Archbishop of Istra Arseny: Love God and your neighbor

Arseny (Epifanov)
(born 1955), Metropolitan of Lipetsk and Zadonsk, head of the Lipetsk Metropolis, holy archimandrite of the Zadonsk Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery, member of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church in the World Epifanov Yuri Alexandrovich, born March 3, 1955 in the village of Vostryakovo, Domodedovo district, Moscow areas in a worker's family.

After graduating from high school, he served in the Soviet Army, then served as an altar boy at the St. Nicholas Church in Biryulyovo (he had been a parishioner of this church since the early 70s).

In 1976-1979 he studied at the Moscow Theological Seminary, then at the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 1983.

In 1983-1989 he was the assistant and personal secretary of Metropolitan Alexy of Tallinn and Estonia and then of Leningrad and Novgorod.

On August 28, 1984 he was ordained a deacon, on August 28, 1986 - a priest, and since 1988 he served in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

On September 13, 1989, he was elected Bishop of Ladoga, vicar of the Leningrad diocese.

On September 30 of the same year he was tonsured a monk with a name in honor of the Monk Arseny Konevsky. On October 1, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.

On October 5, 1989, he was consecrated Bishop of Ladoga, Vicar of the Leningrad Diocese. The consecration in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra was performed by: Metropolitan Alexy (Ridiger) of Leningrad and Novgorod; Archbishops of Gorky and Arzamas Nikolai (Kutepov), Nikon (Fomichev); bishops of Alma-Ata and Kazakhstan Eusebius (Savvin), Tambov and Michurinsky Evgeniy (Zhdan), Ulyanovsk and Melekessky Proclus (Khazov), Tashkent and Central Asian Lev (Tserpitsky).

On July 20, 1990, at the first meeting of the Holy Synod, chaired by the newly elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', Alexy II was appointed Bishop of Istra, vicar of the Moscow diocese.

On February 25, 1997, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop.
Supervised parishes, clergy and parish councils of Moscow. Participated in the work of commissions to examine the holy relics returned to the Church and newly discovered: St. blgv. book Alexander Nevsky (1988), Venerable Zosima, Savvaty and Herman Solovetsky (1990), Venerable. Seraphim of Sarov (1991), St. Joasaph of Belgorod (1991), St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1991), Blessed. Matrona Nikonova (1998).

In 1994-1997, he was the chairman of the Scientific Editorial Council for the publication of “History of the Russian Church” by Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov).

Since 1998, from the date of its foundation, he has headed the Scientific Editorial Council for the publication of the Orthodox Encyclopedia.

On April 1, 2009, he was confirmed as the first vicar of the Moscow diocese for the city of Moscow [1].

In December 2010, the care of parish churches in the territory of the Central (Central, Sretenskoye, Epiphany, Pokrovskoye, Moskvoretskoye deaneries) and Southern (Danilovskoye deanery) administrative districts of Moscow was entrusted [2].

On December 31, 2011, he was appointed manager of the Central and Southern Vicariates of the city of Moscow and was included in the Diocesan Council of the city of Moscow ex officio [3].

On February 1, 2014, he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' [4].

Since October 23, 2014, he has been included in the commission for church administration, pastoral care and organization of church life in the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church [5].

Since December 24, 2015 - member of the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church [6].

On July 9, 2021, he was appointed ruling metropolitan of Lipetsk and Zadonsk, head of the Lipetsk Metropolis [7].

On July 16, 2021, he was released from the post of first patriarchal vicar, and from the management of the parishes of the Central and Southern Vicariates of the Moscow City Diocese with gratitude for the work incurred [8]. On August 30 of the same year, he was also released from membership in the Supreme Church Council [9].

On October 29 of the same year, he was confirmed as the Holy Archimandrite of the Zadonsk Nativity of the Mother of God Monastery [10].

Biography of a priest

Metropolitan Arseny Istrinsky was born in 1955 in the Moscow region. He was born in the small village of Vostryakovo, which is now one of the microdistricts in the Western administrative district of the capital.

