Congratulations from Archbishop of Alexander and Yuryev-Polish Eustathius on the Day of Episcopal Consecration. © Chita and Krasnokamensk Diocese
until February 3, 2013 - bishop
until October 10, 2009 - Bishop of Chita and Transbaikal
Vadim (Lazebny) (v/u)
Kaltasy village, Bashkortostan
Archbishop Eustathius(in the world - Evgeniy Vladimirovich Evdokimov; November 1, village of Kaltasy, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic) - bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archbishop of Alexander and Yuryev-Polsky.
Biography
He graduated from high school and served in the army. In 1974 he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, then the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 1981 with a candidate of theology degree.
Bishopric
On December 27, 2000, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided “Temporary archpastoral care for the flock of the Chinese Autonomous Orthodox Church, living in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, be entrusted to Bishop Eustathius of Chita and Transbaikal in coordination with the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate."
After the decision of the Holy Synod of October 10, 2009, the independent Ulan-Ude and Buryat diocese was separated from the Chita diocese, Bishop Eustathius was determined to have the title of Chita and Krasnokamensk.
On February 3, 2013, on the 35th week after Pentecost, before the start of the second day of the Consecrated Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, Bishop Eustathius of Chita and Krasnokamensk was elevated to the rank of archbishop.
On May 30, 2014, the Holy Synod appointed him Archbishop of Alexander and Yuryev-Polsky.
Criticism
In 2006, Bishop Eustathius banned Fr. Sergiy Taratukhin for recognizing Mikhail Khodorkovsky as a political prisoner and, on this basis, refusing to consecrate the administrative building of the colony in Krasnokamensk, where the entrepreneur was serving his prison term.
Awards
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Notes
Links
- on the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate.
- in the Encyclopedia of Transbaikalia.
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Excerpt characterizing Evstafiy (Evdokimov)
Prince Vasily fulfilled the promise made at the evening at Anna Pavlovna's to Princess Drubetskaya, who asked him about her only son Boris. He was reported to the sovereign, and, unlike others, he was transferred to the Semenovsky Guard Regiment as an ensign. But Boris was never appointed as an adjutant or under Kutuzov, despite all the efforts and machinations of Anna Mikhailovna. Soon after Anna Pavlovna's evening, Anna Mikhailovna returned to Moscow, straight to her rich relatives Rostov, with whom she stayed in Moscow and with whom her beloved Borenka, who had just been promoted to the army and was immediately transferred to guards ensigns, had been raised and lived for years since childhood. The Guard had already left St. Petersburg on August 10, and the son, who remained in Moscow for uniforms, was supposed to catch up with her on the road to Radzivilov.The Rostovs had a birthday girl, Natalya, a mother and a younger daughter. In the morning, without ceasing, trains drove up and drove off, bringing congratulators to the large, well-known house of Countess Rostova on Povarskaya throughout Moscow. The countess with her beautiful eldest daughter and guests, who never ceased replacing one another, were sitting in the living room.
The Countess was a woman with an oriental type of thin face, about forty-five years old, apparently exhausted by children, of whom she had twelve. The slowness of her movements and speech, resulting from weakness of strength, gave her a significant appearance that inspired respect. Princess Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya, as home person, sat right there, helping in the matter of receiving and engaging in conversation with guests. The youth were in the back rooms, not finding it necessary to participate in receiving visits. The Count met and saw off the guests, inviting everyone to dinner.
“I am very, very grateful to you, ma chere or mon cher [my dear or my dear] (ma chere or mon cher he said to everyone without exception, without the slightest shade, both above and below him) for himself and for the dear birthday girls . Look, come and have lunch. You will offend me, mon cher. I sincerely ask you on behalf of the whole family, ma chere.” He spoke these words with the same expression on his full, cheerful, clean-shaven face and with an equally strong handshake and repeated short bows to everyone, without exception or change. Having seen off one guest, the count returned to whoever was still in the living room; having pulled up his chairs and with the air of a man who loves and knows how to live, with his legs gallantly spread and his hands on his knees, he swayed significantly, offered guesses about the weather, consulted about health, sometimes in Russian, sometimes in very bad, but self-confident French, and again, with the air of a tired but firm man in fulfilling his duty, he went to see him off, straightening the sparse gray hair on his bald head, and again called for dinner. Sometimes, returning from the hallway, he walked through the flower and waiter's room into a large marble hall, where a table for eighty couverts was being set, and, looking at the waiters wearing silver and porcelain, arranging tables and unrolling damask tablecloths, he called to him Dmitry Vasilyevich, a nobleman, who was taking care of all his affairs, and said: “Well, well, Mitenka, make sure everything is fine. “Well, well,” he said, looking around with pleasure at the huge spread-out table. – The main thing is serving. This and that...” And he left, sighing complacently, back into the living room.
- Marya Lvovna Karagina with her daughter! - the huge countess's footman reported in a bass voice as he entered the living room door.
The Countess thought and sniffed from a golden snuffbox with a portrait of her husband.
“These visits tormented me,” she said. - Well, I’ll take her last one. Very prim. “Beg,” she said to the footman in a sad voice, as if she was saying: “Well, finish it off!”
A tall, plump, proudly looking lady with a round-faced, smiling daughter, rustling with their dresses, entered the living room.
“Chere comtesse, il y a si longtemps... elle a ete alitee la pauvre enfant... au bal des Razoumowsky... et la comtesse Apraksine... j"ai ete si heureuse..." [Dear Countess, how long ago... she should have been in bed, poor child... at the Razumovskys' ball... and Countess Apraksina... was so happy...] lively voices were heard women's voices, interrupting one another and merging with the noise of dresses and the moving of chairs. That conversation began, which is started just enough so that at the first pause you can stand up, rustle with your dresses, and say: “Je suis bien charmee; la sante de maman... et la comtesse Apraksine" [I am in admiration; mother’s health... and Countess Apraksina] and, again rustling with dresses, go into the hallway, put on a fur coat or cloak and leave. The conversation turned to the main city news of that time - about the illness of the famous rich and handsome man of Catherine's time, old Count Bezukhy, and about his illegitimate son Pierre, who behaved so indecently at an evening with Anna Pavlovna Scherer.
“I really feel sorry for the poor count,” said the guest, “his health is already bad, and now this grief from his son will kill him!”
- What's happened? - asked the countess, as if not knowing what the guest was talking about, although she had already heard the reason for Count Bezukhy’s grief fifteen times.
- This is the current upbringing! “Even abroad,” said the guest, “this young man was left to his own devices, and now in St. Petersburg, they say, he did such horrors that he was expelled from there with the police.
- Tell! - said the countess.
