Since the mid-nineteenth century, there has been a representation of the Antiochian Patriarchate in Russia’s capital, and indeed, despite the great distance between Russia and Syria, Russian history has been linked with Antioch at critical times.
The Russian and Antiochian Apostolic Churches share centuries-old spiritual ties. According to tradition, the first Metropolitan of Kiev, St. Michael, was of Syrian origin. The leaders of the ancient Antiochian Church visited Russian lands many times for common prayer. In 1655, the Russian Church was visited by His Beatitude Patriarch Macarius.
And in our day, a beautiful church dedicated to Archangel Gabriel and St. Theodore Stratelates, located in the center of the great metropolis of Moscow, is home to the Antiochian Church’s representation to the Moscow Patriarchate.
Photo: vk.com In 1551, a wooden church dedicated to the Archangel Gabriel was founded near Pogany (now Chistyy) Ponds (Chistie Prudy). In 1657, the church was first recorded as being made of stone. The current church was built between 1704 and 1707 by architect I.P. Zarudny at the request of Prince Alexander Menshikov, a close friend of Peter the Great. It was the tallest building in Moscow at the time, with a spire reaching a height of 81 meters. The interior and exterior walls are decorated with white stone ornamentation.
After the communists came to power, the church was closed in 1923, but reopened in 1947. In the 1960s, a nineteenth-century iconostasis from the destroyed Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Preobrazhenskaya Sloboda was installed in the church.
The Church of the Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates was built between 1782 and 1806 by architect Ivan Vasilievich Egotov in the courtyard of the Church of the Archangel Gabriel as a warm church (for winter services). Between 1860 and 1869, a northern chapel dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy” was added. The church was closed in the 1930s, and its four-column portico, which extended beyond the building line, was demolished.
The church was reopened and services were resumed with the return of the Antiochian representation to Moscow.
A history of the Antiochian representation to the Russian Church
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Holy Synod of the Antiochian Church expressed a desire to have a permanent representative at the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. This request was met with a favorable response, and through the fervent efforts of St. Philaret (Drozdov), Metropolitan of Moscow, representatives from the Antiochian Church began their service in Moscow in 1848.
This happened under the following circumstances. The late Patriarch of Antioch, Methodius (1837–1850), concerned about the needs of the churches and monasteries in Syria, as well as the influence of non-Orthodox propaganda, sent Metropolitan Neophytos of Heliopolis to Moscow in 1842 to collect donations. In a touching letter, he described the dire situation of the Antiochian Church, which was suffering from Turkish oppression and Catholic propaganda.
Patriarch Methodius’ appeal, published in the brochure, “The Antiochian Church,” received an enthusiastic and heartfelt response from church circles in Russia. As a result, large donations were sent to Metropolitan Neophytos, who resided at the Holy Trinity Metochion in St. Petersburg.
At the same time, St. Filaret of Moscow secured approval from the Holy Synod for the transfer of the Ascension-St. Hypatius church in Moscow to the jurisdiction of the Antiochian Patriarchate. According to the Synod’s decree, this church, along with all its furnishings and church land, was designated as the Antiochian Metochion so that the funds it generated could be used for spiritual and educational work among the clergy and faithful of the Syrian-Antiochian Patriarchate.
The first head of the Antiochian Metochion was Metropolitan Neophytos, mentioned above. His efforts on behalf of the Antiochian Church were highly successful. He collected substantial donations in Russia, part of which he sent to the Antiochian Patriarch, while the remainder was deposited in the state bank to generate interest for future use.
Unfortunately, Metropolitan Neophytos managed the Antiochian Metochion for only five years before reposing in 1853 in Moscow. He was buried in the Protection Missionary Monastery. Before his death, Metropolitan Neophytos left a sum of twenty thousand rubles, which he bequeathed to be deposited in the Moscow savings treasury. His wish was that, once the capital had doubled, the interest from it would be used for the maintenance of theological schools in Syria.
