Birthday anniversary of Patriarch of Moscow and All-Russia, Alexius I

October 27 (November 8) 1877 was born Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexius I, secular name Sergey Simanskiy.

He was the first-born in the family of Vladimir Simanskiy, official at the Office of the Moscow Governor-General, later Lord Chamberlain and official office of the Holy Synod Office. Sergey received a good education at home, which he continued at the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages. In 1891, he was transferred to the Moscow Imperial Lyceum in memory of Tsarevich Nicholas ("Katkovsky Lyceum") - a privileged closed institution for the nobility. After graduating from it in 1896, Sergey entered the Law Faculty of the Moscow University. Having completed the entire course in three years, he defended his thesis "Combatants and non-combatants during the war" in 1899, having received the degree of candidate of law.

Being transferred to the reserve in the rank of lieutenant after a year of service as a volunteer in the Grenadier Regiment, in 1900, Sergey Simansky entered the Moscow Theological Academy. Studying there, he took monastic vows and religious name Alexius. In 1904, hieromonk Alexius graduated from the Academy with a degree in theology and was appointed inspector of the Pskov Theological Seminary, also engaged in teaching. In 1906, he became archimandrite and rector of the Tula Theological Seminary and in 1911 took a similar position in Novgorod, becoming simultaneously abbot of the famous monastery of St. Anthony.

From 1913, Alex served as the second vicar and from the early 1917 as the first vicar of the Novgorod diocese. In 1920, he was arrested by the Cheka of Novgorod and brought to trial on charges of unauthorized autopsy and examination of religious relics. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but was immediately amnestied due to the end of the Civil War. In 1921, Alexius was appointed bishop of Yamburg and vicar of the Petrograd diocese, and a year later became temporary administrator of the Petrograd diocese. In October 1922, Alexius was arrested again on charges of counter-revolutionary activities and sentenced to three years' exile in Karkaralinsk (today a town in the Karaganda Region of Kazakhstan).

In 1926, he returned to Leningrad and was soon appointed manager in the Novgorod diocese as Archbishop of Tikhvin. A year later, Alexius became a permanent member of the interim Patriarch St. Synod, and in May of 1932 - Metropolitan of Staraya Russa. In August 1933, he was appointed Metropolitan of Novgorod, and in October of the same year - Metropolitan of Leningrad. In 1943, after the merger of departments, Alexius became Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod. September 4, 1943 Metropolitan Alexius, along with other representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church participated in the historic meeting with Stalin. All the time of the siege of Leningrad Alexius remained in the besieged city and was subsequently awarded the medal "For the Defense of Leningrad".

After the death of Patriarch Sergius (Stragorodsky) in May of 1944 Alexius became locum tenens of the patriarchal throne. February 2, 1945 at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. During the same year he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and paid visits to the Eastern patriarchs. Patriarch Alexius had occupied the throne for 25 years - longer than anyone in the history of the Russian Church. During his reign, he pursued a policy of loyalty to the Soviet regime, was four times awarded the Order of the Red Banner. During his patriarchate Alexius managed to unite under the ROC a number of autocephaly and prevent new divisions of the church.

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexius I died April 17, 1970 in the age of 92 and was buried in the Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.

Lit.: Алексий (Симанский С. В.). Слова, речи, послания, обращения, доклады, статьи: В 4 т. М., 1948-1964; История Русской Православной Церкви: От восстановления Патриаршества до наших дней. СПб., 1997; Кашеваров А. Н. Государство и церковь. Из истории взаимоотношений Советской власти и Русской Православной Церкви, 1917–1945 гг. СПб., 1995; Крапивин М. Ю. Внутриконфессиональные конфликты и проблемы межконфессионального общения в условиях советской действительности (окт. 1917 – конец 1930-х годов). СПб., 2005; Русская Православная Церковь, 988-1988: Очерки истории. М., 1988; Русская Православная Церковь и Великая Отечественная война: Сб. док-ов. М., 1943; Одинцов М. И. Государство и Церковь в России: XX век. М., 1994.

Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:

Первосвятители : [документальный фильм] / Леннаучфильм, М-во культуры Рос. Федерации ; авт. сценария и реж.: Петр Солдатенков. [СПб.], 2010. (Доступно в электронном читальном зале)