Grandfather - Grigory Markovich Dashevsky, historian, author of books on the Spanish Civil War, died at the front in 1944. Father - Valery Grigorievich Dashevsky, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics. Sciences, author of monographs on organic chemistry. He left his family early, then died due to an accident. His mother, writer Valeria Anatolyevna Alfeeva, raised her son alone.
He was baptized at age 11.
From 1973 to 1984 he studied at the Moscow Specialized Secondary Music School named after. Gnessins in violin and composition class.
In 1981, he became a reader at the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on the Assumption Vrazhek (Moscow). Since 1983, he was a subdeacon with Metropolitan Pitirim (Nechaev) of Volokolamsk and Yuryev and worked as a freelance employee for the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate.
In 1984, after graduating from school, he entered the composition department of the Moscow State Conservatory.
In 1984-86 he served in the army, in the border troops as a musician in a brass band.
In January 1987, of his own free will, he left his studies at the Moscow Conservatory and entered the Vilna Holy Spirit Monastery as a novice.
On June 19, 1987, in the cathedral of the Vilna Holy Spiritual Monastery, he was tonsured a monk, and on June 21, in the same cathedral, he was ordained a hierodeacon by Archbishop of Vilna and Lithuania Victorinus (Belyaev).
On August 19, 1987, in the Prechistensky Cathedral of Vilnius, with the blessing of Archbishop of Vilna and Lithuania, Victorin was ordained hieromonk by Archbishop of Ufa and Sterlitamak Anatoly (Kuznetsov).
In 1988 – 1990 served as rector of churches in the city of Telšiai, the village of Kolainiai and the village of Tituvenai in the Vilnius diocese. In 1990 he was appointed rector of the Annunciation Cathedral in Kaunas.
In 1990, as a delegate from the clergy of the Vilna and Lithuanian diocese, he participated in the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 1989 he graduated in absentia from the Moscow Theological Seminary, and in 1991 from the Moscow Theological Academy with a candidate of theology degree.
In 1991 – 1993 taught homiletics, Holy Scripture of the New Testament, dogmatic theology and Greek at Moscow theological schools.
In 1992 – 1993 taught New Testament and patrolology at the Russian Orthodox University of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian.
In 1993 he graduated from the branch of the MDA graduate school at the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
In 1993, he was sent to an internship at Oxford University, where, under the guidance of Bishop Callistos of Diocleia (Patriarchate of Constantinople), he worked on his doctoral dissertation on the topic “Reverend Simeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition,” combining his studies with service in the parishes of the Diocese of Sourozh.
In 1995 he graduated from Oxford University with a PhD. Since 1995, he worked in the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, from August 1997 to 2002, heading the secretariat for inter-Christian relations.
In 1995 – 1997 he taught patrolology at the Smolensk and Kaluga theological seminaries. In 1996, he gave a course of lectures on dogmatic theology at the St. German Orthodox Theological Seminary in Alaska ().
Since January 1996, he was a member of the clergy of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine on Vspolye in Moscow (Metochion of the Orthodox Church in America).
From 1996 to 2004 he was a member of the Synodal Theological Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 1997 - 1999, he lectured on dogmatic theology at St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in New York (USA) and on the mystical theology of the Eastern Church at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Cambridge ().
In 1999, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Theology by the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris.
On Easter 2000, in the Holy Trinity Church in Khoroshevo (Moscow), Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad elevated him to the rank of abbot.
2002
Conflict in the Diocese of Sourozh
By the decision of the Holy Synod of December 27, 2001, Abbot Hilarion (Alfeev), upon his elevation to the rank of archimandrite, was determined to be Bishop of Kerch, vicar of the Sourozh diocese (diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ireland).
On January 7, 2002, on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, in the Smolensk Cathedral, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad elevated him to the rank of archimandrite.
On January 14, 2002 in Moscow, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, he was ordained bishop. The consecration was performed by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', concelebrated by ten archpastors, including Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (later His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus').
Soon after his arrival in the Sourozh diocese (London) at the beginning of 2002, Bishop Hilarion of Kerch had an extremely acute conflict. The party dissatisfied with the activities of Bishop Hilarion was led by the senior vicar, Bishop Vasily (Osborne).
On May 19, 2002, the ruling bishop, Metropolitan Anthony, criticized the actions of Bishop Hilarion in his open Address. The appeal reported that Bishop Hilarion has 3 months to “discover for himself the essence of the Sourozh diocese and form an opinion about whether or not he is ready to continue in the spirit and in accordance with the ideals that we have developed over the past 53 years. If he is not sure, and we are not sure, then we, by mutual agreement, will separate”; it also said about Bishop Hilarion:
“He has many gifts that I have never had and never will have. He is young, he is strong, he is a doctor of divinity, he has written several highly acclaimed theological books, and he can make a very significant contribution - but only if we form a team and are united."
Bishop Hilarion issued a statement in response, which rejected the accusations brought against him and actually condemned the liturgical practice that had developed in the London Assumption Cathedral of the diocese.
