Supreme Ecclesiastical Administration headed by "Bishops" Antonin (Granovskiy) and Leonid (Skobeev). Metropolitan Agafangel (Preobrazhenskiy) was denied permission to leave Yaroslavl’ when he refused to join the movement. He then led the underground opposition to the "Living Church" until he was arrested and exiled to Siberia. After "Izvestia" announced that Patriarch Tikhon would be tried during Bright Week, the "London Times" reported that his execution was imminent.

Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin)

Patriarch Tikhon had to improvise in order to keep together what sheep still remained in the fold, and to reunite the scattered ones. He had to give wise, careful instructions and directions to the bishops and the Faithful abroad, so as to allow refugees and emigrants to establish the Church properly on their own, in whatever place they found themselves. He knew that, because of the political situation, they had to do this without any further material support from the mother Church.

In early June, 1923, Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) became ill, and he was transferred to the Taganka Prison. There, he received only the official Soviet accounts about the struggle of the Church. These reports greatly exaggerated the "successes" of the "Renovationists". He perceived that of the 2 enemies of the Church (the Soviets and the "Renovationists"), the "Renovationists" were the more dangerous. Therefore, knowing nothing about the true state of affairs in the Church, Patriarch Tikhon came to believe that continued heroism in prison would be mistaken. Since he had been led to believe by these newspapers that the Church was dying, he felt that his responsibility was to do what was necessary so that he could appear before the Faithful in public, and take the reins of authority.

Therefore, on 16 June, 1923, he officially repented of his supposed “anti-Soviet acts” in order to save the Church. He pledged, in return for freedom, that

 henceforth, I am not an enemy of the Soviet Power.  I am finally and decisively setting myself apart from both 
 the foreign and the internal monarchist White Guard counter-revolutionaries.  

The then chairman of the Moscow Diocesan Council, Vasily Vinogradov (later a protopresbyter of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia), testified in his book written from exile :

 The 'repentant statement' of the patriarch, published in the Soviet newspapers, did not make the slightest impression 
 on the Faithful Orthodox Christians.  Without the slightest propaganda, the whole of the believing people, as one person, 
 by some miracle of God, formulated their attitude towards this 'penitential statement' : 'The Patriarch wrote this not 
 for us, but for the Bolsheviks'.  The 'Sobor' of 1923 did not for one moment have the slightest authority for the believing 
 people : everyone understood that the whole idea of ​​this 'Sobor' was simply a trick of Soviet power, which had no ecclesiastical
 significance.  As a result of its miscalculation, the Soviet government faced a completely unexpected fact : the overwhelming 
 mass of the believing people openly accepted the freed patriarch as their only legitimate head and leader, and the patriarch 
 appeared before the eyes of the Soviet government not as the head of some insignificant group of believers, but in the full 
 glory of the actual spiritual leader of the faithful masses of the people.   

The “repentance letter” which the patriarch had been pressed to sign only increased his personal authority amongst the believing people, who could see that Patriarch Tikhon was a holy man. These events continued to hone the ability of the Russian Orthodox Faithful to discern between truth and falsehood in this new and treacherous environment, and to discern between true clergy and false or betraying clergy.

Release from prison, return to "house-arrest"

On 25 June, 1923, a resolution was adopted regarding the release of Vladyka Tikhon.

On 26 June, 1923, after several postponements of his trial, “Citizen Belavin” was set free from the Taganka Prison (a political prison in Moscow), and he was permitted to organise the affairs of the patriarchal Church. He was barefoot and dishevelled, and wearing a soldier’s coat. He was sent back to the Donskoy Monastery. The GPU had not been able to make a strong enough case to condemn him legally. Furthermore, upon his release, the patriarch was immediately seen to have aged dramatically in prison. This very appearance was sufficient to throw the "Living Church" into a sharp and irreversible decline. In fact, the "Renovationists" remained dangerous only as long as they retained the favour of the Bolsheviks. The favour of the Bolsheviks lasted only as long as this schism was of any use to them as a tool they might use in their quest to eradicate the Church.

It is said that most researchers are inclined to interpret that the main reason for the cancellation of the upcoming trial was the government’s response to "Curzon’s note" (known as the Curzon ultimatum). This "note" was presented by the "NKID" (USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs) on 8 May on behalf of the British government. The note contained the threat of a complete break in relations with the USSR, and it demanded, amongst other things, an end to repressions against the Church and the clergy (paragraphs 21 and 22).

As soon as Patriarch Tikhon saw what was truly the case with regard to the situation of the Church (once he had received various reports), he immediately repented of having signed the statement of repentance. He commented that if he had understood how weak the "Renovationist" church truly was, he would not have signed, and he would have stayed in prison. Nevertheless, he clearly saw that the Faithful needed to be able to see him publicly.

Therefore, Patriarch Tikhon issued a special statement on 15 July : he made a public affirmation from the ambo of the Donskoy Monastery Catholicon that he would return to the Central Administration of the entire Russian Orthodox Church, and that he would invalidate all the actions of the renovated "All-Russian Central Council" and its "All-Russian Central Council". He did this by anathematising the "Living Church" :

 They have separated themselves from the Ecumenical Church, and they have deprived themselves of the favour of God, 
 which resides only in the Church of Christ.  Consequently, all arrangements during our absence by those ruling the 
 Church, since they had neither the legal right nor the canonical authority, are invalid and void, and all actions 
 and sacraments performed by bishops and clergy who have forsaken the Church are devoid of the Grace and power of God ; 
 the Faithful taking part in such prayers and sacraments shall receive no sanctification thereby, and they are subject 
 to excommunication for participating in their sin. [...]

He remained under what was in fact house-arrest, and he was allowed to see only those who dared pass a “ferocious and rude communist sentry” and sign an official registry stating the reason for the visit.

Nevertheless, his release from custody, and in particular the fact that Vladyka Tikhon began to perform services, to which large masses of people flocked, caused concern among the renovationist leadership. On 28 June, 1923, after having been released from the internal prison in Lubyanka, Patriarch Tikhon went to the Lazarevsk Cemetery, where the well-known Righteous Archpriest and Elder Alexei Mechev was buried. There, he addressed the assembled people (the whole of Moscow knew Father Aleksey Mechev) :

 [...] Of course, you heard that I was deposed from my position, but the Lord brought me here to pray with you. [...]  

He was greeted with enthusiasm, and people threw flowers on his carriage.

Greeting of the released patriarch, 1923

On 6 July, 1923, the Renovationists issued an article entitle "Tikhon's New Appeal", in which it was demanded that he accept and submit to the "Living Church", and officially to accept its act of deposition against him. In this regard, the now "Metropolitan" of Odessa Evdokim (Meschersky) commented :

 When I was in Moscow at the All-Russian Church Council on the sidelines, it was suggested that Tikhon, after his 
 cards were revealed, was largely neutralised.  However, we did not believe that the Supreme Court would display 
 such a humane attitude towards the ardent enemy of Soviet power.  As for the Living Church, it is also not afraid 
 of the liberated Tikhon, since the counter-revolutionary part of the clergy, after Tikhon's renunciation of counter-
 revolutionary ideas, will also hasten to disassociate itself from him.  For the remnants of 'Tikhonovschina' 
 the liberation of Tikhon, in the sense of strengthening the reactionary part of the church, can not matter. [...] 

So much had this man (who had served after Vladyka Tikhon in North America) changed with the revolution.

"Metropolitan" Antonin (Granovskiy), the former chairman of the Renovationis All-Russian Central Council, in his “explanation of Tikhon’s appeal”, described Patriarch Tikhon’s behaviour after his release as a “churchless, proud, arrogant, self-seeking, contentious, arrogant manifestation”.

Based only on an oral promise of freedom of action, without an office, Patriarch Tikhon tried to organise a general Church administration. A Provisional Holy Synod of 3 bishops was convened : Archbishop Seraphim (Alexandrov) of Tver ; Archbishop Tikhon (Obolensskiy) of the Urals ; Vicar-Bishop Hilarion (Troitskiy). The activity and the former composition of the Moscow Diocesan Council was restored under the chairmanship of Professor Vasily Vinogradov, who also participated in some meetings of the Synod.

For several years, Vladyka Tikhon nurtured and led the Church from prison, and from house-arrest in the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow, where the daily services and the brotherhood helped to support him. In order to strengthen the faithful flock, he wrote :

 In celebrating the Divine Services, according to the prescriptions of the 'Typikon', which has its origins in 
 ancient times and is observed throughout the Orthodox Church, we are united with the ageless Church and live 
 the life of the whole Church. [...] The Divine beauty of our services [...] must be maintained without impairment 
 in the Russian Orthodox Church as its greatest and holiest heritage ('The Synaxarion').  

The people's love for Patriarch Tikhon not only did not hesitate in connection with his “repentant” statement, but became even greater. He was invited to serve all the time. Often he served in the large summer cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery, and it was in the last 2 years of his life that Patriarch Tikhon made especially many ordinations of bishops. Renovationist parishes immediately began to return to the jurisdiction of Patriarch Tikhon. The bishops and priests who passed on to the Renovationists brought repentance to Patriarch Tikhon, who graciously accepted them again into communion, invited them to serve with him, and often even gave gifts to the former traitors.

The patriarch's health worsened. An attempt was made to poison him. In June and July, 1923, he published open letters to the Church in the newspaper “Pravda” ("Truth"), in which he declared himself as neither an “admirer of the Soviet power” nor its enemy. He affirmed that

 The Russian Orthodox Church is non-political, and henceforward does not want to be either a Red or a White 
 Church ; it should and will be the One Catholic Apostolic Church, and all attempts coming from any side to 
 embroil the Church in the political struggle should be rejected and condemned.  

Patriarch Tikhon condemned monarchists, White Guards, and the various renovationists. He warned the bishops in Karlovci to heed his 1922 “ukaz” or face a canonical trial in Moscow. The newspaper “Izvestia” (5 July, no. 146) declared this “a supremely timely and wise act” which could result in a change in relations between Church and state. In an effort to tone down Western (primarily British) criticism, his new position was propagated in the West through a cautious interview with the “Manchester Guardian”.

With regard to the matter of the "New Calendar", Patriarch Tikhon (who had not been kept current about world Orthodoxy) at first thought that. in principle, it might be possible to consider such a change. However, when he asked questions of other bishops about the subject, he received a telegram from Archbishop Anastasy (Gribanovsky) of Kishinev which informed him that only a few of the autocephalous Churches had adopted this change. He therefore rejected the possibility of any such change, and he informed the state authorities about his decision.

It has been affirmed that by the time the patriarch had made some compromising statements about the Soviets in 1923, the people understood that he had already suffered greatly for the Faith, and they took his words in context. Indeed, the patriarch endured having to make such humiliating and painful compromises precisely in order to protect the Church's inner freedom. He did this from his election until his repose. It is this inner freedom that enabled the faithful people to understand what was not written and what was not said.

However, the people were unwilling to be as understanding with Metropolitan Sergiy (Stragorodsky), who cited Patriarch Tikhon’s stated position in defence of his own actions.

The behaviour of the patriarch was a new form of self-sacrifice, a voluntary self-abasement in Christ. It was understood precisely as such by the people in their unfailing love : “love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7).

The renovationist movement rapidly fell apart, and the Soviets pressured Patriarch Tikhon (by threat of re-arrest for himself and continued arrest for his fellow hierarchs) to be reconciled with its former leaders. He did so with the greatest reluctance, since he felt himself to have been deceived concerning their actual strength and following. Nevertheless, Archbishop Feodor (Pozdeevskiy) considered the patriarch to be too soft and unauthoritative, and he led an aggressive right-wing opposition to Patriarch Tikhon from the Danilov Monastery.

Patriarch Tikhon near the Donskoy Monastery, 1923

Father Dimitiy Serfes wrote about the patriarch :

 The brutal persecution did not let up during the entire remaining period of the life of the patriarch.  They wished 
 to make him their obedient slave [...] but he remained a guardian of Orthodoxy.  Never during the Church's entire 
 history had she ever been confronted by such a cruel and evil foe.  The patriarch literally fell ill after every 
 encounter with Mr. Tuchkov, who directed Soviet ecclesiastical policy.  The patriarch was not afraid of martyrdom.  
 The most savage death would probably have been easier for him than having to be constantly concerned about exiled 
 bishops, priests and the Faithful.  

