Tatarstan Feofan Biography

The permanent archpastor lived a long and eventful life. The future bishop was born on May 25 in the city of Dmitrieva Kursk region in a large working family of Andrei and Alexandra Ashurbov. In addition to Vanya, there were four more children in the family. It is difficult to overestimate the meaning of a large and loving family in which the foundations are laid that determine the whole subsequent life.

In private conversations and public speeches, Vladyka Theophan noted a huge impact on his life as an example of his parents. He tried to relax into his few free days in his native Kursk village. It should be noted that the two native uncles of the Vladyka are the heroes of the Soviet Union, and one of the ancestors on the paternal line is the full St. George Cavalier. At the end of the secondary school, he served in the ranks of the Soviet Army, in the company of ensuring the Ulyanovsk Higher Military Engineering School of Communications of the Military Institute named after the city in the GG.

In the year, he entered the second grade of the Moscow Theological Seminary, which he graduated in the year. Then he was enrolled in the Moscow Theological Academy. In the year, he was accepted by the novice in the fraternity of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. In the same year, on December 19, on the day of memory of St. Nicholas of Mirliki, the governor of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Jerome Zinoviev, was tonsured into monasticism with the name Theophanes in honor of the Monk Theophanes of Nicaean, the Confessor, and the Creator of the Canons of October 24.

In January, Archbishop Sergius Golubtsov ordained the newly -put monk Feofan to the rank of hierodeacon. In April of the year, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Metropolitan of Tula and Belevsky Juvenal Poyarkov; Now - Metropolitan Krutitsky and Kolomensky in the Cathedral of Tula, he was ordained a hieromonk. In the year, Father Feofan graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy with the degree of candidate of theology and was enrolled in graduate school at MDA.

The priest's candidate work is “the dogmatic teaching of Vasily the Great”. In the year, the definition of the Holy Synod was sent to the Russian spiritual mission in Jerusalem, where he performed his duties up to a year. During this period, he made working trips to most countries of the Middle East. In the year he was erected to the rank of Archimandrite. From December 28 to October 8, Archimandrite Feofan represented the Patriarch of Moscow under the Patriarch of Antioch and the entire East.

By the decision of the Holy Synod, on October 7, he was appointed to the Magadan and Sinerskaya department. He was called in a bishop on November 25 of the same year in the temple of all saints, in the land of the Russian shotting, patriarchal residence of Danilov of the Stavropigial Monastery in Moscow. Hirotonisan on November 26 for the liturgy in the Epiphany Cathedral in Elokhov.

During his stay at Kolyma, Bishop Theophanes opened many parishes, his efforts in Magadan built a Holy Trinity Cathedral. The next eight years of the archpastoral ministry of his Eminence are inextricably linked with the North Caucasus. During this time, the bishop became the true spiritual leader of the region, the “Orthodox mufti of the entire Caucasus”, as the local Muslims called him.

Bishop Feofan arrived in Beslan a few hours after it became known about what happened. He took part in the negotiations, and after the assault - he helped save the hostages. Subsequently, the ruling bishop participated in the elimination of the consequences of the Beslan tragedy. In particular, with its help, a rehabilitation center was created for the injured children on the basis of the Alan Epiphany Monastery near the North Ossetian city of Alagir.

The bookmark of the Cathedrals-Kazan in Stavropol, Mari-Magdalinsky in Nalchik and Spassky in Pyatigorsk are associated with the name of the archpastor. the construction of more temples in the territory of the vast Stavropol-Vladikaz diocese; organization of humanitarian assistance to the victims as a result of hostilities in the territory of the Republic of South Ossetia in August; the construction of the Holy Georgian Convent on the Caucasian Mineral Waters, the Alansky Epiphany Monastery city of Alagir, North Ossetia; The restoration of the Alan Assumption Monastery was the village of Hidicus, North Ossetia and the John-Mariinsky Convent in Stavropol.

By the decision of the Holy Synod of October 6, he was appointed rector of the Eminence of the Vladikavkaz Theological School established by the efforts of his Eminence. As a result of the painstaking work of Vladyka Theophanes, an effective system of interaction between the church with the North Caucasian state structures was built. Until recently, the Metropolitan’s close contacts with the North Caucasus were preserved - the archpastor visited local dioceses, communicated with both former and acting religious and political leaders of the region.