“He chose his acquaintances poorly,” Princess Anna Mikhailovna intervened. - The son of Prince Vasily, he and Dolokhov alone, they say, God knows what they were doing. And both were hurt. Dolokhov was demoted to the ranks of soldiers, and Bezukhy’s son was exiled to Moscow. Anatoly Kuragin - his father somehow hushed him up. But they did deport me from St. Petersburg.
- What the hell did they do? – asked the Countess.
“These are perfect robbers, especially Dolokhov,” said the guest. - He is the son of Marya Ivanovna Dolokhova, such a respectable lady, so what? You can imagine: the three of them found a bear somewhere, put it in a carriage and took it to the actresses. The police came running to calm them down. They caught the policeman and tied him back to back to the bear and let the bear into the Moika; the bear is swimming, and the policeman is on him.
“The policeman’s figure is good, ma chere,” shouted the count, dying of laughter.
- Oh, what a horror! What's there to laugh about, Count?
But the ladies couldn’t help but laugh themselves.
“They saved this unfortunate man by force,” the guest continued. “And it’s the son of Count Kirill Vladimirovich Bezukhov who is playing so cleverly!” – she added. “They said he was so well-mannered and smart.” This is where all my upbringing abroad has led me. I hope that no one will accept him here, despite his wealth. They wanted to introduce him to me. I resolutely refused: I have daughters.
That's why I see that suddenly I started to receive comments on a topic from more than three years ago - . Well, for example, these:
"Return him to us in Chita!!! Without him, we were orphaned. For everyone, he had either a kind word or a look filled with sooooo love! Health to you, dear Vladyka Eustathius and patience! We LOVE you very much!!!"
“God be your judge, For slandering the Lord!!!”
“For some reason, Father Philip, you yourself didn’t want to stay in Chita? You didn’t want to help the Bishop raise the Chita Diocese from nothing.... They covered themselves with a sick grandmother. And you are “adding fuel to the fire”, shaking up some kind of dirt. You are helping the scum. poison elderly person. It doesn't do you any credit. Your old age is also not far off. What can you brag about???"
I'm at a loss. Why did they suddenly begin to remember this topic, which had long since been relegated to the archives?... It turns out that the point is in today’s decision of the Holy Synod:
Frankly, I have prayed in the past for this to happen. IN last years I completely forgot about the archbishop and stopped praying. And then, it turns out that God, after all, heard the prayers of me and many others to whom the bishop managed to drink blood when he was the manager of the Chita diocese.
In my case, I left there on time and got off very easily, only out of the corner of my eye catching that totalitarianism and the emerging personality cult of the bishop, which then brought terror to the entire clergy, without exaggeration. Yes, compared to many bishops today who extort the last of their money from parishes, he undoubtedly won in the eyes of many people back then. I myself at first trusted him, deciding to stay in the diocese after I received it from the previous bishop. Innokenty received a letter of leave, which he decided not to use, and continued to serve under the new bishop. He looked quite handsome then, such a man of prayer, a sensible almost old man. And then gradually the atmosphere began to change. Perplexities accumulated, questions multiplied, and sometimes I even asked myself: what is happening and where are we going!? It was 2001, long before many current readers of, for example, the Achilles portal, began to openly express their thoughts about, for example.
In my case, this was one of the most acute disappointments in ministers during my time in the church environment. After that I stopped believing bishops in principle. And the bishop taught me this. Eustathius, he was the first to dispel the previous illusions about those who find themselves in this environment. In which, of course, there are pleasant exceptions, but in general they only confirm the rule. Of course, he was not measured in the same way as he measured his subordinates. This is simply a “retirement”, where the bishop’s female admirers will have an unhindered opportunity to visit him.
EVSTAFY (Evdokimov Evgeniy Vladimirovich) - Bishop of Chita and Transbaikal. Born on November 1, 1951 in the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. He graduated from high school, served in the army, after demobilization he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary in 1974, then the Academy, which he graduated in 1981. In 1980, he became a monk at the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra (Sergiev Posad). In 1982 he became a priest (hieromonk). In 1984 he was sent to Moscow to restore the St. Daniel Monastery. In 1988, he was sent as a confessor and builder to the newly opened Tolgsky in the city of Yaroslavl monastery. In 1991, he was appointed abbot of the Spaso-Iakovlev Dimitriev Monastery, opened in the same year in the city of Rostov the Great, Yaroslavl Region. On December 29, 1999, he was appointed Bishop of Chita and Transbaikal. On January 30, 2000, he was ordained bishop. On February 14, 2000, he arrived in the city of Chita.
Bishop Eustathius
By the decision of the Holy Synod of December 28-29, 1999, the abbot of the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery, Archimandrite Eustathius, was appointed Bishop of Chita and Transbaikal. On January 29-30, the consecration of Archimandrite Eustathius as Bishop of Chita and Transbaikal took place at the Moscow Epiphany Cathedral. The consecration of Archimandrite Eustathius as bishop was completed His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II in the concelebration of the bishops: Juvenal, Metropolitan of Krutitsky and Kolomna, Sergius, Metropolitan of Solnechnogorsk, Pitirim, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk and Yuryev, vicar of the Moscow diocese, Eusebius, Archbishop of Pskov and Velikolutsk, Evlogiya, Archbishop Vlad Imir and Suzdal, Micah, Archbishop Yaroslavl and Rostov, Savva, Bishop of Krasnogorsk, vicar of the Moscow diocese, Alexy, Bishop of Orekhovo-Zuevsky, vicar of the Moscow diocese.
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“Your Holiness, Most Holy Master, Most Reverend Archpastors, Hierarchs of the Church of God! In the determination of Your Holiness and the Holy Synod to be a bishop for me, I see the will of God, without which nothing happens in the world, therefore I humbly accept the great lot of serving God and people and nothing contrary to the verb. If I were allowed to act according to the movement of my heart, I would pray “let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39), but when the first storm of “doubtful thoughts” subsided in my soul and having examined my conscience before God, I feel that I was a stranger to desires for higher honors.
I now stand before you in confusion and trepidation. St. John Chrysostom, St. Gregory the Theologian, and the great mourner of the Russian land, St. Sergius, shied away from this high service.
I cannot hide from you the inner excitement and fear that “overwhelms my humble soul” from the consciousness of my unworthiness and how much the Holy Church expects from a bishop. Will I be able, as the Lord demands, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5: 13-14).
I know, by Holy Scripture and to the holy fathers that a bishop must have deep and ardent faith, selfless love for God and people, meekness, abstinence, moderate severity, worldly wisdom, the gift of speech and many other virtues.
I will not talk here about the feelings of my sinfulness and personal unworthiness, which I recognize and deeply experience, and which are known to God. I believe that the grace of God, “healing the weak and replenishing the poor,” will grant me in my consecration what I lack.