He further stressed that the patriarch was acutely aware that whatever decisions were taken, the rational sheep of Christ must not be abandoned. Nevertheless, the patriarch was not truly free to care for the spiritual flock as he would. He said :

 I am only considered to be free, but in fact I can do nothing.  I send a hierarch to the south, and he turns up 
 in the north ; I send him to the west, and they take him to the east.  

Francesca Silano contributes further comments about the last months of 1923, and the definite focus on the struggle against the "Renovationists" :

 Although it is difficult to gauge the reaction of believers to Tikhon’s release, it does seem that their 
 dissatisfaction with the Renovationists and Tikhon’s own long imprisonment may have strengthened Tikhon’s 
 image in the eyes of some believers. GPU reports claimed that day after day, in July, hordes of people 
 gathered to where Tikhon was celebrating the liturgy, which he did nearly every day.  The GPU continued 
 to report on these liturgies, noting that the churches were often overflowing, and that believers eagerly 
 awaited the blessing of the patriarch.  A GPU agent reported that the audience present at a 11 July celebration 
 of the liturgy 'sympathised with [Tikhon], praising the sufferings and labours [they] say he endures now for 
 the sake of Church services, that is, they say that he serves the liturgy practically day and night'.  No matter 
 how exaggerated the GPU reports, it is undeniable that some Muscovites were evidently accepting the patriarch’s 
 invitation to prayer, and that the GPU was worried about the potential of Tikhon’s liturgy to unify and perhaps 
 enflame believers.  Whatever the level of popular support for Tikhon, his release certainly interfered with the
 Renovationist schism.  Just one day after his 28 June address, a bishop reported to Tikhon that the Moscow clergy 
 were already talking about the message, stating that they recognised that the Renovationist administration was 
 'uncanonical', and that they supported Tikhon entirely.  Over the next two months, hundreds of priests would 
 write to Tikhon asking to be received back into the true 'canonical” Church.  Many would come to kneel in front 
 of him in the liturgies to receive forgiveness ; within months, the Renovationists had lost most of the little 
 influence they had gained over the year.  This development alone signals that Tikhon cannot have lost all of
 his authority, even after making his compromise with Soviet power.  
 
 On 15 July, Patriarch Tikhon wrote yet another message to all the members of the Orthodox Church, the first entirely 
 in his own words, in which he condemned the Renovationist schism yet again.  This time, he set out to explain how 
 the Renovationists had managed illegally to wrest control of the Church over the last year and a half.  He began by 
 lamenting the fact that, for some time, he had been unable to 'stand personally at the helm of the administration to
 guard the age-hallowed traditions of the Church', thus equating the patriarchate with the task of defending tradition. 
 He described how the Renovationists had misled the people by claiming that Tikhon had given them the authority to guide 
 the Church in his absence, and named all the priests and bishops who 'have usurped the ecclesiastical government by 
 seizure, and arbitrarily, without any legal authorisation established by the rules of our Church'.  He quoted two 
 canons according to which such actions were unlawful, and argued further that any decisions made by the Renovationists 
 regarding the Church over the course of Tikhon’s absence were 'null and void [...] since they had neither legal nor 
 canonical authority'.

Year 1924

On 15 January, 1924, through Metropolitan Peter (Polyanskiy) and his Synod, Patriarch Tikhon declared the renovationist hierarchy to be uncanonical.

On 24 January, 1924, by an "Ukaz" of Patriarch Tikhon (no. 71), Metropolitan Peter (Polyanskiy) was assigned to be the Archbishop of Krutitsky, and the Administrator of the Moscow Diocese.

Patriarch Tikhon and Metropolitan Peter (Pëtr)

In February, 1924, one of the Renovationist leaders, Vladimir Krasnitskiy, attempted (with Soviet support) to enter the patriarchal Church. Patriarch Tikhon considered the proposal carefully, and he then rejected it.

When he was asked to describe some particular details of this time, the Archpriest Vladimir Vorobiev, Rector of Saint Tikhon's Orthodox University in Moscow, replied :

 One day the Patriarch was informed that a whole train car of sailors was coming from Petrograd to arrest him, 
 and he was asked to leave the Troitsky podvorye where he was living until 1922.  This was in the evening, when 
 Patriarch Tikhon was going to bed.  He listened and then answered, ‘I’m not going anywhere’.  The sailors 
 arrived the next morning, stepped down from the train, had a meeting on the platform, got back into the train, 
 and went back to Petrograd. God Himself preserved His saint.
 
 The Politburo pronounced the death sentence on him.  Not the judge, but the Politburo itself made this secret 
 decision. The sentence was not carried out, because the people’s commissar for foreign affairs G Chicherin 
 convinced the Politburo that the murder of Patriarch Tikhon will not be useful to the soviet government. The 
 entire Christian world — in Europe and America — rose to protect the Russian Patriarch.  The world ‘abroad’ 
 threatened the Soviet Union with what would now be called economic sanctions.  It was decided not to shoot the 
 Patriarch, but to demand a letter of repentance from him instead. Having received what they wanted, they 
 released him. 
 
 Patriarch Tikhon, of course, could not in any way have known what was going on in the upper echelons of the 
 Bolshevik government — after all, he was a prisoner. How do Christians act in such cases ? They ask God’s will. 
 The guards who were watching him wrote in their diaries, ‘The old man is good to everyone, only he prays all 
 night’.  He prayed, and the Lord instructed him about what to do.  Patriarch Tikhon agreed to sign the 
 ‘repentance letter’ that compromised him.

In March, 1924, Vladyka Patriarch was declared to be no longer “socially dangerous”.

On 13 March, 1924, the investigation of the charge against Patriarch Tikhon was dismissed by a decision of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b). Thus ended (without in fact beginning) one of the most high-profile court cases of that horrible time. The legal processes against him were dismissed.

It is noteworthy that upon the patriarch's release from prison, much of the impetus of the Stalinist “Living Church” had begun to falter and wane. With that release, very many people saw more clearly what sorts of things were actually happening, and they returned to Patriarch Tikhon and the Canonical Church. This included a significant number of clergy who had fallen for a time into the “Living Church” mentality.

However, after that release, the Bolsheviks arrested the holy patriarch’s closest co-workers. They put them in prisons ; they sent them into exile ; they executed some of them. Right before Patriarch Tikhon's eyes, they closed and vandalised Temples, monasteries, and theological schools. They also destroyed many of them. They confiscated holy shrines, they opened reliquaries, and they sometimes desecrated the holy items. Many archpastors lost heart, and they tried to “agree” with the Soviet authorities as they went against the head of their Church. At times, Patriarch Tikhon had to stand all alone against the soviet persecutions ; and alone, he had to seek the right path for the Church.

Patriarch Tikhon under persecution

The suffering of the patriarch was on many levels, and constant (as was the case with many faithful bishops). Whenever the Patriarch rejected the next demand of the Soviet government, one of his closest assistants was arrested and sent to death. The position of Patriarch Tikhon at this time is vividly depicted in the following dialogue between Metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov) and Patriarch Tikhon. Metropolitan Kirill was one of his most beloved colleagues of the patriarch. This exchange was related to the demand of the "Chekist" Evgenny Tuchkov to introduce into the administration of the canonical Russian Orthodox Church the "Archpriest" Vladimir Krasnitskiy, the head of the Living Church, a traitor who had supposedly repented.

Metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov) (who had been freed from exile for a short time) came into the presence of Patriarch Tikhon. The following conversation took place between them :

 Metropolitan Kirill told Patriarch Tikhon : 'It is not necessary, Your Holiness, 
 to bring these commissars in cassocks into the highest Church administration'. 
 Patriarch Tikhon compassionately responded : 'If we do not compromise, then all of 
 you will be shot or arrested'. 
 Then Metropolitan answered him : 'Your Holiness, we are now only fit for this : 
 to sit in prisons'.

After that, having received an address from the Elisavetgrad clergy with a request not to include V Krasnitskiy in the Higher Church Administration, the Patriarch wrote on the document a resolution that very well describes his spiritual strength :

 Please believe that I will not make agreements and concessions that will lead to a loss of purity and the 
 fortress of Orthodoxy.  

Even while he was yet alive, the soviet newspapers slandered Patriarch Tikhon. Unceasingly, they humiliated him and mocked him.

After the failure of attempts to infiltrate and to influence the patriarchal Church, the Soviets resorted to another tactic : extortion. They tried to force Patriarch Tikhon to accept official recognition of the Patriarchal Church by the state. Such recognition meant that the Church would become subject to and obedient to the state in return for legal status. In order to extract consent, they threatened to shoot several bishops. This was yet another face of torture. He refused the extortion, but it cost him both emotionally and physically.

Then, on 10-18 June, 1924, the "Great Pre-Council Conference" of the Renovationists met in Moscow, and it elected as its honourary chairman the Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory VII (Zrvoudakis) (who, it is to be recalled, in collaboration with the Turkish government, had openly and actively supported the "Renovationists" in the previous year). He was represented in Moscow by Archimandrite Vasily Dimopulos). Likewise, the representative of the Patriarch of Alexandria, Archimandrite Pavel Kathapodis, participated in the councils of the "renovationist clergy", and took Holy Communion with members of the renovationist Synod. The Patriarch of Jerusalem likewise supported the schism. It was only the Patriarch of Antioch who supported the legal and canonical Patriarch Tikon.

On the basis of the recognition of the Renovationist Synod by 2 patriarchs, the conference concluded that “From now on, the former Patriarch Tikhon is the head of the sect”.

Attempts on his life

On 21 October, 1924, a first serious attempt was made on the Patriarch's life, during the Divine Liturgy. The would-be assassin mistook Metropolitan Peter (Polyanskiy) for Patriarch Tikhon, but the experience left Vladyka Tikhon badly shaken, and the asthma from which he suffered notably increased.

There was a second attempt on 9 December, during a break-in of his apartment by 2 so-called “thieves”. His servant since his days in the USA, Iakov Sergeevich Ostroumov, died of gunshot wounds. This experience exacerbated the nephritis from which the patriarch suffered so very much, that he was advised by physicians to limit his work. Rumours spread that he had suffered a stroke. He insisted, despite opposition from the authorities, that Iakov Ostroumov be buried in the territory of the New Donskoy Cemetery (at the initiative of relatives, the grave was soon moved from the territory of the New Donskoy Cemetery to the outer side of the southern wall of the Small Donskoy Sobor due to the construction of the Don crematorium).

Later, when he was kneeling at I S Ostroumov’s grave, there were 2 shots which barely missed him. This left his constitution broken.

Patriarch Tikhon ; Metropolitan Peter

Year 1925

On 7 January, 1925, Patriarch Tikhon drew up a testamentary order (that is, a "will"), as follows :

 In the event of our death, our Patriarchal rights and obligations, until the legal choice of a new 
 Patriarch,  we present temporarily to His Eminence. Metropolitan Kirill.  If it is impossible for 
 any reason to enter into the exercise of the aforementioned rights and obligations, such are 
 transferred to His Eminence, Metropolitan Agafangel.  If this Metropolitan also does not have the 
 opportunity to do this, then our Patriarchal rights and duties will pass to His Eminence Peter, 
 Metropolitan of Krutitsky.  

During the last months of Patriarch Tikhon's life, Metropolitan Peter, in accordance with the desire of Patriarch Tikhon, became his closest assistant in administering the Church. He constantly visited the patriarch in his cell in the Donskoy Monastery, and later in the Bakunin Hospital on Ostozhenka. He brought papers for signing, and he reported about the events of Church life.

Metropolitan Peter (Polyanskiy), under obedience to the patriarch, had been tonsured to be a monk in 1920 by Metropolitan Sergiy (Stragorodsky). Then, on 25 September, he had been ordained by Patriarch Tikhon to the Holy Episcopate as the Bishop of Podolsk, and Vicar-Bishop of the Moscow Diocese. When, in 1920, Patriarch Tikhon had asked him to accept monasticism, the priesthood and the episcopacy, and become his assistant in administering the Russian Church, he had returned home and said :

 I cannot refuse.  If I refuse, then I will be a traitor of the Church.  But when I agree, I know that I will
 thereby be signing my death warrant.  