The hero of our article graduated from a regular Soviet school. And he immediately went to work. He got a job at the post office located at the Kazansky railway station in Moscow. Having earned the first money in his life, Yuri Aleksandrovich Epifanov (that was his name then), went to serve in the army.

Path to the church

From the age of 15, the hero of our article already professed Orthodoxy. Future Metropolitan Arseny Istrinsky chose a purposeful church career immediately after serving in the Armed Forces of the USSR. In 1975, at the age of 20, he became an altar boy at the St. Nicholas Church in Biryulyovo. Ordinary men from the laity were recruited for this church position. No special training or education was required to become an altar server.

The temple in Biryulyovo, in which Arseny served as an altar worker, was named in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It was built shortly after the Civil War, in 1924. The Soviet government did not so openly interfere with the work of the church at that time. At first it was made of wood. And it burned to the ground in 1956. In the next year it was restored and consecrated. Almost secretly. This temple is unique because it was built during the years of Soviet power, when the clergy were oppressed in every possible way.

Seminary studies

Having become an altar server, the future Metropolitan Arseny of Istrinsky became convinced of his desire to forever give himself to the church. To do this, in 1976 he entered the theological seminary in Moscow. And then to the Moscow Theological Academy. He graduated from it in 1983.

After this, for six years he served as a referent and personal secretary for the future Patriarch Alexy II. True, in those days Alexy was only a metropolitan. First Estonian and Tallinn, later Leningrad and Novgorod. He received the patriarchal rank only in 1990.

By that time, Arseny had broken up with him. In 1988, he received the post of cleric of the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. This is an ancient Orthodox church, built during the time of Peter I.

Meanwhile, in those years he had already received the rank of archpriest.

Excerpt characterizing Arseny (Epifanov)