From this active head of the metochion, a pamphlet titled, “The Syrian Church” has been preserved, briefly describing the state of the Syrian Orthodox Church at that time.
Metropolitan Gabriel (Satula; 1825–1901). Photo: drevo-info.ru After Metropolitan Neophytos, the metochion was temporarily managed by Archimandrite Anthimos, a Greek from the island of Cyprus (1853–1861). He was followed by Archimandrite Gabriel, who was originally from Damascus. He brought with him to Russia two young Syrians to be educated in Russian theological institutions.
Among other things, his efforts included publishing a “Call to All Orthodox Christians of the All-Russian Church” (1868), which also provided a brief account of the needs of the Antiochian Patriarchate. Thanks to this appeal, Archimandrite Gabriel collected a significant amount of financial aid and liturgical items for the impoverished churches and monasteries of the Antiochian Patriarchate.
Archimandrite Gabriel, who had been appointed head of the Antiochian Metochion during the lifetime of Metropolitan Filaret, was elected Metropolitan of Beirut in 1871. He was succeeded in Moscow by Metropolitan Cyril of Palmyra, who arrived from Constantinople. During his tenure, he managed to send a large sum of money to Antioch for the restoration of the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, which had been destroyed by an earthquake. However, he soon fell ill and returned to Damascus, where he passed away in 1882.
After Cyril, the metochion was initially managed by Hieromonk Isaiah from the St. John Chrysostom Monastery, followed by other Russian hieromonks until 1879, when Archimandrite Christopher arrived from Syria to take over. Aware of the difficult and distressing situation of the Antiochian Patriarchate, which was surrounded by wealthy and influential non-Orthodox missionaries, he sought to increase the metochion’s income by constructing buildings. However, there were no available funds. He then turned to Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov) of Moscow for assistance.
Metropolitan Macarius granted his blessing for the Moscow Ecclesiastical Consistory to lend twenty thousand rubles from the funds of St. Nicholas Pererva Monastery to Archimandrite Christopher. With this money, Christopher built stone houses on the metochion’s premises and acquired a significant number of liturgical vestments and sacred items for Syrian churches. Additionally, during his leadership, he brought several students from Syria to study in Russian theological schools.
In 1889, Archimandrite Raphael was appointed head of the metochion. After completing his studies at the Halki Theological School, he had served for two years as a preacher of the Antiochian Patriarchate. Later, he traveled to Russia to study the Russian language and was accepted into the Kiev Theological Academy, where he was ordained a hieromonk and soon elevated to archimandrite. During his tenure, Archimandrite Raphael significantly improved the financial standing of the metochion.
In 1900, Patriarch Meletius of Antioch appointed Hieromonk Alexander Tahan (who would later become Patriarch Alexander III of Antioch) as head of the Antiochian Metochion. In 1903, he was elevated to archimandrite by Metropolitan Vladimir of Moscow. Despite his short tenure, Archimandrite Alexander accomplished a great deal to improve the metochion’s condition.
Later in 1903, Archimandrite Alexander was elected Metropolitan of Cilicia, and the Antiochian Metochion came under the management of Elias Abu-Rous, a Syrian cleric who had recently completed his theological education in Russia and been ordained as a priest. After some time, he was succeeded by Archimandrite Anthony Mubaev, who remained head of the metochion until 1920, when the communist regime began closing and destroying churches.
The Church of St. Theodore Stratelates. Photo: sobory.ru In July 1948, the Moscow Patriarchate transferred to the Antiochian Church the historic Church of the Archangel Gabriel and the adjacent Church of Saint Theodore Stratelates in Moscow. By divine providence, this transfer occurred exactly 100 years after the metochion was founded by St. Philaret of Moscow.
The Metochion was handed over by Metropolitan Nicholas of Krutitsy and Kolomna to the Antiochian Church delegation, led by Metropolitan Alexander of Emesa. Expressing deep gratitude on behalf of the delegation and Patriarch Alexander of Antioch to Patriarch Alexy I and the entire Russian Orthodox Church, he announced that the new head of the metochion would be Archimandrite Basil, who had arrived from Syria with the delegation.