As a result of irreconcilable confrontation, Bishop Hilarion was recalled from the diocese in July 2002; By decision of the Synod, the title of Kerch was assigned to the oldest vicar of the diocese, Archbishop Anatoly (Kuznetsov).
Bishop of Podolsk, head of the Russian Orthodox Church under European organizations
By the determination of the Holy Synod of July 17, 2002, Hilarion was appointed Bishop of Podolsk, vicar of the Moscow diocese, head of the Representative Office of the Russian Orthodox Church to European international organizations. While in this position, he was active in information activities, publishing the electronic newsletter “Europaica” in English, French and German, as well as the Russian-language supplement to this newsletter “Orthodoxy in Europe.”
Regularly participated in meetings of the leadership of the European Union with religious leaders of Europe. During these meetings he pointed out that tolerance should extend to all traditional religions in Europe:
“Citing Islamophobia and anti-Semitism as examples of lack of tolerance, European political leaders often forget about the various manifestations of Christianophobia and anti-Christianity.” According to the bishop, “it is impossible to erase two thousand years of Christianity from the history of Europe. Denial of the Christian roots of Europe is unacceptable. But the importance of Christianity is not limited to history. Christianity remains the most important spiritual and moral component of European identity.”
He criticized militant secularism, calling on Christians in Europe to engage in dialogue with representatives of secular humanism on the issue of spiritual and moral values. According to the bishop, “the explosiveness of today’s inter-civilizational situation” is largely due to the fact that “Western liberal-humanistic ideology, based on the idea of its own universality, imposes itself on those people who were brought up in different spiritual and moral traditions and have different value guidelines.” . In this situation, “religious people need to realize the special responsibility that is entrusted to them and enter into dialogue with the secular worldview; if dialogue with it is impossible, then openly oppose it.”
Guests of the Brussels representative office of the Russian Orthodox Church during the time it was headed by Bishop Hilarion were Queen Paola of Belgium, Russian Foreign Minister I. S. Ivanov, Primate of the Finnish Autonomous Orthodox Church Archbishop Leo, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland Archbishop Jukka Paarma, Archbishop Christopher of Prague and the Czech Lands.
2003: Bishop of Vienna and Austria
By the determination of the Holy Synod of May 7, 2003, he was appointed Bishop of Vienna and Austria with the assignment of temporary administration of the Budapest and Hungarian diocese and retaining the post of Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to European international organizations in Brussels.
In 2003, large-scale restoration work began at the Vienna Cathedral of St. Nicholas. On May 24, 2007, the cathedral was visited by the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin. The guests of the cathedral were also the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop Christopher of Prague and the Czech Lands, and Chairman of the National Assembly of Austria Andreas Kohl.
In 2004, a major renovation of the Church of St. Lazarus the Four-Days in Vienna began and was completed in 2006.
On October 13, 2004, the trial was completed on the issue of ownership of the Holy Assumption Cathedral in Budapest, which tried to take away the Patriarchate of Constantinople from the Russian Church. In the period from 2003 to 2006, the cathedral was repeatedly visited by senior officials of the Russian state, including Prime Ministers M. Kasyanov and M. Fradkov. On March 1, 2006, the cathedral was visited by V.V. Putin. The result of this visit was the decision of the Hungarian authorities to carry out a major overhaul of the cathedral.
He spoke in favor of the possibility of using the Russian language in Orthodox worship, stipulating that he considers the rejection of Church Slavonic unacceptable:
There are many barriers between the “man on the street” and the Orthodox Church - linguistic, cultural, psychological and other. And we, the clergy, do very little to help a person overcome these barriers.<…>In our foreign dioceses, many parishioners, and especially their children, not only do not understand the Slavic language, but also poorly understand Russian. The issue of accessibility and intelligibility of worship is very acute.<…>I think that abandoning the Slavic language and translating the entire divine service into Russian is unacceptable. However, it is quite acceptable to read some parts of the service in Russian. For example, the Psalms, the Apostle and the Gospel.
On February 1, 2005, he was elected as a private assistant professor of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Friborg (Switzerland) in the department of dogmatic theology.
On August 24, 2005, he was awarded the Makariev Prize for his work “The Sacred Secret of the Church. Introduction to the history and problems of the Imiaslav disputes.”
On September 29, 2006, he called for the creation of an Orthodox-Catholic alliance to defend traditional Christianity in Europe. According to the bishop, today it is becoming increasingly difficult to talk about Christianity as a single system of values shared by all Christians in the world: the gap between “traditionalists” and “liberals” is steadily widening. In this situation, according to the bishop, it is necessary to consolidate the efforts of those Churches that consider themselves “Churches of Tradition,” that is, Catholics and Orthodox, including the so-called. "pre-Chalcedonian" ancient Eastern Churches.