In January, 1925 (New-Style), the Bolsheviks intensified their activities which were aimed at preventing Patriarch Tikhon’s effective governing of the Church. As a result, he felt himself only nominally free, and he wondered whether prison would not be preferable. He found himself surrounded by an atmosphere of lies, provocations, and deceit. He had to make a careful assessment of everyone he met. Hints that prisoners might be freed and conditions generally improved alternated with threats that even greater repression was possible. He was forced to do things calculated to be unpopular with the Faithful (e.g. ordering prayers for the Soviet authorities).

Vladyka Tikhon became visibly (and most uncharacteristically) agitated whenever the Chekist agent Yevgeny Tuchkov (the de facto Ober-Procurator) assigned to deal with him approached.

On 12 January, a physician recommended complete bed rest in hospital, and the patriarch understood that he was sufficiently ill that it was necessary that he check into the still-privately-run Bakunin Clinic. It is situated in the “Kitai Gorod” district of Moscow, near the Zachat’evskiy Monastery (the Monastery of the Conception of the Theotokos), on Ostozhenka Street. .

Dr. Bakunin, fearing reprisals from the Bolsheviks, refused to admit him to the clinic. Nevertheless, the next day, the patriarch was admitted as "Citizen Belavin". For the duration of his 3-month stay, while being treated for severe sclerosis, kidney disease, angina pectoris, and nervous conditions, he enjoyed the comfort of a clean, bright, private room with an armchair and desk. There he sat, when he felt able, and he enjoyed the view of the nearby Monastery of the Conception of the Theotokos. He read I S Turgenev, I A Goncharov, and K P Pobedonostsev’s memoirs. He had brought in his own icons and a lampada. He looked like a poor, sick old man, except when he was vested for services. There, on 19 January, he celebrated his 60th birthday. When his condition began to improve with rest, the Agent Yevgeny Tuchkov began “visiting” him again, and saw to it that a steady stream of relatives and friends came to his door. This was meant to fatigue him again.

When he was released, he returned to parish visitations. Nevertheless, as the persecution continued, Vladyka Tikhon began to feel overwhelmed, and his strength and health declined.

At the beginning of Great Lent, Patriarch Tikhon had had 2 decayed teeth extracted. Routine swelling of the gums spread to his tonsils.

Just at the end of his life, Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) was able to serve enough so that he could ordain 2 bishops.

On Sunday, 5 April, 1925, he served the Divine Liturgy for the last time. It was at this Divine Liturgy (at the Church of the Ascension on Great Nikitskiy Street, that the second of the 2 bishops was ordained by him : Bishop Sergiy (Nikolskiy) of Ephraim in Tula.

On Monday, 6 April, 1925, Patriarch Tikhon returned in the evening to the hospital after being present at a meeting of the Holy Synod.

When he was too ill to celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation on 7 April, a specialist, Dr. Genkin, his surgeon, Dr. Vinogradov, and Dr. Bakunin were summoned to examine him, but they reported that they found nothing seriously wrong.

Metropolitan Peter (Polyanskiy), who had been the administrator since January, visited him a last time after the Divine Liturgy. Again, both loudly and at length, Metropolitan Peter presented to the patriarch the anti-Karlovci Proclamation for signing. This proclamation had been composed by the metropolitan, at Yevgeny Tuchkov’s instructions. Again, Patriarch Tikhon resisted, but the metropolitan stressed that this was the only possible and acceptable platform for Church/state relations in Soviet Russia, and he threatened to resign unless it would be signed. In the evening Patriarch Tikhon gave in, and, with a twitching hand, he signed the document.

At 10:00 p.m. on the Feast-day, Vladyka Patriarch Tikhon asked to be washed. Afterwards, having rested a little, he became uncharacteristically serious and stern, and he said :

 Now I will fall fast asleep and for long — the night will be long, long, dark, dark [...]. 

Patriarch Tikhon awoke at 10:45 p.m., and he had to be dissuaded from having his jaw tied up to ease the discomfort. He slept a little more, and then he asked to see a doctor. By the time Dr. Shchelkan and his colleagues arrived (none would accept responsibility for him alone), the patriarch was pale and his pulse weak. Unable to speak, he pointed at his chest, and he trembled with the onset of angina. He was in such pain that he requested morphine as he usually did for these particular symptoms. At 11:45 p.m., he asked what time it was. After receiving an answer, he blessed himself 3 times with the Sign of the Cross, and he proclaimed each time, “Glory to God !” Then his heart stopped. Camphor and cocaine were administered, without success.

Painting describing the solitary struggle and strength of the patriarch (by Constantine and Natalia Miroshnik)

Repose, Martyrdom, 1925

On 7 April, 1925 (the Feast of the Annunciation to the Theotokos, Old-Style), Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) fell asleep in the Lord.

The repose of Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) occurred in the Bakunin Clinic (hospital).

An obviously overjoyed Yevgeny Tuchkov learned about the repose from a tapped telephone. With a GPU agent, he examined the body before Metropolitan Peter (Polyanskiy) of Krutitsy and Bishop Boris (Rukin) of Mozhaisk arrived. Mr. Tuchkov wrapped the patriarch's body in the patriarchal mantle, and he accompanied it in a GPU ambulance to the Donskoy Monastery in order to prepare it for burial.

The newly-reposed patriarch's body was vested by Bishop Boris in gold and dark-green velvet vestments, and laid in an oak coffin. Then, led by 60 hierarchs, the faithful people passed by his body. It is estimated that 160,000-170,000 people visited the patriarch's body, 4-abreast, at a rate of 100-120 persons per minute, each day for 3 days. Another estimate puts the total number of people at 1,000,000.

The order of the Funeral Services for the Burial of a Hierarch was served on 12 April, 1925, on Palm Sunday, in the Donskoy Monastery. There were 56 bishops and up to 500 priests who participated, and the choirs of the Directors P Chesnokov and B Astafiev sang.

After the funeral services, on the same day, the body of Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) was laid to rest on the inside of the south wall of the refectory of the "winter Temple" (the smaller structure) of the Donskoy Monastery. Great care was taken at the time of the interment to make it difficult to find the tomb, so that there would be the least possible risk that his grave be found by the atheists or other antagonists. Some events and comments expressed during the following decades would confirm the prudence of this caution.

On that same day, a meeting was held, consisting of the archpastors who had gathered at the funeral service. At this brief meeting, Metropolitan Peter (Polyanskiy) of Krutitsky was officially assigned the duties of the Patriarchal Locum Tenens. This was inevitable, since the 2 alternative possible candidates were both in exile in prison at that time. These details were officially announced, and the act of his assignment was signed by 58 bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Funeral bier of Patriarch Tikhon

Closer photo of the bier

— Bishop of Lublin 1897-1898. Preceded by : Bishop Gideon (Pokorovskiy). Succeeded by : Bishop German (Ivanov).

— Vicar-Bishop of the Chełm Diocese 1897-1898.

— Bishop of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska 1898-1905. Preceded by : Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov). Succeeded by : See name changed.

— Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America 1905-1907. Preceded by : See name changed. Succeeded by : Archbishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky).

— Archbishop of Yaroslavl' and Rostov 1907-1913. Preceded by : Archbishop Jacob (Pyatnitskiy). Succeeded by : Archbishop Agafangel (Preobrazhenskiy).

— Archbishop of Vilnius 1913-1917. Preceded by : Archbishop Agafngel (Preobrazhenskiy). Succeeded by : Archbishop Elevtheriy (Bogoyavlenskiy)

— Archbishop of Moscow 1917. Preceded by : Metropolitan Makariy II (Nevskiy). Succeeded by : Patriarchate restored.

— Metropolitan of Moscow 1917 (as the last Metropolitan leading the Holy Governing Synod in Russia as instituted by Tsar Peter I).

— Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus’ 1917-1925. Preceded by : Patriarch Adrian 1627-1700 (as the last patriarch for 200 years). Succeeded by : Patriarch Sergiy (Stragorodsky).

Glorification, 1989

On 9 October, 1989, Patriarch Tikhon was officially glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church. This event is generally considered to be an example of the “thaw” in Church-Soviet relations during the “glasnost” period, which was a harbinger of the end of the Soviet Union.

The following statements of Saint Tikhon, provided by Orthodox Wiki are useful for those who live in a period when pressure against the Orthodox Christian Faith remains active in the world :

 Devote all your energy to preaching the word of God and the truth of Christ, especially today, when unbelief 
 and atheism are audaciously attacking the Church of Christ. May the God of peace and love be with all of you. 
 
 May God teach every one of us to strive for His truth, and for the good of the Holy Church, rather than 
 something for our own sake. 
 
 The spread of the Faith in Christ ought to be near and precious to the heart of every Orthodox Christian. 

1992 : Finding the Relics

At the time of the glorification of Saint Tikhon in 1989, it had not yet been possible to find the grave and the relics of Saint Tikhon. This was principally because the Donskoy Monastery had not yet been returned to the Russian Orthodox Church. This did not occur until 1992.

As was related by the then Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov) (now a bishop) in his book "Everyday Saints", even in 1992, the renewal of the monastery's structure and fraternal life had to take precedence over a serious search for the Holy Relics. A first search blessed by Patriarch Aleksey II (Ridiger) was unfruitful. It was after a fire in the "winter Temple" (the smaller Temple to the south of the catholicon), which had been caused by arson, that an opportunity arose for a second search, again blessed by the patriarch, and this search was successful. The events were deemed to have been Providential. Indeed, the discovery required even at this time 2 attempts. Patriarch Aleksey II, some monks, and some specialists were involved in various ways while digging and searching proceeded. The first attempt revealed an empty tomb. At the direction of the patriarch, a further search in the same area was agreed upon. The result was the discovery of the true tomb nearby.

When they lifted a part of the stone covering on 19 February, 1992, as Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov) later wrote,

 I remember how I was suddenly struck by a smell of spring freshness emerging from this underground crypt.

He continued :

 In front of me was a thin oak coffin of extremely refined carving, whose description I already knew very 
 well.  On it there was a marble inscription.  By the flickering light of the candle I read : 'The Patriarch of 
 Moscow and of all Russia, Tikhon'. 

Soon, in the presence of Patriarch Aleksey II (Ridiger) and of Archbishop Arseny (Epiphanov), the lid of the coffin was opened, and it was confirmed that the relics of Patriarch Saint Tikhon (Belavin) were truly there.

After 3 days, the patriarch and members of the Holy Synod were present for the official opening of the coffin and the confirmation before yet more witnesses that this was truly the body of the saint. A few days later, the prescribed washing of the relics and the vesting in new vestments of the mostly incorrupt body took place. It was noted that some of the saint's vestments had remained intact, while some others in the same places had not. This phenomenon underscored the significance of the incorruption of the body. Included in what survived was a palm frond (since the saint had been interred on Palm Sunday).

Present on this occasion were the Archpriest Daniel Hubiak and his Matushka Evdokia. Father Hubiak was the first representative in Moscow (and thus far, the longest serving) of The Orthodox Church in America.

From that time, the Holy Relics of Patriarch Saint Tikhon (Belavin) are kept in a reliquary in the monastery Temple, where they may be venerated.

At the reliquary, there is an icon of Saint Tikhon, in which the Saint is holding a scroll with the words :

 My children, do not stray from the path of the Cross, which has been sent to us by God.  

On 3 December, 2007, Patriarch Aleksey II (Ridiger), on the proposal of the calendar department of the publishing council of the Russian Orthodox Church, blessed the addition to the liturgical calendar of the commemoration of the memory of Saint Tikhon : 5/18 November, the date of his election to the All-Russian Patriarchal Throne.

On 4 May, 2017, the Holy Synod of the Church of Russia blessed the addition to the liturgical calendar of the commemoration of the Fathers of the Local Council of the Church of Russia (1917-1918) on 5/18 November.

Finding the relics : Patriarch Aleksey II (Ridiger) ; Archbishop Arseny (Epiphanov) ; Igumen Tikhon (Shevkunov)

Feast-days

The Feast-day of Saint Tikhon (Belavin) is 25 March/7 April, the date of his repose.

The glorification is remembered on 26 September/9 October.

The date of the election of Saint Tikhon to become the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' is remembered on 5/18 November.

The memory of the Holy Fathers of the Local Council of the Church of Russia (1917-1918) is also kept on 5/18 November.

Saint Tikhon is also commemorated on the Sunday nearest 25 January (or on the last Sunday of January), on the Feast of the New-martyrs and Confessors of Russia.