From childhood I knew that “my help comes from the Lord, who created heaven and earth” (Ps. 120:2). Mentally returning to the distant days of my youth, I see that “the Lord shepherds me” (Ps. 23:1), that He, the All-Merciful, brought me to the Moscow theological schools and enabled me to put aside the “vacillation of the worldly custom” in the monastery Life-Giving Trinity and crayfish St. Sergius put on the angelic form.
With complete dedication of myself, I carried out my obedience in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and in the St. Daniel Monastery, and in the Tolga Monastery, and in the Spaso-Yakovlev Demetrius Monastery.
It is with deep sadness that I leave my last obedience. For almost nine years the Lord destined me to be the abbot of the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Demetrius Monastery. With all my feelings and thoughts I belong to this holy monastery and at the relics of Saints Demetrius and Jacob, the Monk Abraham of Rostov wonderworkers, who rested blissfully in the monastery, I thought of staying until the end of my days, for I know “from everyone to whom much is given, much will be required; and to whom much has been entrusted, they will require more from him” (Luke 12:47-48). But my hour has come, and with all my consciousness that I have not reached the point of being called, I must follow the One who calls me.
I console myself with the hope of the constant protection of the Queen of Heaven and the prayerful intercession of St. Sergius of Radonezh and Daniel of Moscow, all Rostov saints. I resort to the prayers of the saints of Siberia and the Far East, especially St. Innocent (Veniaminov), so that they will help me manage the God-given Chita flock.
Thank you, His Holiness, for the high trust that you showed in me by electing me as a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. I ask you, Most Holy Master, all of you, saints of Christ, offer up your holy prayers for my unworthiness, so that the Lord will sanctify and strengthen me with His Holy Spirit, so that in my service to the Church I would not become a temptation and the culprit of the death of the faithful, but could one day judgment to say: “Behold, I and the children whom You have given me, O Lord” (Heb. 2:13). Amen".
For the naming of Archimandrite Eustathius in the Epiphany Cathedral, many of his spiritual children and pilgrims came, who knew him from his service in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and from the Danilovsky Monastery, from the Tolga Monastery, and from the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery. Chita residents living in Moscow, but originating from Transbaikalia, also prayed in the church. After the naming, as Archimandrite Eustathius left the church, making his way through a huge crowd wishing to take his blessing, the Chita people congratulated Eustathius, lovingly talking about their homeland, supported the shepherd with warm words and talked about the great thirst of the Russian people in Transbaikalia for joining Orthodoxy and about that he is very much awaited in distant Chita.
The next day, January 30, at the Divine Liturgy the church was full of people who came from Rostov, Yaroslavl, Izhevsk, Moscow and the Moscow region. Everyone diligently and reverently prayed with a single prayer, listening with trepidation to every word spoken by His Holiness the Patriarch, the archpastors who served him and Archimandrite Eustathius. "Axios!" - the voice of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy was heard. "Axios, axios, axios!" - echoed the bishops in the altar of the temple. “Axios, axios, axios” - rushed from above the temple, where the cathedral choir is located near the vaults. "Axios!" - sounded in the soul of every fervent and tearful prayer. And then the newly installed bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Eustathius, emerged from the altar. Most of those who came to pray at the consecration of Archimandrite Eustathius received Holy Communion. At the end of the service, all the bishops, led by His Holiness, left the altar to the middle of the church, where their new brother Bishop Eustathius appeared next to them. His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, when presenting the archpastoral staff to Bishop Eustathius of Chita and Transbaikal, said the Word:
“Reverend Bishop Eustathius, our beloved brother and co-servant in the Lord! By the all-merciful Providence of God, by the election and confirmation of Ours and the Holy Synod, it was determined for you to be a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church in the God-saved city of Chita.
Now, according to the order of the Holy Church, through the mysterious laying on of the holy hands of the bishops present here, you have been awarded bishop’s grace.
Now you, our brother, expect fraternal guidance from us on the path of your upcoming episcopal service.
WITH youth you loved the Lord and followed Him. In the Lavra of our Venerable and God-Bearing Father Sergius, you joined the ranks of the monastics and in the city of spiritual enlightenment - Moscow Theological Schools - you were a diligent student, caring about your spiritual and moral improvement in the spirit of devotion to the Holy Orthodox Church and the Fatherland. For several years in your life you were guided by the instructions of Archbishop Eulogius, at that time the abbot of the revived Danilov Monastery, together with him taking care of the restoration of the ancient holy monastery to its former splendor.
When the time came to revive other shrines of our Fatherland, your lot fell to work first in the Tolga Monastery, and then in the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Demetrius Monastery, where you grew from strength to strength.
We know how sad this monastery looked when you were entrusted with the care of it. The fruits of your vigilant care were the restoration of the monastery, the strict statutory order of its services, and a good spirit among the monastic brethren.
All this allows us to hope that in your bishopric you will be “an example for the faithful in word, in life, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12), a worker who does not need to be ashamed, faithfully dividing the word of truth. "(2 Tim. 2:15).
Observe the spiritual wealth of the apostolic and patristic tradition, act as one should act in the house of God, which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. (1 Tim. 3:15).
Preserving and affirming the inextricable connection of the Orthodox spiritual tradition, be a strict guardian of the laws and decrees of the church, applying them with all their force in own life, insistently demanding from others their strict fulfillment.
In his new and responsible ministry, above all, love for the flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave the commandment to His apostles, and in their person and to all the successors of their ministry: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones” (Matthew 18:10). Good Shepherd, according to the word of the Savior, must lay down his life for each of them (John 10, 11).
But the archpastor must be guided not only by love, but sometimes also by severity. We have a responsibility to ensure that shepherds do the work of the Lord not with negligence (Jer. 48:10), but with zeal and reverence, so that by their behavior they do not insult the holiness of their ministry and do not seduce the pious people who want to see in the shepherd a model of piety.
Shepherd God’s flock, “overseeing it, according to the apostle, not under compulsion, but willingly and godly, out of zeal, and not lording it over the inheritance of God, but setting an example for the flock” (1 Pet. 5:2-3).
You confessed yesterday in your speech at the naming that you are frightened by the height and responsibility of archpastoral service. This sacred awe embraces every newly appointed bishop.
All shepherds of the Church of Christ need to place all their trust not in their own strengths and labors, but in God, who does great and glorious things in our weaknesses (2 Cor. 12:9), all the more necessary is such a humble consciousness for you, given the importance of the hierarchal service ahead of you .
“Cast your worries on the Lord, and He will support you” (Ps. 54:23).
“May the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and piety (Is. 11:2) guide you and enlighten you on the path of your archpastoral work.
“Be faithful to death” to your service and the Lord will give you “the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).
May the prayers and blessings of the wondrous host of Yaroslavl-Rostov saints, the prayers of Saints Innocent of Irkutsk, Innocent of Moscow, and other devotees of faith and piety in Siberia and the Far East accompany you in your service and labors.
