Timeline of Orthodoxy in Russia

Russian Church under the Patriarch of Constantinople

• First century Apostle Andrew First-called visits the future Russian lands, planted a cross on one of the high hills of Kiev
• 864 Patriarch Photius sends bishop to Kiev
• 954 Princess Ol'ha (Olga) of Kiev baptized.
• 983 Protomartyrs Theodor and his son John

Period of the Kievan Metropolia (988-1304)

• 988 Baptism by St. Vladimir of Kievan Rus'
• 991 † St. Michael of Kiev
• 1015 Murder of passion-bearers Boris and Gleb
• 1051 Ilarion of Kiev installed to the primatial see; St. Anthony of the Caves brings Athonite monasticism to Russia.
• †1073 St. Anthony of the Caves
• 1130 Nifont of Novgorod is made Bishop of Novgorod.
• 1158 † Konstantin I of Kiev
• 1163 John is made Bishop of Novgorod and builds seven churches.
• 1185 † John, Bishop of Novgorod, September 7

Russian Church after the mongol invasion (since 1237)

• 1245 Martyrdom of right-believing Prince Michael of Chernigov and his boyarin Theodore in Gold Orda
• 1261 Sarai diocese (in Gold Orda) was established
• †1263 Right-believing Prince Alexander Nevsky
• 1267 The first authentically known yarlyk (decree) of Mongol khans granted freedom for the faith and tax exemption to the Church.
• 1342 Sergius of Radonezh with his brother Stephan founded Holy Trinity Lavra;
• 1379-1396 Missionary activity of Equal-to-the-Apostles Stephan of Perm (1340-1396), Enlightener of Komi
• 1378 † Metropolitan Alexis of Moscow
• 1392 † St. Sergius of Radonezh, September 25;

South-west (Kievan-Lithuanian) Metropolis (1458—1686) under the Patriarch of Constantinople

• 1596 Union of Brest, large persecutions on the Orthodoxy in Polish–Lithuanian_Commonwealth
• 1646 †Peter Mogila, Metropolitan of Kiev
• 1686 Kievan metropolis passed from jurisdiction of Constantinople under Moscow Patriarchate

Autocephalous Russian Metropolis

• 1448 Russian Church (Moscow Metropolis) became autocephalous
• 1471 †Metropolitan Jonas of Moscow
• 1508 †Nilus of Sora
• 1515 †Joseph of Volokalamsk
• 1551 Council of a Hundred Chapters (Stoglav) in Moscow
• 1555 Kazan Diocese is established
• 1566, July 25 - 1568, November 4 St. Phillip, Metropolitan of Moscow
• †1569 St. Phillip was martyred by Tsar Ivan IV (the terrible), January 23
• †1570 Cornelius of the Pskov Caves was martyred by Tsar Ivan IV (the terrible), February 20;
• 1580 †John of Rostov, September 3
• 1588 Tsar Theodore applies for permission to form a new Patriarchate for the Russian people.

First Patriarchate Period

• 1589 Ecumenical Patriarchate acknowledges autocephaly of Church of Russia and first Patriarch of Moscow, Metropolitan Job of Moscow is styled.
• 1666 Moscow Big Council

The Synodical Church (1700-1917)