Tropar Tone 1

Let us praise the Holy New-Hieromartyr Tikhon,

Patriarch of all Russia,

and Enlightener of North America :

ardent follower of the Apostolic traditions,

and good pastor of the Church of Christ.

He was elected by Divine Providence,

and he laid down his life for his sheep.

Let us sing to him with faith and hope,

and let us ask for his hierarchical intercessions :

“Keep the Church in Russia in tranquillity,

and the Church in North America in peace.

Gather her scattered children into one flock ;

bring to repentance those who have renounced the True Faith ;

preserve our lands from civil strife,

and entreat the Lord that He give His peace to all people”.

Tropar Tone 1 (Glorification)

Chosen by God in a turbulent time,

you glorified Him in complete holiness.

You came to greatness through humility ;

and through simplicity and piety, you manifested the power of God.

You laid down your life for the Church and Her people,

O Holy Confessor and Patriarch, Father Tikhon.

Entreat Christ our God with whom you were also crucified,

that He save our souls.

Kontak Tone 2 (Glorification)

A gentle manner adorned you :

you showed kindness and compassion to those who repented.

You were firm and unbending in confessing the Orthodox Faith ;

and you were fervent in loving the Lord.

O Holy Hierarch of Christ and Confessor Tikhon,

intercede that we not be separated from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Kontak Tone 3

Today, the assembly of new-martyrs

stands together with us in the Church.

Together, we raise a festive song,

and we celebrate the uncovering of the Holy Relics

of the Thrice-blessed Patriarch, Father Tikhon,

who defeated the enemy

and preserved the True Faith,

while protecting the flock entrusted to him.

He intercedes unceasingly on behalf of us all

that we never be deprived of the love of God.

Reflections

On 15 April, 1925, "Pravda" and "Izvestia" published the “Death Testament” on behalf of the late patriarch, allegedly signed by him on the day of his death. There exist various editions, which were prepared by the department of Evgeny Tuchkov. The question of its authenticity, which was immediately called into question, is not yet fully resolved.

About Patriarch Tikhon, the Archpriest Vladimir Vorobiev supplied this information :

 When he died, a falsified ‘will’ was published in his name. But no one believed this falsification.  Those who 
 knew Patriarch Tikhon believed that he was a holy man.  The people trusted him limitlessly, as a saint. 
 Patriarch Tikhon possessed moral authority, which turned out to be an extraordinarily powerful force that 
 united the Church, the clergy, and the entire Russian people.
 
 There are firm grounds for speaking about the universal significance of Patriarch Tikhon’s heroic labour. The 
 twentieth century is one of the most difficult epochs in human history, when materialism, atheism, and 
 communism spread all over the entire globe, like a plague ; when revolutions and antichristian persecutions 
 started happening everywhere.  Science claimed that Christ was a legend, a myth, that He never existed.  And 
 during this very time, a giant of the Christian F aith arises ! A true Christian, who manifests Christian 
 sanctity on the Patriarchal throne ! A flame of confessing faith stood on a candle stand seen by the whole 
 world, and glorified our Heavenly Father.
 
 Patriarch Tikhon is the image of an Orthodox saint, who stood alone against the hurricane of bloody evil : 
 revolution, civil war, mass violence, executions, and murders.  They threatened to kill him also, and sent 
 assassins on several occasions. He did not run away from death.
 
 The only thing that he held dear was service to the Church.  He understood that the Lord had placed him as a 
 lighthouse that should shine in the darkness and light the path to Christ.  
 
 Patriarch Tikhon, like all holy people, was inwardly very free.  He blessed and thus legitimatized, as 
 Patriarch and as a saint, frequent Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. He called the people to this. 
 This blessing has particular meaning to us.
 
 He blessed people for the labour of confession and martyrdom. He showed by his own example how the Church can 
 be victorious over the most terrifying, unbelievable evil.

Father Vorobiev added that this holy patriarch's example showed the people then and now how, in Christ, the Church can be led by faithful archpastors, and flourish, despite being deprived of the usual outward forms and structures.

He included this following anecdote related to him by his grandfather (who was a priest serving under Patriarch Tikhon's omophor) :

 In Sergiev Posad (then called Zagorsk) there was a remarkable elder, Fr. Tikhon Pelikh, the rector of the St. 
 Elias church beyond the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra.  He was born to a peasant family, and sent to the army. 
 Here is his personal account.  He reached Moscow in his soldier’s overcoat and came to the church where 
 Patriarch Tikhon was serving.  He was a young fellow, hungry and cold.  He related : ‘I myself don’t know how I 
 ended up in the altar. Some kind of power led me there, and pushed me towards Patriarch Tikhon.  I didn’t know 
 what to say.  I went to get his blessing.  The Patriarch affectionately asked me, “What is your name ?” I 
 answered, “Tikhon”.  He said, “My name is also Tikhon”.  I don’t remember anything after that, only that the 
 subdeacons pulled me out of the altar by the edge of my coat’.   All who came into contact with Patriarch 
 Tikhon were blessed with Grace and love. 
 
 Patriarch Tikhon showed us the ascetic labour by which the Russian Church must go in the last days, because he 
 by his own labours renewed Orthodox life in Russia.  

As Andrey Samokhin wrote,

 It is characteristic that in the seven years of his patriarchate, he performed 777 Divine Liturgies 
 and about 400 evening services.  That is, it turns out that he served approximately every 2 to 3 days [...].

Patriarch (Saint) Tikhon persevered in his determination to serve the scattered sheep, as he led his far-flung flock in and towards Christ. This he did, even at the cost of his life ; and those who supported him certainly risked their lives out of love for him. He was helped by monks and other believers who served as secret couriers of letters and messages. Despite being ridiculed, imprisoned and tortured, Vladyka Tikhon steadfastly and constantly confessed Christ. Although he went to such lengths to serve and protect the Church and the faithful sheep, there were nevertheless some who considered him to be a collaborator with the Bolsheviks, and a betrayer. Some still do. Many more, however, consider him to be a martyr, because the circumstances of his repose in 1925 suggest that he did not die of “natural causes”.

Rumours spread that the dentist who pulled the patriarch’s diseased teeth had secretly administered poison instead of cocaine. The newspapers printed badly muddled reports.

When he reposed, almost everyone suspected that he had been poisoned. Although it was written many times that he “had not been poisoned”, but that he had died “simply from a heart attack”, nevertheless, the version that he had been poisoned has not been dismissed because it is very highly probable. Some suggest that he had been given powdered glass in his food. These hypotheses have never been proven, nor have they been disproven. However, there has also never been an attempt to investigate it. Were it proven that he was murdered, then the patriarch would be called a hieromartyr. If his death were from a heart attack, then his was certainly the death of a confessor.

Therefore, Saint Tikhon (Belavin) is referred to sometimes as being a "confessor" and sometimes as being a "hieromartyr". Both terms refer to the great suffering that he endured, particularly at the end of his life, for the sake of Christ and His Church. A person who is a confessor is one who has confessed Christ steadfastly, and who has suffered greatly at the hands of unbelievers because of this Faith and confession of the truth. A person who is a hieromartyr is a bishop, priest or deacon who has suffered for the sake of faith in Jesus Christ unto death.

The reason for the vagueness with regard to Saint Tikhon has to do with the difficulty in finding concrete proof that he actually was murdered (although there were many rumours to that effect at the time). There is no doubt about his suffering. Moreover, in the cases of other saints, these terms are sometimes used interchangeably in the Synaxarion. It appears that the term "hieromartry" is becoming more prevalent.

Indeed, immediately after his falling asleep, Patriarch Tikhon was considered by very many to be a Martyr for the Orthodox Christian Faith. After his repose,

 [...] the confluence of people to the Donskoy Monastery was enormous.  According to a rough estimate, at least one million 
 people were there in those mournful days.  Around Donskoy, all the streets leading to it and the entire Kaluga Square 
 were crowded with people.  Street traffic on them stopped ; trams reached only Kaluga Square.  Order was maintained by 
 managing workers who had a black armband with a white cross on their sleeves. [...] The line from Neskuchny - 1.5 miles 
 from the monastery - went four in a row, and moved to the cathedral for more than three hours.  Continuously replenished 
 at Neskuchny's new arrivals, this slowly moving human stream did not resemble the usual 'queues' day and night.  It was 
 a solemn procession. [...] On the day of the Patriarch’s burial, the weather was wonderful - warm, clear, spring.  The 
 service, according to the established order, began at 7 o’clock in the morning and continued until nightfall. The doors 
 of the cathedral were wide open, that is, those who did not fit inside and stood in front could hear the service, and the 
 singing came out.  From the front rows that echoed it, it rolled into the back, and the whole crowd of thousands sang.  
 It was a funeral service for the whole people.  The spiritual and prayerful upsurge was so great that weeping was not even 
 heard.  This was not only the burial of Patriarch Tikhon, but also his public glorification.  

When Patriarch Tikhon reposed, even worse times began for the Church. The lack of a spiritual leader produced adverse consequences. After he had fallen asleep in Christ, the soviet authorities began to choose the people who suited their purposes to fill the position of patriarch. As long as Patirarch Tikhon had been alive, he could be arrested ; but it was impossible to compromise him. Furthermore, the people trusted him.

Now, since their discovery, Saint Tikhon’s Holy Relics which rest in the Donskoy Monastery are a significant site of pilgrimage and veneration for the Orthodox Faithful. The faithful people are touched by Christ’s love through this contact with Saint Tikhon. The people come to their spiritual father, the spiritual father of their country, to ask for the Lord's blessing.

Patriarch Saint Tikhon (Belavin) is one who never forgot his responsibility as a chief-shepherd. He may be regarded as a sort of template for serving as an Orthodox archpastor.

It is most likely that the manner in which the Holy Relics of the Holy Confessor (Hieromartyr) Tikhon were protected and then found, and the incorrupt state in which they were found, were all for the purpose of giving joy to the faithful Orthodox Christians of Moscow and elsewhere. This was given also for their encouragement to persevere through every trouble and trial by keeping their focus on Christ the Saviour.

The following is an extract regarding Patriarch Tikhon, from an article by the Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann :

 [...] It is in this image of the future Patriarch as indeed an 'average' man, the image which remains 
 throughout his entire life, that constitutes in more ways than one the key to the role he played during the 
 most tragic decade in the history of the Russian Church.  It is something deeply significant and certainly not 
 accidental that at the time of an unprecedented collapse, of a crisis which revealed the real value of so many 
 self-proclaimed leaders and prophets, it is this quiet and indeed 'average' man who by Divine election and the 
 unanimous recognition of the Church becomes the very bearer and the living symbol of the Church's 
 indestructibility by the 'gates of hell'. 
 
 For what we, in our 'human much too human' search for the original and the spectacular call 'average', is 
 revealed in Patriarch Tikhon as the primordial virtue and the essential Grace :  total humility, total 
 obedience to his calling, total identification with the Church.  All his life he accepts offices and duties 
 imposed on him by others, and never once does he question any assignment in the name of his 'personal 
 vocation'.  Faithful 'over a few things', obedient to the Church in everything, he becomes ultimately the very 
 epiphany of the Church, as obedience to God, and of the episcopate, as the ministry of that obedience.
 
 But then, this quiet and humble ministry remains in the Church as a glorious victory.  He is sent to America, 
 without having asked for that assignment, not concealing — in his very first sermon in San Francisco — that 
 this exile from his country, his family and his friends was difficult for him.  'But now', he says quoting 
 Hosea [2:23], 'I will say to them which were not my people, you are my people [...]'.  And this humble 
 identification with the real needs of this new people makes of Tikhon the unique Apostle of America, 
 the one whom American Orthodoxy will forever venerate as its 'Father among the Saints'.  And thus it is 
 always and everywhere : the same obedience and therefore the same firm knowledge of what is good for 
 the Church — of what expresses and manifests the transcendent and eternal essence of the Church — and 
 therefore, ultimately, the same decisive victory.
 
