Tikhon (Zaitsev)

Archbishop Tikhon (Zaitsev) (Russian: Тихон (Зайцев), secular name Alexander Viktorovich Zaitsev, Russian: Александр Викторович Зайцев; born 13 April 1967), is the archbishop of Podolsky and the primate of the diocese of Berlin and Germany of the Russian Orthodox Church; he holds the title of "Archbishop of Berlin and Germany".

Tikhon
Archbishop of Berlin and Germany
Archbishop Tikhon in Moscow in 2015
Native name	Тихон
Church	Russian Orthodox Church
Diocese	Berlin and Germany
Appointed	28 December 2017
Predecessor	John (Roshchin)
Successor	Incumbent
Orders
Ordination	7 April 1993 (deacon) 25 March 1993 (Tonsured) 26 April 2009 (Bishop) 1 February 2018 (archbishop) by Metropolitan Kirill (Gundyaev) of Smolensk and Kaliningrad
Rank	Archbishop
Personal details
Birth name	Alexander Viktorovich Zaitsev
Born	April 13, 1967 Moscow, Soviet Union
Nationality	Russian
Denomination	Eastern Orthodox Church

Early life

Alexander Zaitsev was born in Moscow in 1967. After graduating from high school, he then attended vocational school and graduated in 1985. From 1985 to 1987, he served in the Soviet Army.[1]

Religious life

Tikhon (Zaitsev) at a ceremony at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 2012

After completing his military services, Zaitsev entered the Moscow Seminary, which he successfully completed in 1991. In the same year he was admitted to the Moscow Theological Academy, which he graduated in 1995, defending his inaugural dissertation on the dignity of the candidate of theology in the department "The Venerable Theodore Studites - teacher of the monastic order".[1] After completing his studies at the Academy, Tikhon continued his work as a teacher in the Moscow seminary, where he taught liturgy, homiletics and Ancient Greek.[1]

On 25 March 1993 he was consecrated a priest by Patriarch Alexy II, and was shortly after tonsured a monastic monk by the Archimandrite Benedict (Knjasev), the first Prorector of the Moscow Spiritual Academy and the Seminary. He took the name Tikhon in honor of St. Tikhon, the previous Patriarch of all Russia.[1]

On 6 January 1996, he was ordained a hieromonk by Eugene (Reshetnikov). On Easter in 1996 Tikhon was awarded a pectoral cross by Patriarch Alexy II. On Easter in 1999, he was elevated to the rank of hegumen.[1]

On 24 December 2004 by the decision of the Holy Synod he was appointed a member of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem,[2] and on 6 October 2006 he was appointed head of the mission.[3]

On 8 October 2006 at the Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Tikhon was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite by Patriarch Alexy II.[4]

As Bishop

On 31 March 2009, by decision of the Holy Synod, Tikhon was elected Bishop of Podolsky, Vicar to the Patriarch of Moscow and Russia. He was also appointed chairman of the revived Financial and Economic Department of the Moscow Patriarchate with the dismissal of the head of the Russian Theological Mission in Jerusalem.[5]

On 14 April 2009 of the same year, he was appointed rector of the Church of St. Nicholas in Khamovniki. On 25 April Tikhon was appointed bishop in the Cross Church of All Saints for the Patriarchal and Synodal Residences of the Danilov Monastery in the Russian land.[6]

On April 26 of the same year, at the liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the episcopal consecration of Tikhon was performed. The ordination was performed by: Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, Metropolitan of Washington and New York Jonah (Paffhausen), Archbishop Hilarion (Alfeyev), Archbishop of Ottawa and Canada Seraphim (Storheim), Archbishop Eugene (Reshetnikov) of Vereya, Archbishop Alexy (Frolov) of Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Archbishop Theognost (Guzikov) of Sergiyev Posad, Archbishop Anthony (Pakanich) of Boryspil, Bishop Sabbas (Volkov) of Krasnogorsk, Bishop Alexander (Agrikov) of Bryansk and Sevsk, Bishop Ambrose (Ermakov) of Gatchina, Bishop Ignatius (Punin) of Bronnitsy, Bishop Elisey (Ganaba) of Sourozh, Bishop Sergius (Chashin) of Solnechnogorsk. He became the first bishop to be put on the patriarchate of Patriarch Kirill.[7]