“I am not talking now about the serious dogmatic disagreements that exist between these Churches and which should be discussed within the framework of bilateral dialogues. I’m talking about the need to conclude some kind of strategic alliance, pact, union between these Churches to protect traditional Christianity as such - protection from all the challenges of modernity, be it militant liberalism or militant atheism,” the bishop emphasized.
2007: Protest at a meeting of the commission on Orthodox-Catholic dialogue in Ravenna
Hilarion participated in meetings of the Joint Commission on Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue in 2000 in Baltimore, in 2006 in Belgrade and in 2007 in Ravenna.
On October 9, 2007, he left the meeting of the Mixed Commission on Orthodox-Catholic Dialogue in Ravenna in protest against the decision of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to include representatives of the Estonian Apostolic Church in the Orthodox delegation, despite the fact that “the Ecumenical Patriarchate, with the consent of all Orthodox members, proposed a compromise solution, which would recognize the disagreement of the Moscow Patriarchate with the status of the autonomous Church of Estonia.” A participant in the meeting told the press that the Catholic side, as well as other Orthodox participants, were “somewhat shocked” by the bishop’s ultimatum. The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, at a meeting on October 12, 2007, approved the actions of the Russian Orthodox Church delegation in Ravenna.
As a result, the final document “Ecclesiological and canonical consequences of the sacramental nature of the Church” was signed in the absence of the delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate. The document, in particular, contains provisions with which the Moscow Patriarchate does not agree, such as the 39th paragraph of the document, which speaks of “bishops of local Churches in communion with the Throne of Constantinople.”
In an interview with the Catholic agency AsiaNews, Metropolitan John (Zizioulas), representative of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and co-chairman of the Mixed Commission, said that Bishop Hilarion’s position in Ravenna is “an expression of authoritarianism, the purpose of which is to demonstrate the influence of the Moscow Church”; he also emphasized that as a result, the Moscow Patriarchate found itself “in isolation, because no other Orthodox Church followed its example.”
In response, Bishop Hilarion, on October 22, 2007, accused Metropolitan John of “breaking the dialogue” with the Roman Catholic Church. According to the bishop, the withdrawal of the Moscow Patriarchate from the dialogue was beneficial to Constantinople: “It is obvious that Constantinople is interested in expanding the Orthodox understanding of primacy in the Universal Church. The “primacy of honor” assigned to Constantinople after 1054 no longer suits its representatives such as Metropolitan John. And in order to turn the “primacy of honor” into real power, the provision of primacy should be reformulated along the lines of papal primacy in the Roman Catholic Church. As long as representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate continue to participate in the dialogue, this will not be achieved. It will be much easier to do without them.”
In an interview on November 15, 2007, Hilarion criticized a number of provisions of the Ravenna document on the merits, but pointed out that it was necessary to give an official assessment of this document. He also stated that the number of the Russian Church “exceeds the number of members of all other local Orthodox churches combined.” To the question: “Under what circumstances will the Eastern Churches be able to recognize the Pope as the head of the Universal Church?” - answered: “Under no circumstances.” The head of the Universal Church is Jesus Christ, and, according to Orthodox understanding, he cannot have a vicar on earth. This is the fundamental difference between the Orthodox teaching about the Church and the Catholic one.”
In 2009-2013, within the framework of the Synodal Biblical Theological Commission (initially the Synodal Theological Commission), Hilarion led a working group that prepared an analysis of the Ravenna document; as a result, in 2013, at a meeting of the Holy Synod, the document “Position of the Moscow Patriarchate on the issue of primacy in Universal Church", in which disagreement with his position was confirmed.
2008: Refusal of nomination for the post of head of the Orthodox Church in America
In July 2008, after the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church imposed sanctions on Bishop Diomede (Dzyuban), he sharply criticized the latter.
After the removal of Metropolitan Herman from the post of Primate of the Orthodox Church in America on September 4, 2008, in October 2008, the candidacy of Bishop Hilarion (Alfeev) for the post of Primate of the OCA was proposed by several of its clergy. The reasons that prompted the OCA clergy to nominate Bishop Hilarion are listed in an article by the former rector of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko, according to whom Bishop Hilarion is “young, brave, smart, educated and proven,” “he has an impeccable reputation as an obedient hieromonk and hierarch . He has an excellent reputation as a pastor, teacher, preacher and confessor. He has extensive experience in the international activities of the Orthodox Church. He speaks fluent English and several other languages. He is respected within and outside the Orthodox Church, even by those who do not agree with his ideas and actions.”
The nomination of Bishop Hilarion caused a controversial reaction within the OCA due to the fact that he is a hierarch of the Moscow Patriarchate and due to his conflict with the ruling bishop of the Sourozh diocese in 2002. In a letter to the OCA Chancellery dated November 6, 2008, Bishop Hilarion announced that he was refusing the nomination because he believed that the OCA should be led by an American. The leadership of the Moscow Patriarchate supported the position of Bishop Hilarion.