 It is of course at the end of his life, when he seems to have stood almost alone facing the 'gates of hell', 
 that Tikhon's testimony, his 'martyria', acquired its fulness.  And what we find at the heart of that 
 'martyria', as both its moving power and its very content, is precisely the transcendence of the Church, the 
 refusal to reduce it to anything in the world, to let it be shaped and conditioned by any passing 
 'situations'.  It is remarkable indeed that while for the Bolsheviks he was the Enemy, and while they spared 
 no effort in harassing, torturing and isolating him and — as is most probable — finally 'liquidated' him, for 
 many inside the Church, because of his refusal of any 'political' involvement or pronouncement, he appeared as 
 a 'compromiser'.  He was abandoned and often betrayed, deprived of all power, misunderstood, blamed, insulted.  
 Yet it was then, during that crucial decade, crucial for the entire Orthodox Church, that he shaped and 
 determined that 'Tikhonian way' which since then has been so often corrupted in Russia as well as in 'exile', 
 but which alone remains the true way of the Church.  In the long history of the Church, few are examples of 
 such striking similarity to crucifixion, of such lonely, yet truly saving suffering on behalf of many.
 
 We are often tempted to think that the Church can be built on human wisdom and is to be measured by this 
 world's idea and image of success.  But then God sends to us a witness and through him reminds us that His 
 ways are not our ways, His wisdom not our wisdom.  He reveals again the incomparable and ineffable beauty, but 
 also the power, of humility and obedience, reveals faithfulness as the true ‘sensus Ecclesiae’ : the basic rule 
 and foundation of the Church’s life.  The more we look, with reverence and love, at Patriarch Tikhon, at his 
 life and sufferings, the more we see in him one more icon of the Church, the one that today we need more than 
 anything else.  At a time when everywhere in the world the Church seems mainly to be utilised for all kinds of 
 ‘causes’ : national, ethnic, political, when in the midst of an unprecedented crisis and a truly universal 
 rebellion against God, the Orthodox spent their time discussing their respective ‘privileges’ and ‘rights’, 
 this man, stripped of all power and nailed to his cross, reminds us of the true power and the true glory of 
 the Church.  It is of this mystery of the Church that the late Patriarch Tikhon is a God-sent witness and gift 
 to us.  And it depends on us to accept his testimony and to make ours the truth and power revealed in it.  
 (‘Orthodox America 1794-1976’, by Constance Tarasar, ed., p. 10.)

The Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky, the long-serving Director of the Office of External Affairs of The Orthodox Church in America, wrote about Saint Tikhon's service in North America :

 In all aspects of his archpastoral work, Archbishop Tikhon was the embodiment of exceptional meekness, 
 perseverance and clarity of vision.  

The Professor Vladimir Lossky, in his book "The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church", wrote words which refer both to Saint Patriarch Tikhon and to all those who suffered together with him in one or another manner during the fierce persecution of the Orthodox Church in Russia which followed the 1917 revolutions.

 How many people pass by the church without recognising the splendour of the eternal glory beneath the outward 
 aspect of humiliation and weakness ? Yet, how many recognised in 'the Man of Sorrows' the eternal Son of God ?  
 One must have eyes to see, and an understanding opened in the Holy Spirit to recognise the fulness there where 
 the outward sense perceives only limitations and want.  It is not only in the 'great ages' of the Church' life 
 that one can detect this fulness of Divine life always present within her.  In the age of the apostles, during 
 the times of persecution, and during the period of the Great Councils, there were also certain 'esprits laïcs' 
 who remained blind in the face of the evidence of the manifestations of the Spirit of God in the Church.  We 
 may mention a more recent example of the same insensibility.  Within the last generation, the Church of Russia 
 has brought forth thousands of martyrs and confessors who will bear comparison with those of the first centuries.  
 In every place where the Faith has been put to the test, there have been abundant outpourings of Grace, the most 
 astonishing miracles – icons renewing themselves beneath the eyes of the astonished spectators ; the cupolas 
 of churches shining with a light not of this world.  And – the greatest miracle of all – the Church has been 
 enabled to triumph over all difficulties, and to emerge renewed and strengthened from her fiery trial.  
 Nevertheless, all this was scarcely noticed.  The glorious aspect of what had taken place in Russia remained 
 almost without interest for the generality of mankind.  There were protests at the persecution ; there were 
 regrets that the Russian Church did not act like a temporal or a political power ; excuses were put forward 
 on behalf of this 'human frailty'.  The crucified and buried Christ will always be judged in similar fashion 
 by those who are blind to the light of His Resurrection.  We must, in the words of Saint Paul, receive, 'not 
 the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God ; that we may know the things that are freely given 
 to us of God' (1 Corinthians 2:12), that we may be able to recognise victory beneath the outward appearance 
 of failure, to discern the power of God fulfilling itself in weakness, the true Church within the historic 
 reality.  

Awards and honours

• Order of Saint Anna, 2nd degree (1895)

• Order of Saint Vladimir, 3rd degree (1901)

• Order of Saint Anna, 1st degree (1904)

• Order of Saint Vladimir, 2nd degree (1909)

• Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky (1913)

• A military order for distinguished conduct, bravery, courage, kindness by Tsar Nicholas II

• Diamond Cross worn on the klobuk (1916)

• A Temple in honour of Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, was erected on the Korzhevsk farm, in the Slavic Deanery of Krasnodar, in the Novorossiysk Diocese.

Temple of Saint Tikhon of Moscow, Korzhevsk, Novorussiysk Diocese, Ukraine

• On Friday, 7 October, 2022, more than a decade of work by clergy, parishioners, and religious and public organisations was culminated with the formal dedication of a New York City street in honoor of Patriarch Saint Tikhon, the great missionary who served in North America before becoming the Patriarch of Moscow.

The “Saint Tikhon Way” was festively unveiled at the intersection of Madison Avenue and 97 Street in Manhattan outside the Saint Nicholas Patriarchal Cathedral that was built and consecrated by Saint Tikhon. The event was timed to the 228th anniversary of the establishment of the Orthodox Mission in North America in 1794, and it came 2 days before the feast of Saint Tikhon on Sunday, 9 October.

Street-sign in honour of Saint Tikhon in New York City

Writings

Partial bibliography of writings by Patriarch Tikhon :

The vast majority of the writings of Saint Tikhon of Moscow are to be found in the many issues of the "Russian American Messenger" in the USA and in the various decrees and items of correspondence to be found in the archives of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Between 1892 and 1896, Saint Tikhon published articles in the "people's journal" "Beseda" ("Conversation"), a journal aimed at strengthening the faith of ordinary people.

• 'About the Face of the Lord Jesus Christ’ in "Wanderer", vol. 2 (St Petersburg, 1890).

• 'Vegetarianism and its Difference from Christian Fasting’ in "Wanderer", vol. 1 (St Petersburg, 1895). (Modern edition : “Vegetarianism and its Difference from the Christian Lent” (Moscow : New Book, 1996).

• 'About Asceticism’ in "Wanderer", vol. 2 (St Petersburg, 1897).

• 'Speech of Archimandrite Tikhon when he was named Bishop of Lublin (18 October, 1897)' in “Additions to the Church Gazette”, no. 43 (St Petersburg, 1897).

• "Saint Tikhon in Alaska : Four Sermons" (1899, 1901) (in Russian)

• ‘The Teaching of His Grace Tikhon, Bishop of the Aleutians and North America, to the newly appointed Priest’ in “Additions to the Church Gazette”, no. 22 (St Petersburg,1900).

• 'Speech at the Consecration of the New York Orthodox Russian Church, 10 November, 1902’ in “Additions to the Church Gazette”, no. 50 (St Petersburg, 1902).

• “Homily on the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy” (First Sunday of Great Lent) at the Cathedral Church in San Francisco, 1903.

• ‘Words on the Day of the Anniversary of the sacred Coronation on 14 May, 1905, given by St. Patriarch Tikhon, when he was consecrated Archbishop of the Aleutians and North America in the New York Cathedral’ in “Orthodox Life”, no. 7 (New York : Jordanville, 2001), pp. 8-12.

• “Greetings to the Members of the Council of the Orthodox Russian Church on Behalf of the Moscow Department (16 August, 1917)” , vol. 4, book 1, issue 2 (Moscow : Cathedral Council Publishing of the Holy Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church, 1918), p. 33.

• 'The Word of His Eminence Metropolitan Tikhon in the Holy Cross Church of the Trinity Podvoriye, when he was elected to the Patriarchate (5 November, 1917)’ in “Sergiev Papers”, no. 11 (Paris : Brotherhood of St. Sergius of Radonezh at the Orthodox Theological Institute, 1932), pp. 22-23.

• 'A Word in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin upon the Adoption of the Crosier of St. Peter the Metropolitan (21 November, 1917)”, book IV, chapters XLI-LI (Moscow : Cathedral Council Publishing of the Holy Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church, 1918), pp. 54-55.

• 'Greetings to the Members of the Consecrated Council of the Orthodox Russian Church (22 November, 1917)’ in "Additions to the Church Gazette", no. 6 (St Petersburg : Printing House of M P Frolova (owner A E Collins), 1918), pp. 243-245.

• 'A Letter on the Occasion of the Accession to the patriarchal Throne (dated 18 December, 1917)’ in "Church Gazette", no. 1 (St Petersburg : Printing House of M P Frolova (owner A E Collins), 1918), pp. 1-2.

• 'Message to the Bishops of the Georgian Exarchate, separated from the Russian Orthodox Church (29 December, 1917)’ in "Church Gazette", nos. 3-4 (St Petersburg : Printing House of M P Frolova (owner A E Collins), 1918), pp. 1-2.

• 'New Year's Word (1 January, 1918)’ in “Additions to the Church Gazette”, no. 1 (St Petersburg : Printing House of M P Frolova (owner A E Collins), 1918), pp. 1-3.

• 'Message from His Holiness Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, 19 January, 1918 (with Anathema)’ in “Theological Herald”, vol. 1, no. 2 (Moscow : Moscow Theological Academy, 1918), pp. 74-76.

• 'Speech at the solemn Assembly of the Holy Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, dedicated to the Memory of the Martyrdom of His Eminence Vladimir (Epiphany), Metropolitan of Kiev and Galitsky, 15 February (28), 1918’ in "Additions to the Church Gazette", nos. 9-10 (St Petersburg : Printing House of M P Frolova (owner A E Collins), 1918), pp. 339-340.

• 'Epistle from His Holiness Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, 2 March, 1918 (regarding the internecine warfare taking place in the country)’ in “Church Gazette”, nos. 7-8 (St Petersburg : Printing House of M P Frolova (owner A E Collins), 1918), pp. 30-32.

• 'Epistle from His Holiness Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, dated 5 March, 1918 (on the occasion of the conclusion of the Brest Peace)’ in “Church Gazette”, nos. 9-10 (PG : Printing House of M P Frolova (owner A E Collins), 1918), pp. 49-51.

• “Message of Patriarch Tikhon on the Eve of Lent before the Dormition of the Theotokos of 8 August, 1918”

• 'Epistle to the Council of People's Commissars on the Occasion of the first Anniversary of the October Revolution of 13 October, 1918’ in “Parish Bulletin”, no. 9 (New York : St Nicholas Russian Cathedral, 1919).

• ‘Message of 25 October, 1918 on the Anniversary of the October Revolution’ in “Bulletin of the RSHD”, nos. 89-90 (1968), pp. 19-23. (“RHSD” is the acronym for the Russian Student Christian Movement.)

• "Russia Insider" reproduction of the 1918 letter of Patriarch Tikhon to Vladimir Lenin.

• “Message of Patriarch Tikhon to the Clergy of the Russian Church with a Call for the Non-interference in the political Struggle of 10 August, 1919”. (8/10/1919)

• “Message of Patriarch Tikhon in Connection with the Closure of the Holy Trinity St Sergius Lavra by Civil Authorities of 9 October, 1920”.

• “Decree of Patriarch Tikhon, the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council of the Orthodox Russian Church (No. 362) of 20 November, 1920”.

• 'Letter to Archbishop Seraphim of Finland of 23 January (5 February 5), 1921’ in “Bulletin of the RSHD”, no. 115 (1975), pp. 88-89. (RSHD is the acronym for the Russian Student Christian Movement.)

• “Letter from Patriarch Tikhon to Archbishop Seraphim (Lukyanov) of Finland and Vyborg of 2 May, 1921”.

• 'Message of 15 February, 1922, about Help to the Starving and about the Donation of Church Valuables’ in “Bulletin of the RSHD”, no. 98 (1970), pp. 61-62. (RSHD is the acronym for the Russian Student Christian Movement.)

• “Decree (No. 348) of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council on the Abolition of the Karlovac All-Diaspora Higher Church Administration and the Confirmation of the canonical Rights of Metropolitan Eulogius”... of 5 May, 1922.