“There’s one thing I don’t understand,” the old man continued, “who will plow the land if you give them the freedom?” It is easy to write laws, but difficult to govern. It’s the same as now, I ask you, Count, who will be the head of the wards when everyone has to take exams? “Those who will pass the exams, I think,” answered Kochubey, crossing his legs and looking around. “Pryanichnikov, a nice man, a golden man, works for me, and he’s 60 years old, will he really go to the exams?” by the hand of Prince Andrei, he walked towards the entering tall, bald, blond man, about forty years old, with a large open forehead and an extraordinary, strange whiteness of an oblong face. The man who entered was wearing a blue tailcoat, a cross on his neck and a star on the left side of his chest. It was Speransky. Prince Andrei immediately recognized him and something trembled in his soul, as happens at important moments in life. Whether it was respect, envy, expectation - he did not know. Speransky's entire figure had a special type by which he could now be recognized. In no one from the society in which Prince Andrei lived did he see this calmness and self-confidence of awkward and stupid movements, in no one did he see such a firm and at the same time soft look of half-closed and somewhat moist eyes, did he not see such firmness of an insignificant smile , such a thin, even, quiet voice, and, most importantly, such a delicate whiteness of the face and especially the hands, somewhat wide, but unusually plump, tender and white. Prince Andrei had only seen such whiteness and tenderness of the face in soldiers who had spent a long time in the hospital. This was Speransky, Secretary of State, rapporteur of the sovereign and his companion in Erfurt, where he saw and spoke with Napoleon more than once. Speransky did not move his eyes from one face to another, as is involuntarily done when entering a large society, and was in no hurry to speak. He spoke quietly, with the confidence that they would listen to him, and looked only at the face with whom he spoke. Prince Andrei especially closely followed every word and movement of Speransky. As happens with people, especially those who strictly judge their neighbors, Prince Andrei, meeting a new person, especially one like Speransky, whom he knew by reputation, always expected to find in him the complete perfection of human merits. Speransky told Kochubey that he regretted that he could not come earlier because he was detained in the palace. He did not say that the sovereign detained him. And Prince Andrei noticed this affectation of modesty. When Kochubey named him Prince Andrei, Speransky slowly turned his eyes to Bolkonsky with the same smile and silently began to look at him. “I’m very glad to meet you, I’ve heard about you, like everyone else,” he said. Kochubey said a few words about the reception given to Bolkonsky by Arakcheev. Speransky smiled more. “The director of the commission of military regulations is my good friend, Mr. Magnitsky,” he said, finishing every syllable and every word, “and if you wish, I can put you in touch with him.” (He paused at the point.) I hope that you will find in him sympathy and a desire to promote everything reasonable. A circle immediately formed around Speransky, and the old man who was talking about his official, Pryanichnikov, also addressed Speransky with a question. Prince Andrei, without engaging in conversation, observed all the movements of Speransky, this man, recently an insignificant seminarian and now in his own hands - these white, plump hands, who had the fate of Russia, as Bolkonsky thought. Prince Andrei was struck by the extraordinary, contemptuous calm with which Speransky answered the old man. He seemed to be addressing him with his condescending word from an immeasurable height. When the old man began to speak too loudly, Speransky smiled and said that he could not judge the benefits or disadvantages of what the sovereign wanted. After talking for some time in a general circle, Speransky stood up and, going up to Prince Andrei, called him with him to the other end of the room. It was clear that he considered it necessary to deal with Bolkonsky. “I didn’t have time to talk to you, prince, in the midst of that animated conversation in which this venerable old man was involved,” he said, smiling meekly and contemptuously, and with this smile, as if admitting that he, together with Prince Andrei, understands the insignificance of those people with whom he just spoke. This appeal flattered Prince Andrei. - I have known you for a long time: firstly, in your case about your peasants, this is our first example, which would so much like more followers; and secondly, because you are one of those chamberlains who did not consider themselves offended by the new decree on court ranks, which is causing such talk and gossip. “Yes,” said Prince Andrei, “my father did not want me to use this right; I started my service from the lower ranks. – Your father, a man of the old century, obviously