The diocese entrusted to you is located in the Far East, which suffered terrible destruction during the years of the dominance of atheism and the fight against religion. By the grace of God and the labors of your predecessor in the department, much has been done during the years of revival of church life, but you have to continue the organization of diocesan and parish life, helping the residents of the region with their spiritual growth.
Your consecration took place on the days of an epoch-making anniversary - the 2000th anniversary of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ into the world. I congratulate you on the grace of the bishopric, I prayerfully wish you God’s generous help in caring for the children of the church and those who are looking for the way to the temple and to God, find this way, return to eternal, enduring spiritual values Christian faith and the Holy Gospel, which the Lord left us.
Accept this rod as a sign of your hierarchy and a sign of the power of God given to you.
And now ascend and lovingly give your first archpastoral blessing to the faithful people present here, who reverently and fervently prayed for you during your consecration.”
The church was full of several hundred people wishing to receive the bishop's blessing from the newly installed bishop, and it was impossible for everyone to approach the blessing. Those standing in front, congratulating Bishop Eustathius, were able to hand him flowers, while the rest conveyed their congratulations - a huge number of flowers floated to Bishop Eustathius on top of all heads, where large bouquets of white roses clearly predominated. The temple was full of love and spiritual joy. When leaving the temple there is a short distance separating Cathedral from the refectory, the bishop was almost carried in his arms, the pilgrims surrounded him with a dense and huge ring, congratulations of those who could not approach the bishop for a blessing sounded loudly in the air. The bishop’s bright and joyful face was somewhat embarrassed by such an outburst of manifestations of reverence and love. large quantity of people. Many warm, heartfelt words were said to Bishop Eustathius at the festive meal. Bishop Eusebius still remembered Bishop Eustathius from Voronezh; Bishop Evlogii cared for the future archpastor for many years; they shared their memories of his spiritual formation. The words of the Chairman of the Government of the Yaroslavl Region V.A. were unusually warm. Kovalev, who spoke about the significance of the newly installed bishop in the revival of monasteries ancient land central Russia, and about the exceptional respect and love of people, many of whom Bishop Eustathius led to the Church.
Evgeny Evdokimov, the future Bishop Eustathius, was born in the Bashkir village of Kaltasy, which southern Urals in 1951 in a Russian family. His mother was a teacher, his father an employee. There were two more younger children in the family, Dmitry and Galina. There was no temple nearby (the nearest one was 150 km away), but the boy received the first rudiments of the holy faith from his grandmother Anna Kuzminichna. At the request of his grandmother, he often read to her the Holy Gospel and Akathists, which she had for every day, thereby instilling faith in the Almighty in the sensitive heart of the child. A year before her death, the grandmother saw her beloved grandson in the rank of priest, which she was incredibly happy about. After graduating from school, Evgeniy worked for a year as an electrician at a local factory in the regional center. On his way to the entrance exams to the Technological Institute in Voronezh, he stopped at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Bishop Eustathius considers this first visit to the Holy Monastery in 1969 one of the main moments in his spiritual life. While studying at the Voronezh Technological Institute, he came to the temple where the future Bishop Eusebius was the priest. After his third visit to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in 1971, Eugene conceived the idea of serving God in the monastic rank. Having learned that they can only enter the theological seminary after the army, he leaves to serve. In the army, he received the specialty of a radio operator, and with the rank of sergeant, he was entrusted with a radio station. Here, at the radio station, and it was located in a small wooden house, he was often alone, which Eugene used to improve spiritual knowledge, read prayers, and seriously think about temporary and eternal life. At the end of his military service in 1974, his desire to enter the seminary finally matured. In the same year, Evgeniy entered the Moscow Theological Seminary. He considers his admission a miracle, because he did not have a recommendation from a bishop or a priest, which was a mandatory requirement for admission to the seminary. The years of study in theological schools, seminary and Academy for Bishop Eustathius are the brightest and most significant pages of spiritual life. He regularly attended Lavra services, fasted and often partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, communicating with the monks of the Lavra, and was spiritually edified. For several years he carried out the academic obedience of subdeacon Vladyka Rector Archbishop Vladimir (Sabodan). At the end of the third year of the Academy, he entered the brotherhood of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. In 1980, on the occasion of the Introduction Holy Mother of God to the church at the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the Trinity Cathedral, he took monastic vows with the name in honor of the holy great martyr Eustathius Placidas. In 1981, on January 4, he was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. In the same year, Hierodeacon Eustathius graduated from the Theological Academy, defending his candidate's dissertation on the topic: “The Teaching of St. Simeon the New Theologian on grace." Of those who graduated from the Theological Academy together with Bishop Eustathius, today there are already four bishops: Bishop of Samara and Syzran Sergius (Poletkin), Bishop of Bronnitsky Tikhon (Emelyanov), Bishop of Irkutsk and Angarsk Vadim (Lazerny). In March 1982, Hierodeacon Eustathius was ordained hieromonk, and two years later, on the day of Holy Pascha, he was elevated to the rank of abbot. Being a resident of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, he bore the obedience of a servant, assistant economist, teacher of the correspondence sector of the Moscow Theological Seminary and Academy, being a professorial fellow. In 1984, he was sent to the newly opened St. Daniel's Monastery in Moscow. Through the efforts of the Father of the Viceroy, Archimandrite Evlogiya (Smirnov), he was transferred to the brotherhood of the Moscow monastery, where he served as the sacristan and assistant to the governor. In 1986 he was awarded a cross with decorations. In January 1988, he was sent by the governor, Archimandrite Tikhon (Emelyanov), on a business trip to the newly opened Tolga Convent in Yaroslavl as a builder. There, Abbot Eustathius had to be both the housekeeper and the confessor of the monastery. In Tolga, Abbot Eustathius met the elder Archimandrite Pavel (Gruzdev). Eight years of communication with him taught Abbot Eustathius a lot, and most importantly, to firmly believe in the all-wise Providence of God. Father Pavel, who went through a great life and spiritual school, the trials of 11 years of camps, had the gift of foresight. This holy elder predicted many things to Abbot Eustathius. Among the predictions that came true, there is one about his future archpastoral service.
In May 1991, the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery in Rostov the Great was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Yaroslavl diocese, where abbot Eustathius was appointed abbot. On April 24, 1994, on the feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus', Abbot Eustathius was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.
Bishop Eustathius is not yet 50 years old, but what a significant spiritual path he has traveled. Having received the first fruits spiritual path in the Trinity-Sergius monastery, known for its ancient spiritual traditions, founded in the 14th century by St. Sergius of Radonezh, he was at the origins of the revival of the Russian Orthodox Church, the restoration of three famous Russian monasteries, in the past lamps of piety and holiness. Almost from the first days he participated in the restoration of the Danilov Monastery, the first monastery revived in Soviet time, V initial period restoration of the monastery on Tolga. He came to the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery with enormous spiritual and construction experience, and here his talent as a shepherd, builder, and housekeeper was used to the maximum.