• 'Message of 1 July, 1923’ in “Bulletin of the RSHD”, no. 115 (1975).

• 'Letter to Archbishop Seraphim of Finland of 16 August, 1923’ in “Bulletin of the RSHD”, no. 115 (1975), pp. 89-90. (RSHD is the acronym for the Russian Student Christian Movement.)

• 'Letter to Archbishop Seraphim of Finland of 9 November, 1923’ in “Bulletin of the RSHD”, no. 115 (1975), p. 90. (RSHD is the acronym for the Russian Student Christian Movement.)

• 'Statement to the All-Russian Central Executive Committee on the Transition to the Gregorian calendar of 30 September, 1924’ in “Bulletin of the RSHD”, no. 115 (1975), pp. 78-87. (RSHD is the acronym for the Russian Student Christian Movement.)

Writings by various authors about Patriarch Saint Tikhon :

• Kazem-Beck, A, ‘His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon (1865–1925)’ in “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”, no. 4 (1965), pp. 16-24.

• (Lemeshevskiy) V V Manuel, "Russian Orthodox hierarchies from 1893 to 1965". (inclusive). Erlangen, 1979-1989. vol. 6, pp. 257-291.

• ..... “Russian Orthodox Bishops from 1893-1965” : Biographical dictionary [in German : “Die Russischen Orthodoxen Bischofe von 1893-1965”, vol. 6 (Erlangen, Germany, 1989), pp. 257-291.

• N, I, ‘In memory of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon’ in “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”, no 3 (1965), pp. 22–24.

• Vedernikov, A, ‘On the twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Death of Patriarch Tikhon 25 March, 1925’ in “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”, no. 5 (1950), pp. 61–69.

• Vvedenskiy, Archpriest A I, “The Church of Patriarch Tikhon” (Moscow, 1923).

• Vvedenskiy, Archpriest A I, “For which they deprived the Dignity of the former Patriarch Tikhon” (Speech by Archpriest A I Vvedensky at a meeting of the 2nd All-Russian Local Council on 3 May, 1923 in Moscow) (Moscow : Krasnaya Nov, 1923).

• Американский период жизни и деятельности святителя Тихона Московского 1898—1907 гг. “The American period of the Life and Work of St. Tikhon of Moscow 1898-1907” (St Petersburg : Сатисъ. Satis Publishing).

• "Acts of the Holy Council of the Russian Orthodox Church 1917-1918", 11 volumes (Moscow, 1994), vol. 1, p. 91.

• “The Composition of the Holy Synod and the Russian Church Hierarchy for 1917” (St Petersburg, 1917), St Petersburg Martyrology (St Petersburg : "Peace" "The Society of St. Basil the Great", 2002).

• ‘In memory of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon on the 60th Anniversary of his Death’ in “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”, no. 6 (1985), pp. 9-10.

Saint Tikhon of Moscow

Akathist Hymn to Saint Tikhon of Moscow

Akathist to Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow

Kontak 1

To you, the steadfast defender of the Holy Orthodox Faith, we, your spiritual children, offer hymns of praise and thanksgiving. We are mindful of the many benefactions which you have bestowed upon us. As you have great boldness before the formidable throne of the Most High, pray earnestly on behalf of all who truly honour your holy memory, and who cry out to you with love :

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Ikos 1

Called by God to His Holy Priesthood from your mother's womb, you were for all the faithful an example in word, conduct, love, spirit, faith and purity ; for you fought well the good fight ; you finished the difficult course of your life ; you kept the Faith, in nowise failing to hold fast to your vows. Therefore, full of gratitude for your love and sacrifice, we say :

Rejoice, you that preached the word of God with fervour ;

Rejoice, you that were watchful in all things !

Rejoice, you that made full proof of your ministry ;

Rejoice, you that as an evangelist proclaimed the glad tidings of salvation !

Rejoice, you that reproved those who rejected the truth of the Christian Faith ;

Rejoice, you that rebuked those who embraced the modern fables of materialism and progress !

Rejoice, you that, when the time of your departure was at hand, make provision for the Church ;

Rejoice, you that have therefore received from God a twofold crown for your righteousness and confession !

Rejoice, for the Lord stood with you and strengthened you in the hour of your tribulation ;

Rejoice, for He delivered you as from the mouth of a lion, and He gave you rest !

Rejoice, for since you lived in a godly manner in Christ Jesus, you suffered persecution ;

Rejoice, for you prevailed until the end, and you have obtained your reward !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 2

Having received the royal name Basil in the holy waters of baptism, from your infancy you were raised in piety and love for the Holy Church of Christ, who called you to follow your father in the priestly service. From childhood, you came to know the Holy Scriptures, which made you wise unto salvation through faith in our merciful Saviour, to whom we all cry aloud : Alleluia !

Ikos 2

In your youth you applied yourself with fervour to the study of the law of God and the dogmas of the Holy Orthodox Faith at the seminary in Pskov, O favourite of Christ. So thoroughly did you absorb the moral teachings of the Holy Fathers, that your companions came to call you "the patriarch", thus showing themselves to be unwitting prophets. Therefore, marvelling at the guidance of the Providence of God which was manifest throughout your life, we say :

Rejoice, you, whose heart was devoid of guile ;

Rejoice, you, whose gentleness touched the hearts of all !

Rejoice, you to whom the Lord granted the gift of intelligence, that you might understand His will ;

Rejoice, you that in humility received the monastic habit !

Rejoice, you that drank your fill of the inexhaustible spring of the dogmas of the Church ;

Rejoice, you that were the embodiment of Christian teachings !

Rejoice, you that enlightened Pskov with the effulgence of piety ;

Rejoice, you that shone forth the light of the Holy Faith in the city of Kholm !

Rejoice, for the city of Kazan rejoiced in your teaching ;

Rejoice, for by your mild demeanour you inspired heretics to return to the Orthodox fold !

Rejoice, for your life was a beacon of piety casting its light over a gloom-enshrouded sea ;

Rejoice, for thereby you guided many to the calm haven of the One Church of Christ !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 3

When the Most Holy Synod heard report of your good works in Kholm, and how the people were instructed by you in righteousness, they commanded that you be ordained to the episcopal rank. Thus you were entrusted with the onerous task of tending Christ's reason-endowed sheep, to which you assiduously devoted your energies until the very hour of your death. You showed yourself not to be a hireling, but rather a true shepherd of the flock of the All-Holy Trinity, to whom we all cry aloud : Alleluia !

Ikos 3

When the rumour spread that you were appointed to another episcopal see, your flock rose up in protest, and showed their dismay over the loss of their beloved archpastor. However, submitting in obedience to the ecclesiastical authorities, you undertook the long journey to your new diocese in faraway North America, where for eight years you laboured tirelessly in the vineyard of Christ, and you brought forth abundant fruit. We therefore cry out to you thus :

Rejoice, you that increased fourfold the parishes of your See ;

Rejoice, you that by your guilelessness and humility restored multitudes to the Faith of their fathers !

Rejoice, you that, in your love for the saints of God and respect for the pious Tsar, erected the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas ;

Rejoice, you that convoked a holy council to further the spread of the Orthodox Faith !

Rejoice, you that dedicated a sacred monastery for the establishment of the angelic life ;

Rejoice, you that thus honoured the heavenly patron whose name you had received at your own tonsure !

Rejoice, for in your pastoral care for your flock you manifested the spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind ;

Rejoice, you that manifest the brightness of the Grace of God in your spiritual life !

Rejoice, you that were shown to be an eloquent preacher, an apostle and teacher of the nations ;

Rejoice, you that cherished well the treasure committed to you by the Holy Spirit !

Rejoice, you that transmitted to the Faithful what you had learned from the holy Fathers ;

Rejoice, you that, having striven lawfully, have received your crown !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 4

When they saw how Almighty God had used you in North America as His instrument for the building up of His Holy Orthodox Church, your superiors in Russia decided to transfer you from the New World to the ancient and glorious See of Yaroslavl', where you went in all obedience. There you astonished all by your unfeigned concern for the life of even the lowliest parishes in your diocese and your love for all the children of God, to whom we cry aloud : Alleluia !

Ikos 4

With esteem for the gifts of the Spirit which so manifestly abode within you, the Most Holy Synod assigned you as bishop of the See of Vilna of Lithuania, where there were multitudes of Latins and Uniats who rejected the Orthodox Church of Christ. However, with your mild ways and gentle demeanour, you won over their hearts, and many converted to the true Faith. With them, we cry out to you such things as these :

Rejoice, you that were steadfast in the Orthodox Faith ;

Rejoice, you that in a godly manner edified all in the Faith !

Rejoice, you that with love admonished those who had turned aside from the Truth ;

Rejoice, you that knew that the law of God is good, when used lawfully !

Rejoice, you that opposed that which is contrary to sound doctrine ;

Rejoice, you that advanced the spreading of the Gospel of our Lord !

Rejoice, you that enlightened those who were in the ignorance of unbelief ;

Rejoice, you, whose love softened their hard hearts and stiff necks !

Rejoice, you that offered up supplications and prayers for all !

Rejoice, you that interceded for them and gave thanks !

Rejoice, for your labours were good and acceptable unto God our Saviour ;

Rejoice, for through you many were saved and came to knowledge of the Truth !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 5

When the Latin Empire of Austria-Hungary declared war on the Kingdom of Serbia, and the Russian Empire rose up to defend its Orthodox Christian brethren, the horrors of war beset your diocese as it was invaded by the enemy. However, although you were urged to retreat to the safety of Moscow, you bravely resolved to remain with your flock, succouring those who had lost their homes and who were in flight from destruction. You encouraged the soldiers at the front, and you courageously celebrated the Divine Services on the battlefield, even as bombs burst round about you. Therefore, in awe of your fearlessness, we cry out to the Almighty, who gave you strength : Alleluia !

Ikos 5

When the tide of battle turned against the Russian realm because of its sins, and when perfidious and traitorous lackeys, faint-hearted and cowardly, prevailed upon the Orthodox Tsar to abdicate his throne, as a merciful archpastor you wept for your people, who were caught up in the chaos of war, civil strife and famine, and you begged the Most High not to inflict unbearable tribulations upon them. We, mindful of your compassion, cry out to you :

Rejoice, you that prayed at every time and in every place ;

Rejoice you that lifted up your holy hands, without wrath and doubting !

Rejoice, you that commemorated the ruler and those in authority ;

Rejoice, you that prayed that all might lead a quiet and peaceable life !

Rejoice, you that were blameless and temperate ;

Rejoice, you that were sober-minded and able to teach !

Rejoice, you that as a good monk spurned filthy lucre ;

Rejoice, you that in your modesty were a stranger to covetousness !

Rejoice, you that held the mystery of the Faith in a pure conscience ;

Rejoice, you that were repeatedly proved, and found blameless !

Rejoice, you that ruled well each of your dioceses ;

Rejoice, you that edified the house of Christ, the Church of the living God !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 6

Amidst the tumult and turmoil of civil unrest, in the presence of the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the All-Holy Theotokos, you were elected by the clergy and people of the glorious city of Moscow to be their bishop. Great was their joy and astonishment when they found you to be a solicitous archpastor, who gladly visited the homes of even the humblest of his flock ; and they gave thanks for you unto Christ our God, chanting : Alleluia !

Ikos 6

As the dark clouds of ungodly revolution massed over the land, the hierarchs of the Church of Russia and the representatives of the clergy and the faithful assembled in the Kremlin of Moscow to deliberate and ensure the well-being of the Holy Orthodox Church. They chose you, O Holy Tikhon, to preside over their sessions, which you did with great intelligence and patience. Therefore, we all exclaim :

Rejoice, you that laboured and suffered reproach for your trust in the living God ;

Rejoice, you that did not neglect the gift which was prophetically given to you !

Rejoice, you that, taking heed to yourself and to Orthodox doctrine, saved yourself and those who listened to you ;

Rejoice, you that took care of widows and orphans !

Rejoice, you that did not prefer one before another, and showed partiality to none ;

Rejoice, for your good works were manifest before all !

Rejoice, you that were content to have but food and clothing ;

Rejoice, you that did not suppose that gain is godliness !

Rejoice, you that, hating riches, were not entangled in their snares ;

Rejoice, you that did not fall into the manifold pernicious lusts which drag men down to destruction !