stands above our contemporaries, who so condemn this measure, which restores only natural justice. “I think, however, that there is a basis in these condemnations...” said Prince Andrei, trying to fight the influence of Speransky, which he was beginning to feel. It was unpleasant for him to agree with him on everything: he wanted to contradict. Prince Andrei, who usually spoke easily and well, now felt difficulty in expressing himself when speaking with Speransky. He was too busy observing the personality of the famous person. “There may be a basis for personal ambition,” Speransky quietly added his word. “Partly for the state,” said Prince Andrei. “What do you mean?...” said Speransky, quietly lowering his eyes. “I am an admirer of Montesquieu,” said Prince Andrei. - And his idea that le principe des monarchies est l'honneur, me parait incontestable. Certains droits et privileges de la noblesse me paraissent etre des moyens de soutenir ce sentiment. [the basis of monarchies is honor, it seems to me beyond doubt. Some rights and privileges of the nobility seem to me to be a means of maintaining this feeling.] The smile disappeared on Speransky’s white face and his physiognomy benefited a lot from this. He probably found Prince Andrei’s idea interesting. “Si vous envisagez la question sous ce point de vue, [If that’s how you look at the subject,” he began, pronouncing French with obvious difficulty and speaking even more slowly than in Russian, but completely calmly. He said that honor, l'honneur, cannot be supported by advantages harmful to the course of service, that honor, l'honneur, is either: the negative concept of not doing reprehensible acts, or a well-known source of competition for obtaining approval and awards expressing it. His arguments were concise, simple and clear. The institution that maintains this honor, the source of competition, is an institution similar to the Legion d'honneur [Order of the Legion of Honor] of the great Emperor Napoleon, which does not harm, but promotes the success of the service, and not the advantage of class or court. “I don’t argue, but it cannot be denied that the court advantage achieved the same goal,” said Prince Andrei: “every courtier considers himself obliged to bear his position with dignity.” “But you didn’t want to use it, prince,” said Speransky, smiling, indicating that he wanted to end the argument, which was awkward for his interlocutor, with courtesy. “If you do me the honor of welcoming me on Wednesday,” he added, “then I, after talking with Magnitsky, will tell you what may interest you, and in addition I will have the pleasure of talking with you in more detail.” “He closed his eyes, bowed, and a la francaise, [in the French manner], without saying goodbye, trying to be unnoticed, he left the hall. During the first time of his stay in St. Petersburg, Prince Andrei felt his entire mindset, developed in his solitary life, completely obscured by those petty worries that gripped him in St. Petersburg. In the evening, returning home, he wrote down in a memory book 4 or 5 necessary visits or rendez vous [meetings] at the appointed hours. The mechanism of life, the order of the day in such a way as to be everywhere on time, took up a large share of the energy of life itself. He did nothing, didn’t even think about anything and didn’t have time to think, but only spoke and successfully said what he had previously thought about in the village. He sometimes noticed with displeasure that he happened to repeat the same thing on the same day, in different societies. But he was so busy all day that he didn’t have time to think about the fact that he didn’t think anything. Speransky, both on his first meeting with him at Kochubey’s, and then in the middle of the house, where Speransky, face to face, having received Bolkonsky, spoke with him for a long time and trustingly, made a strong impression on Prince Andrei. Prince Andrei considered such a huge number of people to be despicable and insignificant creatures, he so wanted to find in another the living ideal of the perfection for which he was striving, that he easily believed that in Speransky he found this ideal of a completely reasonable and virtuous person. If Speransky had been from the same society from which Prince Andrei was, the same upbringing and moral habits, then Bolkonsky would soon have found his weak, human, non-heroic sides, but now this logical mindset, strange to him, inspired him with respect all the more that he did not quite understand it. In addition, Speransky, either because he appreciated the abilities of Prince Andrei, or because he found it necessary to acquire him for himself, Speransky flirted with Prince Andrei with his impartial, calm mind and flattered Prince Andrei with that subtle flattery, combined with arrogance, which consists in silent recognition his interlocutor with himself, together with the only person capable of understanding all the stupidity of everyone else, and the rationality and depth of his thoughts.

