View source for Nikon (de Greve) of Brooklyn

His Eminence the Most Reverend [[Archbishop]] '''Nikon (de Greve) of Brooklyn''' served the émigré Russian church in France and Belgium before, during, and after World War II. After arriving in the United States he served as [[Bishop]] of Philadelphia and Bishop of Toronto before leading the [[Church of Japan|Japanese Church]] in the late 1950s and early 1960s. After his return from Japan he was assistant to [[Leonty (Turkevich) of New York|Metr. Leonty]] before being appointed Archbishop of Brooklyn.

==Life==
The future Abp. Nikon was born  Alexis de Greve on [[February 19]], 1895 in Batoum in the Russian Caucasus. His education followed that for a military career. He attended the Tiflis Military School, in Georgia, followed by the St. Paul Military Academy in St. Petersburg. He served with the Russian army during World War I and then with the White army during the Russian Civil War against the Bolsheviks. After the collapse of the army, he fled to western Europe.

In France, he attended the new [[St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute (Paris, France)|St. Sergius Institute]] in Paris from 1925 until he took monastic vows with the name Nikon and was ordained to the priesthood by Mer. Evlogy in 1928. His initial service as a [[priest]] was in Bratislava in Czechoslovakia as a missionary. In 1935, Fr. Nikon was assigned to St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Paris. After the Germans occupied Paris during World War II he served as assistant to Metr. Evlogy, under house arrest. After [[Alexander (Nemolovsky) of Brussels|Abp. Alexander]] in Brussels was arrested by the Germans, he was sent to Brussels, Belgium to lead the [[diocese]] in the absence of the archbishop.

Fr. Nikon was consecrated bishop of the Belgian diocese by Metr. Evlogy in 1946. Then, after Abp. Alexander returned to Belgium, Bp. Nikon departed Europe to join the American [[Metropolia]]. Upon his arrival in the United States on [[September 19]], 1947, he was appointed [[rector]] of [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)|St. Tikhon's Seminary]] in South Canaan, Pennsylvania. He was appointed Bishop of Philadelphia in 1948 and served in that position until 1952. Bp. Nikon was then transferred to Canada as Bishop of Toronto to serve there until 1958. With the return of Abp. Ireney to the United States  from Japan, Bp. Nikon was elevated to Archbishop and elected in 1959 to serve as Archbishop of Tokyo and All Japan. There he continued the restoration of the Japanese church from the disastrous years of World War II. He returned to the United States in 1963 to serve as assistant to Metr. Leonty. Upon the death of Metr. Leonty in 1965, Abp. Nikon was named Archbishop of Brooklyn.

Abp. Nikon died on [[June 11]], 1983 and was buried at [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)|St. Tikhon's Monastery]] in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.


{{start box}}
{{succession|
before=[[Alexander (Nemolovsky) of Brussels|Alexander (Nemolovsky)]]|
title=Bishop of Brussels<br>([[Church of Russia|Moscow]])|
years=1946-1947|
after=[[Alexander (Nemolovsky) of Brussels|Alexander (Nemolovsky)]]}}
{{succession|
before= ?|
title=Bishop of Philadelphia<br>([[OCA|Metropolia]])|
years=1948-1952|
after=?}}
{{succession|
before= ?|
title=Bishop of Toronto<br>([[OCA|Metropolia]])|
years=1952-1958|
after=?}}
{{succession|
before=[[Ireney (Bekish) of New York|Ireney (Bekish)]]|
title=Archbishop of Tokyo|
years=1959-1963|
after=[[Vladimir (Nagosky) of San Francisco|Vladimir (Nagosky)]]}}
{{succession|
before= ?|
title=Archbishop of Brooklyn<br>([[OCA|Metropolia]])|
years=1965-1983|
after=?}}
{{end box}} 

== Sources==
* ''Orthodox America 1794-1976 Development of the Orthodox Church in America'', C. J. Tarasar, Gen. Ed. 1975, The Orthodox Church in America, Syosett, New York

[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:Bishops of Tokyo]]
[[Category:Bishops of Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Bishops of Toronto]]
[[Category:Bishops of Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Bishops of Brussels]]
[[Category:20th-century bishops]]