Metropolitan Filaret (Vakhromeev Kirill Varfolomeevich): biography

Metropolitan Filaret is the honorary Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. From 1965 to 1966, Bishop Tikhvinsky and Vicar (the Leningrad diocese). From 1966 to 1973 - Archbishop Dmitrovsky and vicar (Moscow diocese). From 1973 to 1978 he was Metropolitan of Berlin and Central Europe. From 1981 to 1989 he was the 4th Chairman of the Department of External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. From 1990 to 2013 he was a member of the Primate of the Belarusian Orthodox Church. In the world of this man is Vakhromeev Kirill Varfolomeevich.

Origin of the genus Vakhromeev

Before the revolution, the family bore the name Vakhromeev - it was the Yaroslavl old merchant family. In 1913, to the 300th anniversary of the royal house of the Romanovs, representatives of the noble family were granted the nobility. After that they moved to Moscow.

Father of the future clergyman - Vakhromeev Varfolomey Aleksandrovich (1904-1984 gg.) - gave private lessons and worked as a teacher of "Gnesinka". Mother - Alexandra Feodorovna (1903-1981 gg.) - also was a music teacher.

Kirill Vakhromeev: Biography

Vakhromeev Kirill was born in the capital on March 21, 1935. In 1953 he graduated from secondary school and simultaneously studied at the music school. Then he became a pupil of the Moscow Theological Seminary (1953-1957 gg.), And then went to the spiritual academy.

In the second year of the academy, in 1959, he was tonsured as a monk by Archimandrite Pimen, the vicar of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, with the name in honor of the righteous Philaret the Most Gracious. In the same year, Patriarch Alexy I blessed him with hierodeacons.

In 1961, at the Theological Academy, he defended his Ph.D. and was left as a teacher, and later as an inspector of the Moscow Theological Academy.

In 1963, Filaret (Vakhromeev) was ordained Archimandrite and began to serve as Secretary of the Commission of the Holy Synod. In 1964 he was awarded the scientific qualification of an assistant professor.

In 2009, the Bishops' Council of the ROC, he was elected candidate for the patriarchal throne. But, taking his self-challenge, Metropolitan Filaret called for votes for Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad.

This person has a huge number of awards and honorary titles. His biography is really very rich, therefore, apart from the presentation of dry facts, one can dwell on the most significant and important moments in the life of the priest, about whom Filaret himself (Vakhromeev) likes to tell.

From memories

When the war began, Cyril was six years old. They went with their father to the store on Dobryninskaya Square to buy a ball - there they heard Molotov's speech that German troops had violated the border of the USSR and bombed settlements. In Moscow, the first air alarm was announced on June 24, but so far it has been educational. The Germans came closer and closer to Moscow, but then they were pushed back by the Soviet troops. Life in the capital came to a severe, but gradually entered the usual course, and the father again began to teach.

All waited for the spring of 1945 and the fall of Berlin. May 3 was a harbinger of the long-awaited victory. People literally did not depart from radios and loudspeakers, the situation was heated to the limit. Finally, the instrument of surrender of Germany was signed on May 9. At 22.00 there was a stunning Salute of Victory - from 1000 guns, 30 volleys were fired. People were infinitely happy and thought that now everything will be fine.

The future lord began to prepare for the institute, but jaundice did not allow him to do so. His godmother, Aunt Manya, played an important role in his life: it was she who gave him the Psalter and told him to learn how to read in Church Slavonic, in order to soon hold examinations in the theological seminary. With his aunt, he often visited the St. Nicholas Church (Novokuznetskaya Street) and the Skorybishchensky Church (B. Ordynka Street).

Years student - the best

Positive opinions of all relatives about the arrival of Cyril coincided, and the priest - Father Vasily (the husband of the sister of the mother) - became the main mentor. Of course, they all remembered and feared the repressions of 1937-39. By the time of the vigil was the so-called Khrushchev thaw, but nothing good was expected. Soon Cyril was already at school in the seminary and academy.

Student years left the brightest and kindest memories in the soul of the lord. And, interestingly, the meetings of graduates they have been celebrating regularly for several years. With classmates met Philaret (Vakhromeev) only in the declining years. Unfortunately, earlier the way of knowing the holy truths on which he stood up made man somewhat outcast of society, so their ways diverged. Now everything is over, and Vladyka found out all those who needed him.

Lord Pitirim

During his studies at the seminary, the future metropolitan Filaret was a subdeacon of Patriarch Alexy I. Vladyka Pitirim was his main inspiration in his student years. As a teacher of theological schools, he once came to a visionary elder to talk about Filaret, and he gave a sign that the priest was already ready for monasticism. Soon he was tonsured, but parents, especially my mother, did not hide tears, because they wanted to babysit grandchildren. But then the family resigned themselves to such a difficult choice.

On the table in the cell of his father Filaret, photographs of his beloved parents are still standing: with them he says goodbye, going to bed and greeting him in the morning, asking for the blessing on the coming day.

Metropolitan Filaret was at the beginnings of the revival of Orthodoxy in Belarus. In 1999, 10 years have passed since the second revival of the spiritual school of the Zhirovichka monastery. Her graduates then became pupils of higher schools of the ROC of Moscow, Kiev and St. Petersburg.

Filaret (Vakhromeev) became the 37th Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk. On March 1, 2006 he was awarded the honorary title of Hero of Belarus. He is already 81 years old - this is the age of rest, wisdom and rethinking of life.