Despite his young age, the new head of the metochion immediately proved to be a zealous pastor, a dedicated and energetic administrator, and a passionate advocate for expanding and strengthening the spiritual, religious, and cultural ties between the Russian and Antiochian Churches.
The Church of the Archangel Gabriel. Photo: bogoyavlenskoe.ru To better connect with his Russian flock and gain a deeper understanding of Russian ecclesiastical life, Father Basil immediately began studying Church Slavonic and Russian after his appointment. He later enrolled in the Moscow Theological Academy, which he graduated in 1953 with honors, earning a degree in theology.
Under the patronage of Patriarch Alexiy I of Moscow and the competent leadership of Archimandrite Basil, the Antiochian Metochion quickly flourished.
The life of the metochion at that time is vividly described in a letter from Archimandrite Basil to Metropolitan Boulos Kouri of Tyre and Sidon:
“Undoubtedly Your Eminence is interested in my position in this country, which is so dear to our hearts. Therefore, I can tell you that I do not feel like a foreigner here, thanks to the hospitality of the Russian people and the paternal and pastoral care of His Holiness Patriarch Alexiy. Our metochion’s church is very beautiful, historical, of moderate size, and always filled with people... Two priests and one deacon serve in our church, with a choir of twenty singers. The services last no less than three hours, and the people standing in the church listen and pray with love and inspiration... The faithful willingly make donations to the church, as well as to the clergy. The priests treat the faithful with paternal love... Oh, Your Eminence, you would be very pleased and happy if one day the Lord granted you the opportunity to visit Russia and see firsthand everything I am describing to you...”
The Church of St. Theodore Stratelates
The same sentiment is echoed in one of the letters from His Beatitude Patriarch Alexander III, addressed to the clergy, the churchwarden, and the parishioners of the Antiochian Metochion in response to their greetings on the feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul on August 10, 1950.
In his message, the Primate of the Antiochian Church wrote:
“Two years ago, our metochion in Moscow began its second century of existence, throughout which it has successfully served as a vital link in the cultural and spiritual-religious relations between the ancient Antiochian Church and her powerful Sister and protector of Orthodoxy, the Russian Church.”1
In the same year, the Moscow Church of the Ascension of the Lord and the Holy Martyr Hypatius, Bishop of Gangra, was given to the Antiochian Representation.
In 1913, His Beatitude Gregory IV, Patriarch of Antioch, visited Russia.
In 1945, His Beatitude Alexander III, Patriarch of Antioch, was present at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. During official discussions between the heads of the Antiochian and Russian Churches, it was decided to restore the activities of the Antiochian Representation in Moscow, which had been interrupted due to the revolutionary events of 1917. The representation was granted two churches: one dedicated to the Archangel Gabriel and the other to the Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates, located near Chisty Prudy in Moscow. The official reopening of the representation took place on July 17, 1948.
Archimandrite Vasily Samaha was appointed as the head of the representation. In 1962, he was succeeded by Archimandrite Alexy Abdel-Karim. In 1971, Archimandrite Makarios Tayyar was appointed as the representative of the Antiochian Patriarch to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
Metropolitan Niphon (Saikali) of Philippopolis. Photo: vk.com
On May 9, 1977, the Holy Synod of the Antiochian Church appointed Archimandrite Niphon Saikali (later Bishop of Philippopolis), a doctoral candidate of theology from the Moscow Theological Academy, as the representative of the Patriarch of Antioch in Moscow and head of the Antiochian Representation. Through the efforts of Bishop Niphon of Philippopolis, the spiritual ties between the Antiochian and Russian Churches have continued to develop and deepen. Metropolitan Niphon (Saikali) of Philippopolis is the current head of the Antiochian Metochion in Moscow.
Photo: patriarchia.ru
Information from the website of the Theophany district of the Moscow Patriarchate, Moscow diocese.