Bishop of Ladoga

In 1989, the hero of our article received a new assignment. He became the Bishop of Ladoga and vicar of the Leningrad diocese. That is, an assistant to the diocesan bishop who does not have his own diocese.

In September, he took monastic vows, receiving the name Arseny in honor of Arseny Konevsky, an Orthodox Novgorod monk who lived in the 14th-15th centuries. (It was Arseny Konevsky who brought to Russia from Athos the icon of the Mother of God, which later received the name Konevskaya. Together with this icon, he settled on the island of Konevets, located on Lake Ladoga. Over time, he founded a communal monastery, which he dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary).

At this time, it turned out that the new Patriarch Alexy II had not forgotten his former secretary-assistant. At the very first meeting of the Holy Synod, after he took office, the hero of our article became Metropolitan Arseny of Istra. The priest's biography subsequently developed very successfully. He received the rank of vicar in the Moscow diocese.

In 1997 he was elected to the secretariat of the Council.

Notes[ | ]

1. ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kravchenko M. I.
   Arseniy // Orthodox Encyclopedia. - M.: Tserkovno-nauchny, 2001. - T. III: “Anthimiy - Athanasius.” - P. 399. - 752 p. — 40,000 copies. — ISBN 5-89572-008-0.
2. Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate. - 1987. - Issue. 1-6.
   1987
3. Definitions of the Holy Synod [1989.09.13: Bishop of Ladoga, vicar of the Leningrad diocese, upon tonsure into monasticism and elevation to the rank of archimandrite, to be prot. G. Epifanov] // Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate. - 1990. - No. 1. - P. 29.
4. Naming and consecration of Archimandrite Arseny (Epifanov) as Bishop of Ladoga // Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate. M., 1990. No. 7. pp. 32-34.
5. Arseny, Metropolitan of Istra
6. Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church February 18-23, 1997: Russian Orthodox Church. (unspecified)
   (inaccessible link). Date accessed: October 25, 2021. Archived October 25, 2021.
7. The Synod consolidated the destruction of the system of the times of Alexy II in the Russian Orthodox Church.
8. JOURNALS of the meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on December 10, 2008. Patriarchy.ru.
9. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill issued an order to change the structure of the Moscow Patriarchate. Patriarchia.Ru, 2.4.2009.
10. "Regulations on diocesan vicariates of the Russian Orthodox Church." Patriarchia.Ru.
11. By order of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, managers of the diocesan vicariates of Moscow were appointed. Patriarchia.Ru, 12/31/2011.
12. On the fifth anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Cathedral Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Patriarchia.Ru, 1.2.2014.
13. Journals of the meeting of the Holy Synod of December 24, 2015. Magazine No. 89. Patriarchy.Ru.
14. JOURNALS of the meeting of the Holy Synod of July 9, 2021
15. Order No. R-02/16 of July 16, 2021
16. Order No. R-02/17 of July 16, 2021
17. JOURNALS of the meeting of the Holy Synod of August 30, 2019
18. Journals of the meeting of the Holy Synod of October 29, 2021 (unspecified)
    .
    Patriarchia.ru
    (29.10.2019). — “Magazine No. 140.” Date accessed: October 30, 2019.
19. On the 2nd Sunday of Great Lent, the Primate of the Russian Church celebrated the Liturgy at the Intercession Monastery in Moscow and led the consecration of Archimandrite John (Moshnegutu) as Bishop of Soroca, vicar of the Chisinau diocese. // Patriarchia.Ru
20. On the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, the Primate of the Russian Church celebrated the Liturgy in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. // Patriarchia.Ru
21. Metropolitan Arseny of Istra was awarded the Order of the Holy Passion-Bearer Tsar Nicholas

Archbishop's rank

At the same Council of Bishops where Arseny entered the secretariat, he was awarded the rank of archbishop. This is how Metropolitan Arseny of Istrinsky went up the church career ladder. Many parishioners knew where the archbishop served.

People came to his Istra Vicariate, located in the Moscow region (in the city of Istra), from different parts of the country for advice and absolution. By the way, Metropolitan Arseny still leads it. For 27 years now.

In 2009, Arseny became vicar of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', replacing the deceased Alexy II in this post. His area of ​​responsibility included the capital's parishes.

Responsibilities of the Metropolitan

Arseny received the rank of metropolitan in 2014. His immediate responsibilities include overseeing the capital’s churches in the Southern and Central parishes of the capital. Since 2015, Metropolitan Arseny has been a member of the Supreme Church Council. In fact, this is an executive body of government that functions under the Russian Orthodox Church.

The vicar of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' is engaged not only in monitoring the activities of parishes. He is also obliged to be responsible for the work and performance of their duties by the clergy and parish councils at the churches under his subordination.

He is one of the permanent members of the commission, which examines holy relics returned to the church or discovered again.

In recent years, the commission has confirmed the authenticity of the relics of many saints: in 1988, Alexander Nevsky, and in 1990, Saints Savvaty, Herman and Zosima of Solovetsky (founders of the world famous Solovetsky Monastery back in the 15th century), Seraphim of Sarov (he founded the Diveyevo Women's Convent monastery), Patriarch Tikhon, who led the Russian Orthodox Church during the October Revolution and the Civil War.

In 1998, the authenticity of the relics of Matrona of Moscow (Matrona Dmitrievna Nikonova), a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church who was rumored to have advised Joseph Stalin himself, was certified.

Awards[ | ]

Church

• Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, III degree
• Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, II degree
• Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, II degree
• Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov, II degree (March 8, 2015) - in recognition of the diligent archpastoral labors and in connection with the 60th anniversary of his birth
  [19]
• Order of St. Innocent of Moscow, II degree
• Orders and medals of local Orthodox Churches
• Memorial panagia (August 28, 2014) - in recognition of the diligent archpastoral labors and in connection with the 30th anniversary of service in the priesthood
  [20]

State

• Order of Friendship (11 August 2000)
• Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree (October 6, 1997)
• Medal "In memory of the 850th anniversary of Moscow"

Other awards

• Order of the Holy Passion-Bearer Tsar Nicholas (2019)[21]