• 1700 Peter the Great published an Ukase (edict) on June 18th that made a resounding appeal for the propagation of the faith in Siberia and China; death of Patr. Adrian.
• 1700-†1720 Metropolitan Stephan Yavorsky
• 1702 In response to the Ukaz of 1700, Philothei (Leschinsky) of Kiev is chosen as Metropolitan of Tobolsk and All Siberia (1702-1711), long since a center of missionary operations, in order to "lead the natives in China and Siberia to the service of the true and living God"; he built 37 churches and personally accounted for the baptism of 40,000 Siberian tribesmen by 1721.
• 1721 Holy and Governing Synod
• 1848 Basil Nikephorovich (Bogoyavlensky) born January 1 in the province of Tambov.
• 1863 Alexei Pavlovich (Khrapovitsky) born March 17 in Vatagino village of Kresteski district of the Novgorod province.
• 1874 Basil (Bogoyavlensky) graduates from the Theological Academy in Kiev.
• 1881 Basil (Bogoyavlensky) ordained a priest; Alexei Pavlovich Khrapovitsky enrolls in the St. Petersburg Theological Academy
• 1883 Ceremonial ground breaking for the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (St. Petersburg), October 18
• 1885 Alexei Pavlovich (Khrapovitsky) tonsured May 18, and given the name Anthony prior to his graduation, then ordained a hierodeacon, June 12, and a hieromonk, September 29;
• 1886 Basil (Bogoyavlensky) enters the Kozlov Monastery in Tambov and is given the name Vladimir, after the death of his matushka and only child; Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kiev appointed to teach at the Kholm Theological Seminary
• 1887 Plans approved and construction of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (St. Petersburg) commences, May 1
• 1888 Vladimir of Kiev consecrated Bishop of Staraya Rus and serves as a vicar bishop in the diocese of Novgorod]; Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kiev awarded the degree of Master of Theology and becomes friends with St. John of Kronstadt
• 1890 Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kiev appointed rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and raised to the rank of archimandrite. He also produces "An Exegisis of the Book of the Prophet Micah";
• 1891 Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kiev appointed rector of the Moscow Theological Academy.
• 1892 Vladimir of Kiev installed Archbishop of Kartalin and Kahetin
• 1897 Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kiev consecrated Bishop of Cheboksary
• 1898 Vladimir of Kiev installed as Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna
• 1907 Church of the Resurrection of Christ (St. Petersburg) consecrated August 31
• 1912 Vladimir of Kiev ordained Metropolitan of Petrograd
• 1915 Vladimir of Kiev falls out of favour with the tsar for disapproving of Rasputin
• 1917 Vladimir of Kiev announces Tikhon as Patriarch of Moscow;

Russian Orthodox Church during Communist ruling

• 1917 All-Russian Church Council elects Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
• 1918 Bolshevik forces vie for control of Kiev damaging many churches and monasteries by cannon fire; The Bolsheviks seize the Kiev Caves Lavra, January 23; Vladimir of Kiev is murdered, January 25; The Grand Duchess Elizabeth the New Martyr is murdered, July 17.
• 1925 † Tikhon of Moscow
• 1945 † Sergius I (Stragorodsky) of Moscow
• 1970 † Alexei I (Simansky) of Moscow
• 1981 Elizabeth glorified by ROCOR.
• 1990 † Pimen I (Izvekov) of Moscow

Russian Orthodox Church after the collapse of the Soviet Union

• Discrimination of the orthodox in West Ukraine, restoration of so called Greek-Catholic church.
• Church schism in Ukraine (formation of so called Kievan Patriarchate, UAOC etc)
• 1992 Church of Russia glorifies Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Vladimir of Kiev;
• 1998 Church of Constantinople, not recognizing Russia's right to issue a tomos of autocephaly in 1951, issues its own tomos for the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia;
• 2000 Russian Orthodox Church announces the canonization of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his immediate family; the restored Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow was consecrated on August 19; Church of Russia glorified Hieromartyr Andronik, Archbishop of Perm, one of Russia's New Martyrs and Confessors.
• 2004 Consecration of first Orthodox church in Antarctica by Church of Russia; Tikhvin Icon returned to Tikhvin Dormition Monastery after six decades in the United States; Ecumenical Patriarchate canonizes Fr. Alexis Medvedkov, Fr. Dimitri Klepinine, Mother Maria Skobtsova, George Skobtsov and Elie Fondaminskii of the Russian emigration in France;
• 2006 Publication of first Orthodox prayer book in Chinese and Russian; Pope Benedict XVI drops Patriarch of the West title; Russian Orthodox parish opened in Pyongyang, North Korea;
• 2007 Restoration of full communion between Moscow Patriarchate and ROCOR; Russian delegation walks out of Ravenna talks in protest of presence of Estonian delegation (EP);
• 2008 † Alexei II (Ridiger) of Moscow
• 2009 Kyrill I (Gundyayev) of Moscow elected as Metropolitan.

Further reading

• Dimitry Pospielovsky. The Orthodox Church in the History of Russia. St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1998. ISBN 9780881411799
• Valerie A. Kivelson and Robert H. Greene. Orthodox Russia: Belief and Practice Under the Tsars. Penn State Press, 2003. ISBN 9780271023502

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