On 27 July 2009, by a decision of the Holy Synod, he was included in the Inters Cathedral Assembly of the Russian Orthodox Church.[8]

On 22 March 2011, he was ex officiator included in the newly formed Higher Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.[9]

From 2011 to 2015 Tikhon has been the head of the North-Eastern Vicariate (encompass the area of the North-Eastern Administrative Okrug),[10] officially appointed as the Head of the Vicariate and is included in the Diocesan Council of Moscow only on 31 December of the same year.[11]

On 22 October 2015 Tikhon was appointed bishop of the Vienna-Austrian and Hungarian dioceses.[12] He visited Austria for the first time on 5 November and Hungary on 9 November of that year. On 10 November he met with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Hungary Zsolt Semjén, as well as with the Catholic Cardinal of Hungary Péter Erdő.[13]

On 28 December 2017, he was relived from the administration of the Vienna-Austrian and Hungarian dioceses and was succeeded by Anthony (Sevryuk), while Tikhon was appointed bishop of the Berlin-German diocese with the title “Podolsky” retained,[14] due to the fact that the title of bishop of Berlin and German is already held by Archbishop Mark (Arndt).[15]

On 9 January 2018, as part of being appointed bishop of Germany, Tikhon was relieved of the administration of the North-Eastern Vicariate of the city of Moscow and the post of rector of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Khamovniki.[16]

On 1 February 2018 in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Tikhon was elevated to the rank of archbishop by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.[17]

References

1. "Erzbischof Tikhon von Podolsk" (in German). Diocese of Berlin and Germany. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
2. "Журналы №№ 75-111 заседания Священного Синода от 24 декабря 2004 года". mospat.ru (in Russian). 24 December 2004. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
3. "ЖУРНАЛЫ заседаний Священного Синода Русской Православной Церкви (6 октября 2006 года)" (in Russian). patriarchia. 6 October 2006. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
4. "В день памяти преподобного Сергия Радонежского Святейший Патриарх совершил Божественную литургию в Троице-Сергиевой Лавре" (in Russian). patriarchia. 8 October 2006. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
5. "ЖУРНАЛЫ заседания Священного Синода Русской Православной Церкви от 31 марта 2009 года" (in Russian). patriarchia. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
6. "Предстоятель Русской Церкви совершил наречение архимандрита Тихона (Зайцева) во епископа Подольского, викария Московской епархии" (in Russian). patriarchia. 25 April 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
7. "Святейший Патриарх Кирилл и Блаженнейший Митрополит Иона совершили Божественную литургию в Храме Христа Спасителя" (in Russian). patriarchia. 26 April 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
8. "Состав Межсоборного присутствия Русской Православной Церкви (от 27.07.09)" (in Russian). patriarchia. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
9. "ЖУРНАЛЫ заседания Священного Синода от 22 марта 2011 года" (in Russian). patriarchia. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
10. "Тихон, архиепископ Подольский (Зайцев Александр Викторович)" (in Russian). patriarchia. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
11. "Распоряжение Святейшего Патриарха Кирилла об управлении епархиальными викариатствами г. Москвы" (in Russian). patriarchia. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
12. "ЖУРНАЛЫ заседания Священного Синода от 22 октября 2015 года" (in Russian). patriarchia. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
13. "В ходе первого архипастырского визита в Венско-Австрийскую и Венгерскую епархии епископ Подольский Тихон провел ряд встреч с государственными и религиозными деятелями" (in Russian). patriarchia. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
14. "ЖУРНАЛЫ заседания Священного Синода от 28 декабря 2017 года" (in Russian). patriarchia. 30 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
15. "Синод РПЦ МП произвел ряд новых назначений архиереев - в основном, в Западной Европе". Credo.ru (in Russian). 28 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
16. "Указ У-02/1 от 9 января 2018 года // епископу Подольскому Тихону". moseparh.ru (in Russian). 11 January 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
17. "В девятую годовщину интронизации Святейшего Патриарха Кирилла в Храме Христа Спасителя совершена Божественная литургия" (in Russian). patriarchia. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2019.