2009: Chairman of the Department of External Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, rector of the temple on Bolshaya Ordynka in Moscow
On March 31, 2009, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and the Holy Synod, having released Bishop Hilarion from the administration of the Vienna-Austrian and Hungarian dioceses, appointed him chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, a permanent member of the Holy Synod with the title “Bishop of Volokolamsk, vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'." On April 9, 2009, he was appointed rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” on Bolshaya Ordynka in Moscow.
On April 20, 2009, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' elevated him to the rank of archbishop.
2010: Elevation to the rank of metropolitan, rector of churches in Chernigovsky Lane in Moscow
On August 18, 2010, he was appointed rector of the Patriarchal Metochion - the churches of the holy martyrs Michael and Theodore of Chernigov and the Beheading of John the Baptist near Bor.
In 2010, he was elected honorary doctor of the Russian State Social University and honorary professor of the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy.
On February 7, 2011, he was elected professor of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Friborg (Switzerland) in the department of dogmatic theology.
On September 11, 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion celebrated the bishop's liturgy - the first since the opening of the church in Chernigovsky Lane in the early 1990s.
2011: Participation in the consecration of Elpidophoros, heir to the Patriarch of Constantinople
In 2011, at the consecration of the heir to the Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Elpidophoros, Patriarch Bartholomew was concelebrated with the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. At one time, people around Patriarch Kirill relied on Elpidophoros.
Later it became clear that the bet did not work - Elpidophoros became an ardent promoter of autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church. As of 2019, he is the de facto head of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
2014: Trip to Ukraine
On May 9, 2014, Hilarion arrived at the airport of Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine) to participate in the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Dnepropetrovsk Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate Irenaeus, but when passing through border control he was detained and given a written notice of a ban on entry into Ukraine without specifying the reasons. Metropolitan Hilarion read out a congratulatory message from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow at the border control point and there also presented the hero of the day with the Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, first degree. On May 12, the Russian Foreign Ministry demanded “from the de facto Kyiv authorities a comprehensive explanation for such a disrespectful attitude towards a clergyman of high rank and an appropriate apology.”
2017: Visit of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
On November 22, 2017, Metropolitan Hilarion met the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, as part of his first visit to
In an interview with the Swiss Catholic News Agency, the head of the DECR, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev), said that the Russian Orthodox Church is not yet ready to receive the Pope in Moscow, because many believers and clergy do not want this: “This is not on the agenda of our bilateral relations. In our Church, many bishops, priests and believers are not ready to accept it. We wouldn't want our relationship to deteriorate because of these sentiments. We prefer to go gradually, withoutAchilles
On the broadcast of the “Church and the World” program on the “Russia-24” channel on April 6, the head of the DECR, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev), was quoted from a Polish publication: “In Russia, faith in war is replacing Christianity. More people go to venerate the old T-34s than go to church on the main Orthodox holidays.” Metropolitan Hilarion called this opinion “offensive,” but it fits “into the general picture of anti-Russian propaganda, whichFrom the first minute of communication, the Orthodox clergyman and theologian Metropolitan Hilarion attracts attention with his piercing and very deep gaze. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that he is a man of complex thinking, who knows something more, true and hidden, and who is trying in every possible way to convey his knowledge and thoughts to people and thereby make the world in their souls brighter and kinder.
The Metropolitan (his photo is presented just below) is a patrolologist and Doctor of Philosophy and the Theological Institute in Paris. He is also a member of the Synodal Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church, head of the Moscow Patriarchate Secretariat for Inter-Christian Relations of the Department of External Church Relations and the author of musical epic oratorios and suites for chamber performance. In this article we will trace the life path of this man, get acquainted with his biography, which contains many interesting facts.
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: biography
In the world Alfeev Grigory Valerievich was born on June 24, 1966. He was destined for a good musical career, since, having graduated from the Gnesin music school, he then studied at the Moscow State Conservatory. Then he served the required two years in the Soviet army, after which he immediately decided to become a novice at the Vilna Holy Spirit Monastery.
Family
The future Metropolitan Hilarion was born in the capital of Russia, into a very intelligent family. His date of birth is July 24, 1966. His grandfather, Markovic, was a historian who wrote a number of books about the Spanish Civil War. Unfortunately, he died in 1944 in the war against the Nazis. The Metropolitan's father, Dashevsky Valery Grigorievich, was a doctor of physical and mathematical sciences and wrote scientific works. He is the author of monographs on organic chemistry. But Valery Grigorievich left the family and then died in an accident. Gregory's mother was a writer who had the bitter fate of raising her son alone. He was baptized at age 11.
From 1973 to 1984, Hilarion studied violin and composition at the Moscow Gnessin Secondary Special Music School. At the age of 15, he entered the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on Uspensky Vrazhek (Moscow) as a reader. After graduating from school, in 1984, he entered the composition department of the Moscow State Conservatory. In January 1987, he left his studies and entered the Vilna Holy Spirit Monastery as a novice.