First Divine Liturgy in the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery, Abbot Eustathius served in the Dimitrievsky Church on May 16, 1991 on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. Work ahead was to restore the liturgical life of the monastery. Three weeks later, before the feast of All Saints who shone in the land of Rostov and Yaroslavl, Abbot Eustathius organizes the transfer of the holy relics of St. Demetrius from the museum's funds to the monastery by a procession. Already this procession, headed by Bishop Plato, reminded the God-saved city of Rostov that throughout its entire history it had been the spiritual center of Rus', in recent decades this was evidenced in the city by numerous churches that were closed in the 1920s, and now the streets of the city were consecrated with prayers. This was the first city religious procession, showing the city that a monastic monastery had begun to live here again.
During the first service, Abbot Eustathius came out of the altar and taught the parishioners how to fold their fingers and how to lay a cross on themselves, the next time he taught how to sing “Our Father...” in the church. And this is in an ancient Orthodox land, an ancient diocesan center, which is Rostov the Great!
Anyone who has ever attended the service of Archimandrite Eustathius knows that he is an example of tireless, vigorous, lofty and spiritual prayer. Bishop Eustathius showed the beauty of church services. He gave us parishioners the teaching of faith and life by his own example, strict and pure life, a tireless worker for the glory of God. In Rostov they quickly recognized and fell in love with Father Eustathius. In the city today there are many destroyed mansion buildings, which, with their ruins, speak of the order and wealth of Rostovites in the past. And if there were no Yakovlev monastery in the city, one would become despondent. The reviving Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery, with its intense spiritual life, with the special beauty of divine services, the example of the rigor of monastic life, and most importantly, the active love for the Lord of the vicar’s father, lit in the hearts of many people the sacred fire of faith and repentance, the joyful hope of salvation. With its life, the Yakovlevsky Monastery brought order, peace, purity into the Russian soul, into Russian life. And none of us can imagine life without the Church, without the Yakovlevsky Monastery, and this is the great merit of the vicar’s father, who preaches the faith of Christ with his entire ascetic life, spiritual, prayerful and economic. His active love for the Lord kindles in the hearts of those who come to the temple, and everyone strives to help the monastery. We all know that the Bishop is very strict, but this is a special severity, it is permeated with the all-forgiving and all-covering love of the Bishop for everyone who comes to the temple. Everyone who entered the monastery experienced the attentiveness and sensitivity of the father governor, even by accident, be it a high-ranking official or a poor old woman. His zealous and active love for the monastery and for divine services determined the lives of many. His fatherly care, the wisdom of his advice, his power of prayer protected many from everyday and other adversities.
Huge economic work lay ahead of him in the revived monastery. The place is new, no technology, no acquaintances, no connections - only hope for God's help. The first inhabitants of the monastery, and there were four of them, were allocated kindergarten a small room leading to the toilet. But even in this room they spent only a few hours of sleep at night, the rest of the time was the most difficult primary work in the monastery. Helpers did not immediately appear, but the abomination of desolation in the huge monastery ensemble was exceptional. Here is one illustrative example. Was in the rector's corps for several decades kindergarten. The sewage system was damaged, and all human waste was washed into the basement, fortunately it was deep. For several days, the father governor, wearing waders, used a shovel and buckets to scoop out all the stinking dirt that had accumulated over decades. And so it was in everything.
From the first day, a strict monastic Rule was established, the day began with a fraternal prayer service at 5 o'clock in the morning: Liturgy, chores, All-night vigil and again work until late at night. When Abbot Eustathius entered the Yakovlevsky monastery, 17 families lived on its territory, a kindergarten and a museum were located. Everywhere was the abomination of desolation. With the help of God, the prayers and labors of Archimandrite Eustathius and his brethren, numerous pilgrims and pilgrims, the monastery has been restored today.
The first monastic vows in the reviving monastery were made in the spring of 1993. Today's abbot of the Rostov Boris and Gleb Monastery, Abbot John (Titov), was tonsured into the mantle right then. Today there are 12 brethren and 10 novices in the monastery.
In 1997, on August 25, the Vatopedi icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, the miraculous image of the Spaso-Yakovlevskaya Demetrius monastery, and the cell icon of St. Demetrius were brought from Moscow. Starting this year, the monastery established the feast of the Presentation of the Vatopedi Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on August 25.
Planning work was carried out on the territory of the monastery (about 1 meter of soil was removed, drainage was installed throughout the territory, storm drain), a garden was planted, a magnificent flower garden was laid out, the beauty of which is known far beyond Rostov. The landscaping of the territory was done according to the design of landscape architect Yaroslav Volkov (Yaroslavl). The pond in front of the monastery has been cleared of pollution (for several decades there was an enamel workshop next to the pond, which dumped production waste into the pond). The pond was drained, the layer of earth was removed, then it was filled with water and crucian carp were released.
On the site of a holy spring, buried for years Soviet power, in 1996, a chapel was erected and consecrated in the name of St. James by Archbishop Micah of Yaroslavl and Rostov. Studies of water samples from this source showed that the water is mineral (chloride-sulfate calcium-sodium water) and can be used as a medicinal table.
Today the monastery has a monastery library, a sacristy, an icon-painting and restoration workshop, a sewing workshop (for sewing clothes for the brethren), a bakery, a prosphora maker, a carpentry workshop, and a vehicle and equipment repair shop. There is a bathhouse and laundry.
In the district, many agricultural associations ceased to exist, in the monastery there is an exemplary natural economy: a vegetable garden, a greenhouse - 2.5 hectares, 20 hectares for haymaking, 10 hectares for sowing rye; 12 cows, 40 chickens. The monastery has 2 crawler and 2 wheeled tractors, an excavator, 3 trucks, 2 cars.
The roofs of the buildings have been replaced, all windows, doors, partially floors, stairs have been completely replaced, the walls have been re-plastered and painted, electrical wiring has been replaced, heat, water and sewerage have been supplied. Each monk has a separate cell, novices live in groups of 2.
The monastery was visited twice by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II. On the patronal holidays of the monastery, Archbishop Micah of Yaroslavl and Rostov served.
The monastery published the book: “Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery” with a circulation of 15,000, a set of postcards “Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery in Rostov the Great” - 30 stories with brief comments. Separate postcards were published with the image of St. Demetrius and views of the monastery and Wall calendar with a circulation of 7000 for 1999 with views of the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery and an indication of the patronal feasts of the monastery.
“For an Orthodox person, a believer, nothing is impossible in life; with God’s help he can accomplish everything, overcome all difficulties, all temptations,” the abbot of the monastery often liked to repeat.