Rejoice, you that followed after righteousness, piety, faith, patience and meekness ;

Rejoice, you that laid hold on eternal life, to which you were called !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 7

With the abdication and imprisonment of the devout Tsar, and the fall of the Orthodox government, the hierarchs of the Church and the leaders of the Faithful considered how best to preserve the age-old piety of Russia. Then, resolving to restore the ancient Patriarchate of Moscow, they elected you to that exalted office. Accepting the will of God when your ballot was chosen before the Wonder-working Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, you did not refuse to shoulder this heavy burden, but you cried unto the Almighty : Alleluia !

Ikos 7

When you were a young man, you presumed that the hierarchal rank entailed dignity, power, strength and honour. However, in time you came to realise that it signified instead toil, struggle and sacrifice. When you accepted election as Patriarch, you compared your new duty to the scroll about which the holy Prophet Ezekiel spoke, whereon were written the words : "Weeping, sighing and sorrow ; lamentation, mourning and woe". Moreover, in the words of Moses, you said to the Lord : "Why have You afflicted Your servant ? Therefore, have I not found favour in Your sight, that You lay the burden of all this people upon me ?" Yet, undaunted by the impending horrors that you envisioned, you did not refuse this duty. Therefore, we cry out to you :

Rejoice, you to whom the staff of Saint Peter of Moscow was entrusted ;

Rejoice, you upon whose head the klóbuk of Patriarch Nikon was set !

Rejoice, for even the blasphemous soldiers cast themselves at your feet ;

Rejoice, for they would not move until you had blessed them repeatedly !

Rejoice, fearless mediator for your people, who were not daunted by the weaponry of the enemy ;

Rejoice, you that, placing your trust in God, led a procession around the embattled Kremlin, and prayed for the carnage to cease !

Rejoice, you that bound yourself with an oath to preserve the Orthodox Faith ;

Rejoice, you that with the other members of the Great Council set down rules to govern the life of the Holy Church !

Rejoice, you that with devotion to all the saints of the Russian land established a special feast in their honour ;

Rejoice, you that set aright injustices committed of old !

Rejoice, you that inscribed in the lists of the saints the Holy Hierarch Sophronius and the Hieromartyr Joseph;

Rejoice, you that protested a treaty devoid of honour !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 8

When the godless seized power in Russia, they fell upon the Holy Orthodox Church like jackals upon an innocent lamb, and they strove to rend it limb from limb. They unjustly confiscated the lands and funds which were its support, dispossessed it of all its schools and seminaries, ordered that thenceforth the clergy receive no payment for their labours, and strictly forbade the teaching of the Holy Faith. They wished to create a nation where the people would no longer chant unto God : Alleluia !

Ikos 8

O Holy Hierarch Tikhon, you clearly perceived the evil purposes of the enemies of God ; and in your heartfelt concern for their salvation, you committed them, and those who supported them, to the dread anathema and excommunication, for attempting to bring about the ruination of the Holy Church of Christ. However, you urged the Faithful to endure martyrdom for our merciful Saviour and for the Holy Orthodox Faith. Many who hearkened to your zealous exhortations were later led like sheep to the slaughter, and they have been translated to the choirs of Heaven, where, having joined their company, you hear us cry out unto you :

Rejoice, you that condemned the desecration of the Temples of God ;

Rejoice, you that protested the confiscation of the holy Temples !

Rejoice, you that lamented the estrangement of Kiev and Little Russia ;

Rejoice, you that decried the senseless murders wantonly committed by the godless mob !

Rejoice, you that were stricken with anguish by the assassination of the pious Tsar and his innocent family and servants ;

Rejoice, you that proclaimed that those who did not condemn this sin of regicide would bear the guilt of innocent blood !

Rejoice, you that fearlessly celebrated a memorial for the royal victims ;

Rejoice, you that adjured the Russian people to acknowledge their sins !

Rejoice, for with spiritual sight you perceived the famine as a sign of the wrath of God ;

Rejoice, for many, heeding your valiant words, found the strength to endure martyrdom !

Rejoice, for you blessed them for their final struggle against evil in high places ;

Rejoice, for the blade of the demonised woman who sought your death did not slay you !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 9

Oh, the depths of depravity to which the ungodly sank in those troubled times ! Having cast off all moral restraints, the minions of the evil one falsely arrested the clergy and monastics, and summarily executed them as enemies of the people, or they sentenced them to hard labour as slaves ; and they delighted in slaughtering multitudes of the Faithful during Church processions. However, groaning at the loss of your brethren, you rebuked the wicked murderers, crying out : "The blood of our brethren, shed like rivers and spilled by you, cries out to Heaven". They stand with the saints and angels, chanting : Alleluia !

Ikos 9

When drought and famine struck the land of Russia, so that the harvest failed and death stalked the land, you appealed to all the Faithful to help their starving brethren ; and, hearkening unto you, they gave generously of their substance. However, the evil oppressors of the people, fearing the power of the Grace inherent in holy charity and almsgiving, seized for themselves the funds which had been collected, and they suppressed the organisation formed for the distribution of the aid. They preferred that the starving perish of hunger rather than owe their lives to the Christian Church. Then also the godless regime demanded all the treasures of the Church, wherewith the pious had adorned it over the centuries. However, you resisted their blasphemous edict, and you urged the flock not to surrender unto the ungodly that which is holy. Therefore, we cry unto you such things as these :

Rejoice, good husbandman of the vineyard of Christ ;

Rejoice, you that pruned the vine of the Church, that it might put forth goodly fruit !

Rejoice, you that bravely defended the patrimony of the Faithful ;

Rejoice, you that with valour denounced those who committed sacrilege !

Rejoice, for you did not bury in the ground the talent entrusted to you ;

Rejoice, for you wisely increased it for your Heavenly Master !

Rejoice, for Christ the Lord was well pleased with you ;

Rejoice, for with gladness you entered into His joy !

Rejoice, you that took care that the starving be fed ;

Rejoice, for by your efforts aid was given to them in abundance !

Rejoice, for the enemies of Christ said all manner of evil against you falsely for His sake ;

Rejoice, for in like manner were the prophets of God persecuted before you !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 10

Although the onslaught of the godless enemies of Christ dealt His Church a bitter blow, yet more bitter by far was the betrayal of you and Holy Orthodoxy by false brethren who strove to refashion it in their own fallen image. They perfidiously cast aside the canons of the holy œcumenical councils and the age-old traditions of the Universal Church. Although they called themselves "the Living Church", yet you rightly declared them to be devoid of the life-giving Grace of the Holy Trinity, since they had basely usurped the legitimate authority within the Church. As treacherous and traitorous betrayers, they have no right to chant unto God : Alleluia !

Ikos 10

The prince of evil, the ancient enemy of the salvation of man, inspired his henchmen to divide the Church of Russia, thus making it easier to crush it utterly. They supported the invidious "Living Church" ; the atheist regime persecuted the true Church of Christ, and strove to force all the hierarchs and the clergy to abandon you, the true archpastor of the reason-endowed flock of the Lord. In order to achieve their vile aim, they falsely arrested you, O holy patriarch, and they cast you into prison. Therefore, we cry out to you :

Rejoice, you that unmasked the wolves who came to you in sheeps' clothing ;

Rejoice, you that as Paul suffered perils because of false brethren !

Rejoice, you that knew them by their fruits ;

Rejoice, you that warned them that, lacking any good fruit, they would be hewn down, and cast into everlasting fire !

Rejoice, you that assured them that not everyone who says : "Lord, Lord !" shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven ;

Rejoice, you that declared that the Lord would say unto them : "Depart from Me, you that work iniquity !"

Rejoice, you that adjured them not to try to build their house on shifting sands, lest its fall be great ;

Rejoice, you that admonished them to cleave unto the House of God, which is founded upon the rock of the true Faith !

Rejoice, you that, when you were arrested, did not wonder what you would say ;

Rejoice, for in that same hour eloquence was given you, for you to answer the tyrants !

Rejoice, for it was not you that spoke, but the Holy Spirit within you ;

Rejoice, for your tormentors could not shake you in your steadfast confession !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 11

Even as all the foes of the Holy Faith arrayed themselves against you and beset you on every side, to smite and destroy you, they found willing allies in their blasphemous wiles in the person of the deluded Patriarch of Constantinople and those of like mind with him, who, infected with the disease of masonry and ecumenism, declared his support of the "Living Church" and confirmed the deposition it had falsely imposed upon you. Yet, full of valour and steadfast faith, you did not yield to despair, but you cried out to God : Alleluia !

Ikos 11

The Faithful of the Church did not waver in their allegiance to you, the rightful primate of the Church of Russia, and when influence from abroad was brought to bear upon the regime, so that you were released from captivity, the "Living Church" withered away like a barren fig-tree. Still, the godless did not cease to persecute you, dispatching a vile tormentor to wear down your strength and health by his constant demands and importunities. Yet, although weak in body, you did not allow the Church to fall prey to his evil machinations. Therefore, we cry to you such things as these :

Rejoice, for although you saw brother deliver brother unto death, you did not despair ;

Rejoice, for although you witnessed children rising up against their parents, you resisted despondency !

Rejoice, you that were hated for the Name of the Lord ;

Rejoice, for, having endured unto the end, you were saved !

Rejoice, for you did not fear those who kill the body ;

Rejoice, for you knew that such men are unable to destroy the soul !

Rejoice, for you confessed Christ before all ;

Rejoice, for He has confessed you before His Father in Heaven !

Rejoice, for you pondered the words of Christ, that a man's foes shall be of his own household ;

Rejoice, for you did not think that He had come to send peace on earth, but rather a sword !

Rejoice, for you were worthy of the Lord, having loved no one more than Him ;

Rejoice, for you were worthy of the Lord, having taken up your Cross and followed Him !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 12

As chaos and turmoil descended upon the Church of Russia, and your physical powers waned, you foresaw the coming of a time when the persecution of the godless would become so intense that they would permit no true and godly hierarch to oversee the flock of Christ. Therefore, taking counsel with your pious physician, you secretly tonsured him to the monastic habit, and you ordained him as Maxim, Bishop of Serpukhov, entrusting to him the perilous task of founding a Church in the catacombs, that the true Faith might continue to be preached, and that the flock of Christ, which would call themselves Tikhonites after your name, might continue fearlessly to chant unto the Most High : Alleluia !

Ikos 12

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints". Therefore, your hallowed repose was also blessed ; for, worn out with constant concern and care for your faithful flock, your health shattered by the unremitting interrogations of the evil tormentor, you surrendered your pure soul into the hands of your Master, passing over unhindered to the mansions of Heaven, where, greeted by the Most Holy Theotokos and all the incorporeal powers, you have joined the choir of the apostles, martyrs and confessors, for which cause we chant to you such things as these :

Rejoice, for in you has the Lord of hosts been well pleased ;

Rejoice, for the ranks of angels rejoice in your fearless witness !

Rejoice, for the apostles of Christ welcome you into their choir ;

Rejoice, for the assemblies of the martyrs rejoice, at your arrival in their midst !

Rejoice, for all the holy hierarchs marvel at your undaunted courage ;

Rejoice, for the company of venerable monastics stands in awe of your awesome struggles !

Rejoice, for because of you all the saints of Russia are exceedingly glad ;

Rejoice, for with you all the saints of the Orthodox Church praise the indivisible Trinity !

Rejoice, for although your death was lowly, yet through it you have attained the heights of Heaven ;

Rejoice, for in her miraculous Icon of the Don, the All-immaculate Mother of God guarded your grave !

Rejoice, for after many years in the earth your precious relics were uncovered and found to be untouched by corruption ;

Rejoice, for those who approach them with faith receive through them the healing of their infirmities !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 13

O most holy hierarch Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, meek and humble servant of our meek and loving Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, with your merciful gaze look down upon the suffering Russian land, and regard with pity its downtrodden and oppressed peoples. Even though the trials and tribulations which afflict us are the result of our own sins, our hardness of heart and lack of repentance, intercede before the formidable throne of the Most High, that He punish us not for our transgressions and offences, but that He have mercy upon us who, taught by you, cry out unto Him in the Orthodox manner : Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia ! (Sing this Kontak 3 times)

Ikos 1

Called by God to His Holy Priesthood from your mother's womb, you were for all the faithful an example in word, conduct, love, spirit, faith and purity ; for you fought well the good fight ; you finished the difficult course of your life ; you kept the Faith, in nowise failing to hold fast to your vows. Therefore, full of gratitude for your love and sacrifice, we say :

Rejoice, you that preached the word of God with fervour ;

Rejoice, you that were watchful in all things !