Priesthood
In 1990, he became rector of the Annunciation Cathedral in the city of Kaunas (Lithuania). In 1989, Hilarion graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary in absentia, then studied at the Moscow Theological Academy, where he received a candidate's degree in theology. After a while he becomes a teacher at the St. Tikhon's Theological Institute and the University of St. Apostle John the Theologian.
In 1993, he completed his postgraduate studies at the Theological Academy and was sent to Oxford University, where in 1995 he received a Ph.D. Then for six years he worked in the department of external church relations. Afterwards he becomes a clergyman at the Church of St. Catherine on Vspolye in Moscow.
In 1999, he was awarded the title of Doctor of Theology by the Orthodox St. Sergius Institute in Paris.
In 2002, Archimandrite Hilarion became Bishop of Kerchin. And at the beginning of January 2002, in the Smolensk Cathedral, he took the rank of archimandrite and literally a week later he was consecrated bishop in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Work abroad
In 2002, he was sent to serve in the Sourozh diocese, headed by Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom, Russian Orthodox Church of Great Britain and Ireland), but soon the entire episcopate, led by Bishop Vasily (Osborne, who in 2010 was deprived of the priesthood and monasticism, took up arms against him, because he expresses a desire to get married). All this happened because Hilarion spoke somewhat accusatoryly about this diocese, and for this he received critical remarks from Bishop Anthony, in which he pointed out that they were unlikely to work together. But Hilarion is still that “tough nut to crack”; he gave a speech where he absolved himself of all accusations and insisted on the correctness of his opinion.
As a result, he was recalled from this diocese and appointed the main representative of the Russian Orthodox Church for work with international European organizations. The Metropolitan has always advocated in his speeches that a Europe tolerant of all religions should not forget its Christian roots, since this is one of the most important spiritual and moral components that determines European identity.
Music
Since 2006, he has been actively involved in music and has written many musical works: “Divine Liturgy”, “All-Night Vigil”, “Matthew Passion”, “Christmas Oratorio”, etc. This work of his was highly appreciated, and with the blessing of the second work it has been performed at many concerts in Europe, the United States, Australia and, of course, Russia. The audience stood and applauded these successful performances.
In 2011, Metropolitan Hilarion and Vladimir Spivakov became the creators and leaders of the Christmas Festival of Sacred Music (Moscow), which takes place during the January holidays.
Serving according to conscience
Between 2003 and 2009 he was already Bishop of Vienna and Austria. Then he was elected Bishop of Volokalamsk, a permanent member of the Synod, vicar of the Moscow Patriarchate and rector of the Church of the Mother of God in the capital.
At the same time, Patriarch Kirill elevated him to the rank of archbishop for his faithful and diligent service to the Russian Orthodox Church. A year later, he elevated him to the rank of metropolitan.
Metropolitan Hilarion: Orthodoxy
It should be noted that over the years he always represented the Russian Orthodox Church. Hilarion zealously defended its interests at various inter-Christian conferences, international forums and commissions.
Sermons of Hilarion
Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeev's sermons are very complete and well-constructed. It is very interesting to listen and read him, because he has enormous experience, which he conveys to us among a huge number of theological literary works that are extraordinary in their content. They advance us to great knowledge of the Christian faith of its followers.
Books on theology
One of his books is “The Sacred Secret of the Church. Introduction". In it, the reader becomes acquainted with the thoughts of some fathers and teachers of the church on invoking the name of God in practice and in worship. Here we are talking about understanding the church experience and its correct expression. For this, the author was awarded the Makariev Prize in 2005.
In his book “Reverend Simeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition,” Metropolitan Hilarion presented a translation of his doctoral dissertation defended at Oxford University, Faculty of Theology. In it, he explores the attitude of the 11th century theologian St. Simeon to the Orthodox service, Holy Scripture, ascetic and mystical theological literature, etc.
Metropolitan Hilarion did not ignore Isaac the Syrian and dedicated the book “The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian” to him. This great Syrian saint, like no one else, was able to convey the spirit of gospel love and compassion, so he prayed not only for people, but also for animals and demons. According to his teaching, even hell is the love of God, which is perceived by sinners as suffering and pain, because they do not accept it and have hatred for this love.
Among his books is the work “The Life and Teachings of St. Gregory the Theologian.” Here he describes the life of the great father and saint and his teachings, which coined the dogma of the Most Holy Trinity.
Awards and titles
His activities did not go unnoticed, and therefore this priest has a huge number of awards in his arsenal - all kinds of diplomas, medals and titles, among which is the Order of St. Innocent of Moscow, II Art. (2009, America, Russian Orthodox Church), Order of the Holy Martyr Isidore Yuryevsky, II class. (2010, Estonia, Russian Orthodox Church MP), Order of the Holy Voivode Stephen the Great, II class. (2010, Moldova, Russian Orthodox Church), gold medal of the University of Bologna (2010, Italy), Order of Serbian Falcons (2011) and other awards.
