← Explore on the interactive map

Patriarch Nikon

Type Figure Region Russia Time 1605–1681 Also known as Patriarch Nikon、Nikon Minovich

Nikon (1605–1681) was the 16th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1652–1666), a peasant-born monk and reformer whose liturgical and disciplinary ref…

Timeline

  1. 1605–1649Nizhny Novgorod · RussiaNikon was born in the Nizhny Novgorod region, had a difficult early life, and later took monastic vows. In the 1640s he served as abbot of the New Savior Monastery in Moscow, known for strict discipline and administrative ability, gradually drawing close to the center of palace power.
  2. 1650–1652Moscow · RussiaAround 1650 Nikon's influence rose with the support of Tsar Alexis I, and in 1652 he was elected Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Before his accession he had already explicitly advocated reforming Russian liturgy and church governance along Greek Orthodox lines.
  3. 1652–1681Moscow · RussiaNikon introduced liturgical reforms such as the three-finger sign of the cross and the recitation of the name of Jesus, and expanded patriarchal authority, provoking Old Believer resistance. After his conflict with the tsar intensified in 1658 he temporarily left the patriarchal office; the Great Council of 1666 pronounced him deposed and exiled, and in his later years he lived near the Ferapontov Monastery until his death.

Sources