By the decision of the Holy Synod of March 22, Vladyka Theophanes was appointed to the Chelyabinsk department.When transferring it to the Eminence, gratitude was expressed “for many works to strengthen church life in the region of the North Caucasus, including the construction of new churches and monasteries, the organization of religious education and education, the implementation of dialogue with Muslim communities aimed at approving peace and consent in a multinational society.” For a three -year “Ural” period of service, Vladyka Theophanes laid in Chelyabinsk the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ.

The main temple of the Southern Urals, built in the north-west of Chelyabinsk near the Ice Arena "Tractor", is designed to become a true spiritual center of the region. Under Vladyka Feofan, the construction of the Pokrovsky church in the city of nuclear holders Ozersk was completed. His Eminence also headed the bookmark and worked a lot to build the first Orthodox church in the nuclear center of Russia, the city of Snezhinsk - the church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Sovereign”.

By the decision of the Synod of May 30, Metropolitan Theophanes was appointed head of the Simbirsk Metropolis. For a little more than a year of stay at the department, his Eminence, the construction of the Ascension Cathedral was completed, the Spassky Convent was revived in Ulyanovsk. In the republic, the archpastor served until his death. For five years of church ministry in the ancient Kazan department, the works of his Eminence in the capital of Tatarstan, a cathedral was recreated in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

The laying of the stone in the foundation of the cathedral on July 21 was made by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.

The main amount of restoration work in the Sviyazh Makaryevsky Monastery was carried out under direct control and during the care of Metropolitan Theophanes. Vladyka Theophanes paid special attention to the revival of the Kazan Theological Academy. Unfortunately, this project could not be completed during the life of the archpastor. The spiritual education of children and youth was a priority in the activities of his Eminence.

So, over the years of the stay of Metropolitan Theophanes at the Kazan department in the capital of Tatarstan, a new corps of the Orthodox gymnasium named after St. Guria Kazan Square near sq. Here are the main and middle links of the gymnasium to x grades. The new children's nursery-garden “Rostock” in Kazan, the Orthodox gymnasium in Almetyevsk Almetyevskaya diocese were built.

In the year, the construction of the Orthodox gymnasium in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny began. With a restored temple in honor of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the city of Kazan, st. Yapeeva, 2 Orthodox Youth Center "ABC" was opened, the Youth Center was founded in the village of Sokolka, the Mamadysh district of the Republic of Tatarstan. Dialogue with representatives of other religions in the region, first of all, was dynamically, Muslims.

Given the experience of the activities of his Eminence in the organization of inter-religious interaction in the Middle East, the North Caucasus and Tatarstan, his regular participation in international negotiations, by the decision of the Holy Synod from the year, Metropolitan Theophanes headed the Orthodox part of the joint Russian-Iranian Dialog of Orthodoxy-Islam. In the Volga region, Metropolitan Theophanes continued active and large-scale work on the development of church-state relations.

Meetings with the leadership of the Volga Federal District and the Republic of Tatarstan were regular and constructive. Based on the results of this dialogue of the church, the Nikolo-Gostinodvorsky temple was returned, the abbot of which was once priest Yermolai-the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Germogen. In the Blagoveshchensk Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin, daily services are revived.

During the archpastation of Metropolitan Theophanes in the Tatarstan Metropolis, social ministry, educational and missionary activities, work with youth, military personnel and concluded were activated. By the decision of the Synod in April-July of the year, his Eminence fulfilled the obedience of the temporary manager of the Chistopol diocese. The multifaceted social activity of the archpastor, his fruitful efforts in spiritual and moral revival were repeatedly marked by high church and state awards.

Vladyka Metropolitan was an honorary citizen of the cities of Stavropol, Vladikavkaz and Cherkessk. With the blessing of his Holiness, the memorial services were headed by the manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate of Metropolitan Dionisy. The deep condolences in connection with the death of the hierarch were sent by the Holy Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill, prominent state, public and religious figures.