The strict monastic Rules of the monastery, the prayers of the father governor and the brethren quickly made the monastery widely known far beyond the borders of the Yaroslavl region. Through the prayers of Saints Jacob and Demetrius, the prayers and labors of the vicar’s father and the brethren, and the feasible help of pilgrims, the Spaso-Yakovlevskaya Demetrius Monastery blossomed spiritually, and again became the “light of the world,” the “salt of the earth.”
On October 4, 1999, on the day of remembrance of the discovery of the relics of St. Demetrius, the Divine Liturgy took place in the Dimitrievsky Church under the service of His Eminence Micah, Archbishop of Yaroslavl and Rostov, and Peter, Bishop of Turov and Mozyr. Concelebrating with them were Archimandrite Afanasy (Alafinov) from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, who spent 38 years in prayer at the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh, abbot of the Boriso-Gleb Monastery John (Titov), hieromonk Silouan of the Trinity-Sergius Varnitsa Monastery, priests of Rostov and its environs, as well as priests of Moscow Archpriest Alexander Kulikov and others, Ivanovo diocese hieromonks Hermogenes, Clement and others. For the holiday, pious pilgrims from Rostov-on-Don donated a carved shrine and a canopy made of beech wood for the relics of St. Demetrius
The farewell to the newly installed Bishop Eustathius took place on the feast of the Vatopedi Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on February 3. The Divine Liturgy was served by Archbishop Micah of Yaroslavl and Rostov. Concelebrating with him were the Bishop of Chita, Transbaikal Eustathius, the priesthood of Rostov and the surrounding area, as well as priests from Moscow and the Moscow region. After the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Eustathius bid farewell to the brethren, parishioners, and monastery. Words of gratitude for the revived monastery and good wishes Bishop Eustathius was told by Bishop Micah. The abbesses of the convents of Evstoly (St. Nicholas Monastery of Pereslavl-Zalessky), Pavel (Nativity Monastery of Rostov) and their sisters came to say goodbye. The temple could not accommodate all those who came to the last service of Bishop Eustathius.
On the day of the bishop’s departure for Chita, from early morning spiritual children from Moscow, Yaroslavl and other cities and towns came to the monastery. Bishop Eustathius blessed the brethren, talking with each monk, as well as with many parishioners. At about 5 p.m., he and his staff went out into the courtyard of the monastery and, before leaving, invited those who had come to accompany him to the St. Yakovlevsky Church, where everyone together, in kneeling prayer before the Vatopedi image, together with the bishop, sang “My Blessed Queen...”, the favorite prayer of Bishop Eustathius, the brethren and everyone parishioners of the monastery. The Bishop read prayers to Saints Demetrius, Jacob and Saint Abraham. In parting, the bishop said: “Once again, dear brothers and sisters, I sincerely thank you all for your love, for your prayers, for your condescension and I ask for your blessing for the upcoming work... so that I can worthily carry out the blessing entrusted to me...”. In Yaroslavl he was seen off, in addition to numerous children and pilgrims, by representatives of the administration of the Yaroslavl region, the head of the administration of Rostov A.K. Rudenko, his deputy V.I. Poikolainen, regional Duma deputy A.I. Sergeev and others. Yaroslavl branch of Northern railway provided Bishop Eustathius with a service carriage for travel to Chita.
Many people came to meet Bishop Eustathius in Chita. In addition to the Orthodox clergy, there was also television (the story of the bishop’s meeting was shown on central television channels), radio, the regional government and other officials. Warm words were spoken at the meeting, and their meaning was the same: they were waiting for the bishop, and everyone was very happy about his arrival. Bishop Eustathius served the first Divine Liturgy in Chita on the feast of the Presentation, and the next day he was completely immersed in solving the problems of church life - with the architect of the city, they were choosing a place for the construction of a cathedral church (the previous cathedral was destroyed in the atheistic times). If in previous years Bishop Eustathius participated in the revival of three famous monasteries, now the Lord has decreed that the bishop should revive an entire diocese, located on a vast territory, several times larger than the Yaroslavl region. The Chita diocese suffered greatly during the atheistic times; it was recreated three years ago. - Bishop Eustathius will have to deal with the organization of diocesan and parish life, help Russian people in finding the Faith and introducing them to the Church, strengthening and supporting them in difficulties and trials.
He served in the Yaroslavl diocese for 12 years. Eustathius, carrying out obediences in the Tolga and Spaso-Yakovlevsky monasteries, being the diocesan confessor and dean of the monasteries of the diocese. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was the most famous and respected priest in the Yaroslavl region. Realizing that his consecration as bishop is a high assessment of the work of Fr. Eustathius for the good of the Church, yet everyone is sorry that he left, so joy for Bishop Eustathius is adjacent to the sadness associated with parting with him. But he left in Rostov the revived Spaso-Yakovlevsky Dimitriev Monastery, where everything reminds of zealous love ex-father governor to this shrine. In the new appointment of Bishop Eustathius, the Providence of God is seen: now for us the Russian Orthodox Church is not only central Russia, but also the vast expanses of the Far East, where every day Bishop Eustathius offers his fervent hierarchical prayers to the Lord, not only for his new flock, but also for us who remember and love him and pray for him.
IN AND. VAKHRINA.
Rostov the Great, 2000
AND THE ARBISHOP OF ARCHBISHOP EVSTAFY (EVDOKIMOV)
His Holiness
Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill
from the parishioners of the Alexander Diocese
Your Holiness!
We appeal to you with a request to investigate the gross violation of the canons by Evstafiy (Evdokimov), Archbishop of Alexander and Yuriev-Polsky.
From publications on the Internet we learned that the secretary of our diocese, Archpriest Vladislav Moskalenko, is married for the second time. We contacted the priests of the Chita diocese, who confirmed that they knew for certain: Archpriest Vladislav Moskalenko after divorce from his first wife Svetlana Moskalenko with the blessing of Archbishop Eustathius in violation of church canons around 2001 officially married for the second time to Elena Korchagina. And this fact ow. Eustathius carefully hides - on the diocesan website, where detailed biographies of all the priests of the diocese are posted, about the secretary of the diocese, Archpriest. There is not a single line for Vladislava Moskalenko.
We do not want our diocese to be ruled by a bigamist, who should be deposed, but who, contrary to all canons, was appointed to a key post by Bishop Eustathius.
The parishioners of the diocese are also extremely embarrassed by the whole “staff” of cell attendants of Archbishop Eustathius, who accompany him from diocese to diocese: nun Antonia (Kozhokar Evgenia Alekseevna), nun Vitalia (Belonogova Elena Nikolaevna), nun Varvara (she is also the treasurer of the diocese and simultaneously Treasurer of the Cathedral of the Nativity!). Many parishioners call these “mothers”, who are excessively close to Vl. Eustathius, “bishops”...
It is also a gross violation that nun Antonia, who does not have any official position, is in fact co-manager diocese, interferes in all, including financial, affairs, acts on behalf of Bishop Eustathius, for which there is plenty of evidence. We called her the “gray eminence.”