Films of Metropolitan Hilarion
Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeev of Volokolamsk became the author and presenter of the following films: “Man Before God” - a cycle of 10 episodes (2011), introducing the world of Orthodoxy, “The Path of the Shepherd”, dedicated to the 65th anniversary of Patriarch Kirill (2011), “ The Church in History" - the history of Christianity, "Byzantium and the Baptism of Rus'" - series (2012), "Unity of the Faithful" - a film dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the unity of the Moscow Patriarch and the Russian Orthodox Church abroad (2012), "Journey to Athos "(2012), "Orthodoxy in China" (2013), "Pilgrimage to the Holy Land" (2013), "With the Patriarch on Mount Athos" (2014), "Orthodoxy on Mount Athos" (2014 .), “Orthodoxy in Serbian lands” (2014).
They represent a real base for those who want to know what icons are, how to understand holy works, films, the author of which was Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeev. Orthodoxy in them appears as a world that fills a person’s life with depth. Through his eyes we will see holy pilgrimage places and how Christianity is preached in other places alien to Orthodox people.
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk (in the world Grigory Valerievich Alfeev) was born on July 24, 1966 in Moscow.
From 1973 to 1984 he studied at the Moscow Specialized Secondary Music School named after. Gnessins in violin and composition class. At the age of 15, he entered the Church of the Resurrection of the Word as a reader at the Assumption Vrazhek (Moscow). Since 1983, he was a subdeacon with Metropolitan Pitirim (Nechaev) of Volokolamsk and Yuryev and worked as a freelance employee for the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate. In 1984, after graduating from school, he entered the composition department of the Moscow State Conservatory. In 1984-86 he served in the army.
In January 1987, of his own free will, he left his studies at the Moscow Conservatory and entered the Vilna Holy Spirit Monastery as a novice. On June 19, 1987, in the cathedral of the Vilna Holy Spiritual Monastery, Archbishop of Vilna and Lithuania Victorin (Belyaev, + 1990) was tonsured a monk with the name Hilarion in honor of the Venerable Hilarion the New (memory day June 6 (19), and on June 21 in the same cathedral, the same bishop ordained him as a hierodeacon.
On August 19, 1987, in the Prechistensky Cathedral of Vilnius, with the blessing of Archbishop of Vilna and Lithuania, Victorin was ordained hieromonk by Archbishop Anatoly of Ufa and Sterlitamak (now Archbishop of Kerch). In 1988-1990 he served as rector of churches in the city of Telšiai and the villages of Kolainiai and Tituvenai of the Vilnius diocese. In 1990 he was appointed rector of the Annunciation Cathedral in Kaunas.
In 1990, as a delegate from the clergy of the Vilna and Lithuanian diocese, he participated in the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 1989 he graduated in absentia from the Moscow Theological Seminary, and in 1991 from the Moscow Theological Academy with a candidate of theology degree. In 1993 he graduated from the MDA graduate school. In 1991-1993 he taught homiletics, Holy Scripture of the New Testament, dogmatic theology and Greek at the Moscow Academy of Sciences and History. In 1992-1993 he taught New Testament at the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Theological Institute and patrolology at the Russian Orthodox University of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian.
In 1993, he was sent to an internship at Oxford University, where, under the guidance of Bishop Callistos of Diocleia (Patriarchate of Constantinople), he worked on his doctoral dissertation on the topic “Reverend Simeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition,” combining his studies with service in the parishes of the Diocese of Sourozh. In 1995 he graduated from Oxford University with a PhD.
Since 1995, he worked in the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, from August 1997 to the beginning of 2002, heading the secretariat for inter-Christian relations.
In 1995-1997 he taught patrolology at the Smolensk and Kaluga Theological Seminaries. In 1996, he gave a course of lectures on dogmatic theology at the St. German Orthodox Theological Seminary in Alaska (USA).
Since January 1996, he was a member of the clergy of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine on Vspolye in Moscow (a metochion of the Orthodox Church in America). From 1996 to 2004 he was a member of the Synodal Theological Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1997-1999, he lectured on dogmatic theology at St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in New York (USA) and on the mystical theology of the Eastern Church at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Cambridge (UK). In 1999, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Theology by the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris.
On Easter 2000, in the Holy Trinity Church in Khoroshevo (Moscow), Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad elevated him to the rank of abbot. By the decision of the Holy Synod of December 27, 2001, he was elected Bishop of Kerch, vicar of the Sourozh diocese. On January 7, 2002, on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, in the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad elevated him to the rank of archimandrite. On January 14, 2002 in Moscow, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, he was ordained bishop.
The consecration was performed by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', co-served by ten archpastors. By the determination of the Holy Synod of July 17, 2002, he was appointed Bishop of Podolsk, vicar of the Moscow diocese, head of the Representative Office of the Russian Orthodox Church to European international organizations. By the determination of the Holy Synod of May 7, 2003, he was appointed Bishop of Vienna and Austria with the assignment of temporary administration of the Budapest and Hungarian diocese and retaining the post of Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to European international organizations in Brussels.
