St. Petersburg, March 14, 2019
Photo: mitropolia.spb.ru After a long battle with cancer, His Grace Bishop Markell (Vertov) of Tsarskoe Selo, vicar bishop of the St. Petersburg Diocese, reposed in the Lord early in the morning today, at the age of 67, reports the St. Petersburg Metropolia.
Bp. Markell was born on June 8, 1952 in Mineralnie Vodi in southwestern Russia. He studied in theological schools and became the subdeacon to Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) of Leningrad. He was tonsured into monasticism and ordained as a hierodeacon in 1973, then as a hieromonk in 1976. He then studied theology in Bossey, Switzerland. He taught in St. Petersburg theological schools from 1978 and served as the rector of St. Theodore’s Cathedral in Tsarskoe Selo in 1995.
Bp. Markell was elevated to the rank of the episcopacy on the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross in 2006 in the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg by His Holiness Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Russia.
Bp. Markell made a considerable contribution to the development of the Church life in the northern capital, including reviving shrines in Tsarskoe Selo. He led the Diocesan Department for Sports Organizatins. Several of his writings were distinguished with Church awards.
His funeral will be served by His Eminence Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg on March 16 after the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra. His Grace Bp. Markell will be buried in the Lavra’s St. Nicholas cemetery.
May his memory be eternal!
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