The restoration of the diocese building on Sovetskaya Square and the premises of the church house of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ is being directed by an unknown person named Valentina Ivanovna (she was not introduced to anyone, including the headman of the cathedral), who stated that she “ is Deputy Bishop for Economic Affairs" All this suggests that behind the “secret” managers there are some kind of illegal business manipulations.
Archbishop Eustathius, in violation of the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church and the monastery charter, demanded that... priests be placed in the convent. When attention was drawn to the violation of the charter and the lack of space, the bishop threatened... with the closure of the monastery. We are amazed by such actions that resemble blackmail.
The fact that two priests of Chita and Transbaikal diocese Russian Orthodox Church (Fr. Vladimir Novospassky and Fr. Roman Vityuk), illegally deposed from the rank of Vl. Eustathius, reinstated by the general church court of the Russian Orthodox Church - confirms that this person is engaged in tyranny, his actions are inadequate. He continues to intimidate the priests of the Alexander diocese, threatens them with defrocking, forces them to inform on their brothers, to reveal the secret of confession - obviously, in order to collect “compromising evidence” on everyone and begin full-scale repression, as in the Chita diocese. (Almost all the priests we know will confirm this before the Patriarchal commission). He has already suggested to the deans consider complaints against priests in absentia - in their absence(so to speak, “without trial or investigation”), to which the deans have not yet agreed.
The usual thing for Archbishop Eustathius is to unfoundedly accuse a priest of theft or other sins invented by him, without presenting any facts. The diocese knows that it is better not to catch the eye of the bishop.
Archbishop Eustathius cruelly treated the most honored priest of our diocese - Mitred Archpriest Boris Tolkachev, who had just been awarded by His Holiness the Patriarch the Order of the Russian Orthodox Church of Glory and Honor, III degree, in connection with the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination. Having entered the Church of the God-loving Icon of the Mother of God, where Fr. Boris served as rector, the bishop did not find a single kind word for him, shook a rug lying near the entrance to the temple in the face of the elderly archpriest (allegedly it was not clean enough), was rude to him, and a few days later retroactively wrote a decree sending him to the outpost (the words of the decree were amazing: “ For the glory of the Russian Orthodox Church you are going to the outposts"(!!!)). This was a few days before the Dormition of the Mother of God. When asked to let Fr. To Boris the last service at the Assumption, Eustathius said: “ What will this holiday give?.. And in general, I don’t know him and don’t want to know him!»
There is an atmosphere of intimidation and fear in the diocese. Archbishop Eustathius’ favorite saying: “ The best bishop's reward is a ban" In such a situation, shepherds are reduced to the position of powerless serfs who try not to appear in the diocese, and especially not to catch the eye of the bishop. About the construction of which normal operation Can we talk about the diocese?
The situation in the Alexander Diocese is developing rapidly, and every day new evidence appears about the inappropriate actions of Bishop Eustathius.
Archbishop Eustathius forbade him to appear in the monastery Archpriest Andrei Ustyuzhanin (who served for many years in the Alexander Dormition Convent and was the confessor of the monastery Sunday school and has now been transferred to the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ). He was told that if the nuns and Sunday school students wanted to confess to him, they should come to the cathedral. It's hard to imagine a more ridiculous situation. This can be considered as a step towards the destruction of the spiritual care of nuns and the beginning of the liquidation of the monastery Sunday school, especially since the categorical demands of Vl. Eustathius to the nuns to “get out” of vital monastery premises is reminiscent of raider takeovers.
For us, the most tragic thing is that Archbishop Eustathius is destroying parishes and parish life, which were established with such love under the leadership of Metropolitan Evlogii of Vladimir and Suzdal. While members of the Holy Synod call on the parish clergy " to strengthen in every possible way in the laity the consciousness of belonging to a particular parish community, responsibility for the life of their parish“We are doing everything to tear parishioners away from their native parishes; an atmosphere of lies, flattery, and denunciations is being created. The strong, friendly parish community of the Cathedral of the Nativity in Alexandrov was destroyed under the guise of good deeds and intentions. The rector and other priests were transferred to new places of service. The employees of the candle shop, who had given 15-20 years of selfless service to the temple, were dispersed and were publicly accused of theft. Even the grandmothers who looked after the candlesticks went to other temples. People who come to the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ are greeted by the bishop’s rudeness (for example, towards elderly parishioners who wanted to take his blessing). An indicative case is when the archbishop drove away a young mother because her child burst into tears before Communion. The woman ran out of the temple in tears - her husband ran after her with the words: “ We won't come here again!» Orthodoxy is a religion of love and joy, not fear, denunciations, unfounded accusations and gossip. We are convinced of the opposite by evil deeds.
Parents of children who attended the Sunday educational group at the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in the city of Alexandrov have already contacted the Patriarchate regarding the liquidation of the group due to the fact that the bishop needed its premises under Personal Area. In response to appeal No. OG-01.4818 dated October 30, 2014, they were informed that the diocesan bishop had decided to create unified center for spiritual and moral education of children. However, Bishop Eustathius misinformed the Synodal OROiK: on the basis of MBOU Secondary School No. 3 in Alexandrov, instead of the center, a Sunday school of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, completely separated from the parish, was opened, which did not have a license! Opening cathedral Sunday school in a comprehensive school, widely advertised in the press, caused numerous complaints to the regional department of education for violation of the education law. As a result of the scandal, the school was closed a few days later. The children are back on the street! They were again cruelly deceived for the sake of the ambitions of Archbishop Eustathius.
On the instructions of Archbishop Eustathius, a blatant criminal act was committed: on the eve of publication, an article was stolen from the newspaper “Alexandrovsky Voice of Labor” “DISINFECTION OR LOVE? May our land not be scorched!” Secretary of the Alexander Diocese Fr. Vladislav Moskalenko came to the editor of the newspaper V.V. Tikhonova and put pressure on her, insisting that the article be removed. Journalists regarded this indecent act as an attempt to introduce “church censorship.”
The stay of Archbishop Eustathius on the land of Alexander is accompanied by various scandals. A serious blow to the authority of the entire Church was dealt by the bishop’s rash actions with the proposal to move the historical monument to the “Alexander’s Republic of 1905.” and build up Cathedral Square with diocesan buildings (O. Ryzhenkova. “The Alexander Diocese proposes to build up Cathedral Square” // Newspaper “ County town A” dated October 22, 2014), which caused an extremely negative reaction from the Alexandrovites, including accusations of the entire Orthodox Church of greed (on the Alexandrov forums you can find the following statements: “The church just needs expensive land in the center of the city, like any merchant and huckster,” “World-eaters!”, “When will this mess end? I hope that we will manage without a workers’ uprising – like the one of 1905-1906.”, “This whole mess with monuments is very reminiscent of the fuss in Ukraine... It seems that we, too, are planning a split in society to prepare for an all-Russian Maidan”). That is, by his actions, Archbishop Eustathius provoked religious discord. In addition, the Bishop is probably not going to take into account that on Cathedral Square, according to the evidence of the scribal books, there were civil and pestilence cemeteries, and the burials of the Leningrad siege survivors are also located here (see the book of local historian V. Boravskaya “The Land of Alexandrovskaya”). Even the communists did not use this place for development - there is a park there. And if church buildings are built on the bones of their ancestors, will such blasphemy add to the authority of the Church?