On February 1, 2005, he was elected private associate professor of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Friborg (Switzerland) in the department of dogmatic theology. On August 24, 2005, he was awarded the Makariev Prize for his work “The Sacred Secret of the Church. Introduction to the history and problems of the Imiaslav disputes.”
On March 31, 2009, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and the Holy Synod, having released Bishop Hilarion from the administration of the Vienna-Austrian and Hungarian dioceses, appointed him chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, a permanent member of the Holy Synod with the title “Bishop of Volokolamsk, vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'." At the same time, he was appointed rector of the newly created All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies of the Moscow Patriarchate named after Saints Cyril and Methodius.
On April 9, 2009, he was appointed rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” on Bolshaya Ordynka in Moscow. On April 20, 2009, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' elevated him to the rank of archbishop, and on February 1, 2010, to the rank of metropolitan.
Since May 28, 2009 - member of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation. Since July 27, 2009, it has been included in the Inter-Council presence of the Russian Orthodox Church and its presidium.
Chairman of the Commission of the Inter-Council Presence on issues of attitude towards heterodoxy and other religions, Deputy Chairman of the Commission on issues of countering church schisms and overcoming them, member of the Commissions on theology and on issues of worship and church art. Since July 26, 2010 - member of the Patriarchal Council for Culture. Since January 13, 2010 - member of the board of trustees of the Russkiy Mir Foundation.
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk (in the world - Grigory Valerievich Alfeev) was born on July 24, 1966 in Moscow.
From 1973 to 1984 he studied at the Moscow Specialized Secondary Music School named after. Gnessins in violin and composition class.
At the age of 15, he entered the Church of the Resurrection of the Word as a reader at the Assumption Vrazhek (Moscow). Since 1983, he was a subdeacon with Metropolitan Pitirim (Nechaev) of Volokolamsk and Yuryev and worked as a freelance employee for the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate.
In 1984, after graduating from school, he entered the composition department of the Moscow State Conservatory.
In 1984-86 he served in the army.
In January 1987, of his own free will, he left his studies at the Moscow Conservatory and entered the Vilna Holy Spirit Monastery as a novice.
On June 19, 1987, in the cathedral of the Vilna Holy Spiritual Monastery, Archbishop Victorin of Vilna and Lithuania (Belyaev, + 1990) was tonsured a monk with the name Hilarion in honor of the Venerable Hilarion the New (memory day June 6 (19), and on June 21 in the same cathedral, the same bishop ordained him as a hierodeacon.
On August 19, 1987, in the Prechistensky Cathedral of Vilnius, with the blessing of Archbishop of Vilna and Lithuania, Victorin was ordained hieromonk by Bishop Anatoly of Ufa and Sterlitamak (now Archbishop of Kerch).
In 1988-1990 he served as rector of churches in the city of Telšiai and the villages of Kolainiai and Tituvenai of the Vilnius diocese. In 1990 he was appointed rector of the Annunciation Cathedral in Kaunas.
In 1990, as a delegate from the clergy of the Vilna and Lithuanian diocese, he participated in the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 1989 he graduated in absentia from the Moscow Theological Seminary, and in 1991 from the Moscow Theological Academy with a candidate of theology degree. In 1993 he graduated from the MDA graduate school.
In 1991-1993 he taught homiletics, Holy Scripture of the New Testament, dogmatic theology and Greek at the Moscow Academy of Sciences and History. In 1992-1993 he taught New Testament at the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Theological Institute and patrolology at the Russian Orthodox University of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian.
In 1993, he was sent to an internship at Oxford University, where, under the guidance of Bishop Callistos of Diocleia (Patriarchate of Constantinople), he worked on his doctoral dissertation on the topic “Reverend Simeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition,” combining his studies with service in the parishes of the Diocese of Sourozh. In 1995 he graduated from Oxford University with a PhD.
Since 1995, he worked in the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, from August 1997 to the beginning of 2002, heading the secretariat for inter-Christian relations.
In 1995-1997 he taught patrolology at the Smolensk and Kaluga Theological Seminaries. In 1996, he gave a course of lectures on dogmatic theology at the St. German Orthodox Theological Seminary in Alaska (USA).
Since January 1996, he was a member of the clergy of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine on Vspolye in Moscow (Metochion of the Orthodox Church in America).
From 1996 to 2004 he was a member of the Synodal Theological Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 1997-1999, he lectured on dogmatic theology at St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in New York (USA) and on the mystical theology of the Eastern Church at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Cambridge (UK).
In 1999, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Theology by the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris.
On Easter 2000, in the Holy Trinity Church in Khoroshevo (Moscow), Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad elevated him to the rank of abbot.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of December 27, 2001, he was elected Bishop of Kerch, vicar of the Sourozh diocese.
On January 7, 2002, on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, in the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad elevated him to the rank of archimandrite.
On January 14, 2002 in Moscow, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, he was ordained bishop. The consecration was performed by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', co-served by ten archpastors.