Rejoice, you that made full proof of your ministry ;

Rejoice, you that as an evangelist proclaimed the glad tidings of salvation !

Rejoice, you that reproved those who rejected the truth of the Christian Faith ;

Rejoice, you that rebuked those who embraced the modern fables of materialism and progress !

Rejoice, you that, when the time of your departure was at hand, make provision for the Church ;

Rejoice, you that have therefore received from God a twofold crown for your righteousness and confession !

Rejoice, for the Lord stood with you and strengthened you in the hour of your tribulation ;

Rejoice, for He delivered you as from the mouth of a lion, and He gave you rest !

Rejoice, for since you lived in a godly manner in Christ Jesus, you suffered persecution ;

Rejoice, for you prevailed until the end, and you have obtained your reward !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 1

To you, the steadfast defender of the Holy Orthodox Faith, we, your spiritual children, offer hymns of praise and thanksgiving. We are mindful of the many benefactions which you have bestowed upon us. As you have great boldness before the formidable throne of the Most High, pray earnestly on behalf of all who truly honour your holy memory, and who cry out to you with love :

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

A Prayer to Saint Tikhon

O good pastor, our fervent intercessor and instructor, Holy Hierarch Tikhon, hearken now to the groans and sighs which issue forth from the depths of our hearts, and accept the earnest entreaty we make unto you ; for we know that as a loving father, you ever abide with us in spirit. You watch over us, your sinful children, and you pray to the Lord on our behalf. Therefore, O favourite of God, as you have boldness before the Master Jesus Christ with His all-pure Mother, be for us a mediator and advocate ; for, now as ever, we stand sorely in need of your intercession.

As you were a peer of the apostles, as you brought enlightenment to those benighted by heresy and schism, so lead us into the Uncreated Light of the Grace of God, that we may pass from glory to glory, and may find rest with you and all the saints in the mansions of Heaven. As you were a fearless Confessor of the truth of the holy Orthodox Faith, so teach us to stand immovable on the rock of Faith, unshaken by the surging tides and currents of worldly understandings and temptations. As you prevailed until the end in your awesome contest against the prince of this world and his evil minions, so aid us, your sinful and unworthy children, in our daily struggles, that by your supplications, we may escape the malice of the enemy of our salvation and may set at nought the schemes and wiles of those who, having succumbed to his influence, prefer worldly glory, riches and position to humility and all the Christian virtues and a steadfast confession of Christ our true God, who with the unoriginate Father and His all-holy, good and life-creating Spirit, is worshipped and glorified unto the ages. Amen.

References

Archdiocese of Canada – Orthodox Church in America, “The Orthodox Church in Canada : A Chronology” (Ottawa : Archdiocese of Canada, 1988).

Moss, Vladimir, “Hieromartyr Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia”

“The Russian Mission in North America”

(Shevkunov), Archimandrite Tikhon, “Everyday Saints and Other Stories”, trans by J H Lowenfeld (Dallas, TX : Pokrov Publications, 2012).

Silano, Francesca, “In the Language of the Patriarch : Patriarch Tikhon, the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Soviet State (1865-1925)” (Toronto : University of Toronto Department of History, 2017). (Ph.D thesis)

Tarasar, Constance J, ed., “Orthodox America 1794-1976 : Development of The Orthodox Church in America” (Syosset, NY : The Orthodox Church in America Department of History and Archives, 1975). ASIN : B000ZLZAUE.

Orthodoxwiki Biography

OCA biography by Alexis P Liberovsky

Russian Wikipedia article about Saint Tikhon

Orthodox Encyclopedia biography

Azbuka.ru biography : Saint Tikhon (Belavin), Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (video in Russian at the end)

Pravoslavie.ru web-site biography of Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow

Drevo Encyclopaedia biography

Saint John the Baptist Cathedral biography

Holy Patriarch Tikhon, biography on the web-site pravmir.ru

‘Life of St Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia’ in “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, no. 2 (1990), pp. 56-68.

OCA Past Primates biography by Alexis P Liberovsky

Moscow Patriarchate biography (in Russian)

Canadian Patriarchal Parishes biography

Antiochian Archdiocese biography

Britannica biography

IPFS duplicate wiki biography

Saint Nicholas Church biography

Additional information :

Andreev, Ivan M, “A Brief Overview of the History of the Church of Russia from the Revolution to Our Days” (Jordanville, NY : Holy Trinity Monastery Press, 1952).

Firsov, Sergey Lvovich, "Time as Judge : Orthodox Churches of Russia and Constantinople in the 20th Century" (Moscow : Department of External Church Relations, 12 December 2018).

Firsov, Sergei, “Holy Patriarch Tikhon and the Publications of the Moscow Patriarchate (1940–1990)” Gubonin, M E, comp.,“Acts of His Holiness Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, later documents and correspondence on the canonical succession of the supreme church authority 1917-1943” (Moscow : Publishing House of St Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Institute, 1994). ISBN : 5742900015.

Gundyaev, Patriarch Kirill, “On the 100th Anniversary of the Election to the Patriarchate of St Tikhon of Moscow” (Moscow : Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate, 2017). ISBN : 978-5-88017-484-3.

Hopko, Protopresbyter Thomas, ‘Church History’ in “Volume III : The Orthodox Faith”.

Kishkovsky, Archpriest L, Stokoe, M, “Orthodox Christians in North America (1794-1994)” (New York : Orthodox Church in America, 1995), pp. 8-9. ISBN-10 : 0866420533. ISBN-13 : 978-0866420532.

Lossky, Vladimir, "Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church" (Crestwood, New York : Saint Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1976), pp. 245-246. ISBN : 913836311. ISBN 13 : 9780913836316.

Perich, John J, "The Center of Orthodoxy in America : The History of Saint Tikhon's Monastery-Orphanage-Seminary" (South Canaan, PA : Saint Tikhon's Seminary, 1979). [Unpublished M.A. thesis].

Pospielovsky, Dimitry, “The Russian Church Under the Soviet Regime 1917-1982”, 2 vols. (Crestwood, NY : St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1984).

Prokurat, Michael ; Golitzin, Alexander & Petersen, Michael, eds., “The A to Z of the Orthodox Church” (Lanham, MD : Scarecrow Press, 2010), pp. 60-61. ISBN : 978-0-8108-7602-6.

Regel'son, Lev, "Tragedy of the Russian Church : the Church under Soviet Power 1917-1953" (Germany : Sanktum, 2017). ISBN 10 : 9783330719194 ; ISBN 13 : 978-3330719194. ASIN : 3330719192. (Translated from Russian to English)

Sevzov, Vera, "Russian Orthodoxy on the Eve of Revolution" (Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2004). ISBN : 0195335473. ISBN 13 : 9780195335477.

Stricker, G, ‘Patriarch Tikhon in search of ways to coexist with the Soviet regime’ in “The Russian Orthodox Church in Soviet times (1917-1991)” : Materials and documents on the history of relations between the state and the Church: in 2 volumes. (Moscow : Propylea, 1995), pp. 213-246. ISBN 5-7354-0026-6.

Stricker, G, ‘The Seizure of Church Property : The Process against Metropolitan Benjamin of Petrograd’. in “The Russian Orthodox Church in Soviet Times (1917-1991)” : Materials and documents on the history of relations between the state and the Church in 2 volumes (Moscow : Propylaea, 1995), pp. 143-184. ISBN 5-7354-0026-6.

Tsypin, Archpriest Vladislav, ‘Russian Orthodox Church under the Most Holy Patriarch Alexy I (Simansky) (1944-1970)’ in “History of the Russian Orthodox Church (1917-1997)” (Found in the Russian Wikipedia biography, in “Literature)”. See Chapter 2 about Saint Patriarch Tikhon.] [The textbook has been published as 9th book (application) of the history of the Church by Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov) (Moscow : Valaam Monastery, Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery Publishing House, 1997), 831 pp.]

Voroviev, Archpriest Vladimir, “Patriarch Tikhon is one of the greatest universal Saints” : an interview

Vostryshev, M I, “God's chosen One, the Way of the Cross of St Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia” (Moscow : Sovremennik, 1991). ISBN 5-270-01448-3.

Vostryshev M I, “Patriarch Tikhon”, 3rd ed. (Moscow : Young Guard, 2004). (The life of wonderful people), ISBN 5-235-02647-0.

Ware, Timothy, "The Orthodox Church : An Introduction to Eastern Christianity" New Edition (Penguin Books at Random House, UK, 2015) ISBN : 978-0-141-98063-8.

"History of the Pskov Diocese (10th to 19th centuries)" by N V Kolomytseva, 8 December, 2018

Anonymous essay : "Russian New Martyrs and Confessors of the Communist Yoke".

‘Church Renewal, Renovationism and Patriarch Tikhon’ in “Church and Time”, no. 2 (1999), pp. 59-298.

‘From Patriarch Tikhon to Metropolitan Sergius : Succession or Betrayal ? (Report at the conference “Church and Soviet Power in the 20-30s’, St Petersburg, May 1992)’ in “Church and Time”, no. 3 (1992), pp. 43-60.

Metropolitan Antoniy (Vadkovskiy)

Bishop Germogen (Dobronravin)

Archbishop Vladimir (Sokolovsky-Avtonomov)

Metropolitan Innocent (Pustynsky)

Bishop Nicholas (Ziorov)

Bishop Platon (Rozhdestvensky)

Bishop Raphael (Hawaweeny)

Protopresbyter Alexis Toth

Priest John Kochurov

Archpriest Alexander Hotovitzky

Archpriest Jacob and Matushka Barbara Korchinsky

Archimandrite Arseny (Chahovtsov)

Archimandrite Sebastian (Dabovich)

Priest Alexander (Nemolovsky)

Archpriest Vladimir and Matushka Rose Alexandrov

Protopresbyter Theophan Matfeyevich Buketov

‘Archbishop Tikhon’ in “Orthodoxy in America, Part One : From the Russian Mission to the OCA”

'Grateful to Government : Archbishop Tikhon Says His People are Happy And Contented' in “Winnipeg Tribune” (Friday, 8 September, 1905), p.2.

'Church Sold' in “Winnipeg Tribune” (Wednesday, 7 November, 1906), p. 12.

All Russian Church Council of 1917-1918

'“Patriarch Tikhon is one of the greatest Universal Saints” : A talk with Archpriest Vladimir Vorobiev', interview in “Orthodox Christianity”

Text of "Ukaz" no. 362 of 7 November, 1920

1923 interview with Patriarch Tikhon

WMF Report : 1923 American Interview with Patriarch Tikhon from "The Light of Russia" by Donald A Lowrie

Another presentation of the 1923 interview

Encylpedia.com article about the Living Church Movement

"The Decline of the Patriarchate of Constantinople" (from Saint John Maximovitch's report to the 1938 All-Diaspora Sobor of the ROCOR)

Saint Vladimir’s Seminary article at the 100th anniversary of the enthronement of Patriarch Tikhon

Audio biography

Video of the new patriarch blessing people in 1917, after his election and enthronement

Video of Saint Nicholas Day 1918

Video about Saint Patriarch Tikhon by TK SPAS (in Russian)

OCA article about the Uncovering of the Relics

'Immigration and Conversion 1870-1920' in "OCA Archives : History of Orthodox Christians in North America"

Orthodoxwiki article about the Russian Orthodox Church

Wikipedia article about the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia

OrthodoxWiki article about The Orthodox Church in America

Video of the veneration of the relics of Saint Tikhon of Moscow by the Synod of Bishops, 2017, on the 100th anniversary of the Restoration of the Patriarchate

Video about the life of Saint Tikhon (in Russian)

Video regarding the enthronement of Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev) with video of the enthronement of Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin)

Video : Патриарх Тихон Божий избранник (Patriarch Tikhon God's chosen) (in Russian)

Обретение мощей святителя Тихона, Патриарха Московского и всея России (Observing the relics of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) (in Russian)

Departed Bishops in/of Canada

Canadian Orthodox History Project, no. 4, pp. 26-30

‘Discovery of the Relics of St. Tikhon of Moscow’ in “Canadian Orthodox Messenger” (Summer 1992), p. 4.