We see many strange signs in the Bishop’s behavior: sudden uncontrollable outbursts of anger, unpredictability of behavior, sudden changes in mood, memory loss during services and sermons... Perhaps the Bishop is simply seriously ill, and his cell attendants and associates are hiding it in order to continue to rule? How can such a person continue to lead, behaving so inappropriately, surrounded by dubious people, treating the clergy and flock not as a loving shepherd, but as a tyrant? Based on the bitter experience of the first months of his reign, we come to the conclusion that he is not able to lead people and sows discord, division, mutual suspicions, and denunciations.
Why wait until we, like in the Chita diocese, have scorched earth? With tears, we ask Your Holiness to stop the spiritual disaster that befell our diocese with the arrival of Archbishop Eustathius.
With deep respect and hope - parishioners of the Alexander Diocese.
There are about 100 signatures in total.
The Alexander and Yuryev-Polsky diocese was headed by Bishop of Nizhny Tagil and Nevyansk Innokenty (Yakovlev) - former secretary of the Vladimir diocesan administration, member of the Union of Artists of Russia, graphic artist and photographer, who is well remembered by Vladimir cultural figures
Photo by the press service of the Russian Orthodox Church
On May 14, in the historical building of the Synod on Senate Square in St. Petersburg, under the chairmanship of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church took place. At the event, a number of issues were discussed, in particular, the spiritual fathers approved the “Concept of the activities of the diocesan missionary department” and discussed the issue of celebrating the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. In addition, a number of important personnel issues were resolved. One of them concerned the Vladimir Metropolis.
As follows from the minutes of the meeting, the Holy Synod discussed “the state of affairs in the Alexander Diocese,” as a result of which a new head of this division of the Vladimir Metropolis was appointed.
Let us recall that the united Vladimir diocese was divided into three component parts in July 2013. The new Vladimir Metropolis included the Vladimir, Murom and Alexander dioceses.
The Alexander and Yuryev-Polish diocese, divided into 5 deaneries, was formed by the decision of the Holy Synod on July 16, 2013. It unites parishes within the administrative boundaries of Alexandrovsky, Kirzhachsky, Kolchuginsky and Yuryev-Polsky districts of the Vladimir region. The administration of the diocese is located in Alexandrov, the cathedral is the Alexandrovsky Church in honor of the Nativity of Christ.
Archbishop Eustathius
Since July 16, 2013, the diocese was temporarily ruled by Metropolitan Evlogy of Vladimir. On May 30, 2014, by decision of the Synod, Archbishop Evstafiy (in the world Evgeny Evdokimov) was appointed to the Alexander See. Before that, he headed the Chita and Krasnokamensk dioceses. The tough policy of Bishop Eustathius regarding the priesthood of Eastern Siberia, as they write in open sources, has repeatedly become the subject of public criticism. According to some reports, during his service in the Chita diocese, Eustathius banned more than 50 people from the priesthood. Deacon Andrei Kuraev, according to some media reports, called Bishop Eustathius “Stalin in a cassock” in LiveJournal.
During the service of Archbishop Eustathius in Alexandrov, clergy, local and regional authorities, the Legislative Assembly of the Vladimir region, supervisory authorities, residents of the city of Alexandrov, and the social movement “Essence of Time” were involved.
In October 2014, representatives of the Alexandrovsk diocese approached the deputies of the district council with a proposal to build an Orthodox center in Alexandrov, next to the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, which would include a school, a library and a monument to Alexander Nevsky. The construction of these objects was hampered by another monument - to the fighters of the revolution of 1905-1907 ( popular name- “Woman with a Flag”) on Sovetskaya Square, erected in 1987. Local deputies voted to move the monument, but the Alexandrovsk public came to its defense. Activists organized a collection of signatures for the cancellation of the parliamentary decision with an appeal addressed to the governor of the Vladimir region, Svetlana Orlova. Almost simultaneously, the deaneries of the Alexandrovsk and Yuryev-Polsky dioceses began another appeal to Governor Orlova with a request to facilitate the construction of an Orthodox center in Alexandrov and the demolition of the monument to the fighters of the 1905 revolution.
The scandal had to be put out at the level of the leadership of the Vladimir region. As a result, “Woman with a Flag” remained in its place; construction of the Orthodox center did not begin.
At a meeting of the Holy Synod on May 14, Archbishop Evstafiy of Alexander and Yuryev-Polsky was “retired.” The stated reason is health status. Gratitude was expressed to the archbishop “for the archpastoral labors he endured in the Alexander Diocese.” The place of Eustathius's resting place is the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra.
The Synod appointed Bishop of Nizhny Tagil and Nevyansk Innocent (Yakovlev) as the new Bishop of Nizhny Tagil and Nevyansk.
Most of Bishop Innocent's life is connected with the Vladimir region. Yakov Yakovlevich Yakovlev (as he was called in the world) was born in 1947 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk into a military family, graduated from the Novosibirsk Architectural Institute, where he later taught. In 1975 he was admitted to the Union of Artists of Russia, after which he began to professionally engage in fine arts, participating in all-Union, republican and international exhibitions. In the 80s, he helped decorate the churches of the Novosibirsk diocese as an architect and icon painter.
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Vladimir Yakovlev moved to Vladimir Yakovlev in 1983. In 1992, after the death of his wife, he was ordained a deacon and then a priest. On September 1, 1992, he was appointed chairman of the construction and economic department at the Vladimir diocesan administration and a member of the Vladimir diocesan council.
On May 1, 1993, Yakov Yakovlev was appointed senior priest of the Holy Dormition Princess convent city of Vladimir, on August 22, 1995 - secretary of the Vladimir diocesan administration. On April 13, 1997, the clergyman was tonsured a monk with the name Innocent, on April 12, 1998 he was elevated to the rank of abbot, on December 21, 2005 he was appointed vicar of the Alexander Monastery of the city of Suzdal and dean of the Suzdal monasteries district while retaining the duties of secretary of the diocesan administration. On March 19, 2007, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.
A new period in Innocent’s life began in 2011, when he was appointed Bishop of Nizhny Tagil and Serov.
Vladimir cultural figures remember Innokenty well as a creative and sensible person with whom they could conduct a dialogue and find a common language on a variety of issues, including sensitive ones.