By the determination of the Holy Synod of July 17, 2002, he was appointed Bishop of Podolsk, vicar of the Moscow diocese, head of the Representative Office of the Russian Orthodox Church to European international organizations.
By the determination of the Holy Synod of May 7, 2003, he was appointed Bishop of Vienna and Austria with the assignment of temporary administration of the Budapest and Hungarian diocese and retaining the post of Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to European international organizations in Brussels.
On February 1, 2005, he was elected private associate professor of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Friborg (Switzerland) in the department of dogmatic theology.
On August 24, 2005, he was awarded the Makariev Prize for his work “The Sacred Secret of the Church. Introduction to the history and problems of the Imiaslav disputes.”
On March 31, 2009, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and the Holy Synod, having released Bishop Hilarion from the administration of the Vienna-Austrian and Hungarian dioceses, appointed him chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, a permanent member of the Holy Synod with the title “Bishop of Volokolamsk, vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'."
At the same time, he was appointed rector of the newly created All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies of the Moscow Patriarchate named after Saints Cyril and Methodius.
On April 9, 2009, he was appointed rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” on Bolshaya Ordynka in Moscow.
On April 20, 2009, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' elevated him to the rank of archbishop, and on February 1, 2010, to the rank of metropolitan.
Since May 28, 2009 - member of the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation.
Since July 27, 2009 - included in the Inter-Council presence of the Russian Orthodox Church and its presidium. Chairman of the Commission of the Inter-Council Presence on issues of attitude towards heterodoxy and other religions, Deputy Chairman of the Commission on issues of countering church schisms and overcoming them, member of the Commissions on theology and on issues of worship and church art.
Since December 25, 2012 - Chairman of the Interdepartmental Coordination Group for the Teaching of Theology in Universities.
According to the decision of the Holy Synod of December 24, 2015, the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Interreligious Council of Russia is the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.
Academic titles and degrees
Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University (1995).
Doctor of Theology from the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris (1999).
Honorary Doctor of the Russian State Social University.
Honorary Doctor of Theology from the Faculty of Theology of the University of Catalonia.
Honorary Professor of the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy.
Professor at the University of Friborg (Switzerland),
Honorary Doctor of Divinity from the University of Lugano (Switzerland).
Honorary Doctor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy.
Honorary Doctor of the University of Presov (Slovakia).
Honorary Doctor of Theology from the Minsk Theological Academy.
Honorary Doctorate from Nashota House Seminary (Wisconsin, USA).
Honorary Professor of the Ural State Mining University.
Honorary Professor of the Ural State Conservatory named after. M.P. Mussorgsky (Ekaterinburg).
Member of the Union of Composers of Russia.
Chairman of the editorial board of the "Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate", chairman of the editorial board of the magazine "Church and Time" (Moscow), member of the editorial board of the journals "Theological Works" (Moscow), "Studia Monastica" (Barcelona), scientific and historical series "Byzantine Library" ( Saint Petersburg).
Awards
Awarded with diplomas of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' (1996 and 1999), a medal of the Polish Orthodox Church in the name of Prince Constantine of Ostrog (2003), a silver order of the Orthodox Church in America in the name of St. Innocent (2009), an order of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in the name of the Hieromartyr Isidore Yuryevsky, II degree (2010), the Order of the Orthodox Church of Moldova in the name of the Holy Blessed Governor Stephen the Great, II degree (2010), the Order of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church in the name of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, II degree (2010), the Order of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia in honor of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius with a gold star (2011), the Order of Friendship (2011), the medal “For Courage and Self-Sacrifice” of the Republic of Lithuania (1992), the Order of Burgomaster Jonas Vileisis (Kaunas, Lithuania, 2011), the Order of the Serbian Falcons (organization “ Union of Serbian Falcons", 2011), gold medal "Sigillum Magnum" from the University of Bologna (Italy) (2010). Laureate of the Makariev Prize (2005).
Among the books of Metropolitan Hilarion: “The Sacrament of Faith. Introduction to Dogmatic Theology" (1996), "The Life and Teachings of St. Gregory the Theologian" (1998), "The Spiritual World of St. Isaac the Syrian" (1998), "Reverend Simeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition" (1998), "Orthodox Theology at the Turn of Epochs" (1999), "The Sacred Mystery of the Church. Introduction to the history and problems of the name-slav disputes" (in 2 volumes, 2002), "What Orthodox Christians believe. Catechetical conversations" (2004), "Orthodoxy" (in 2 volumes, 2008-2009), "Patriarch Kirill. Life and worldview" (2009).
Musical works
Author of a number of musical works, including “Divine Liturgy” and “All-Night Vigil” for unaccompanied choir, the symphony “Song of the Ascension” for choir and orchestra, the oratorio “St. Matthew Passion” for soloists, choir and orchestra, “Christmas Oratorio” for soloists, boys choir, mixed choir and symphony orchestra, sequence “Stabat Mater”, “Concerto grosso”.
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