Saint Theophan the Recluse - Rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy

January 23 is the day of remembrance of St. Theophan, the Recluse of Vyshensky, who was a teacher and rector of the St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy. According to contemporaries, Fr. Feofan was "the leader and father of the academic students and treated them as a father treats his children." Under his rectorship, the academy was graduated by I. Osinin, Honored Professor of St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences; I. Nilsky, dissenter, professor of St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences; I.E. Troitsky, famous church scientist, professor of St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences; Mitred Archpriest A. Parvov, canonist, professor of St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, chairman of the Educational Committee; Archpriest N. Verkhovsky, spiritual writer; Bishop of Yenisei and Krasnoyarsk Akaki (Zaklinsky) studied. On June 13, 1857, in place of the famous theologian and church historian, future Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Bishop Macarius (Bulgakov) of Vinnitsa, Archimandrite Feofan (Govorov) was appointed rector of the embassy church in Constantinople. Georgy Vasilyevich Govorov was born on January 10, 1815 in the village of Chernavsk, Eletsk district, Oryol province. A graduate of the Livensky Theological School, the Oryol Theological Seminary and the Kyiv Theological Academy, he was appointed in 1841, after graduating from the academy, as a professor at the Novgorod Seminary, and in 1844 he was transferred to the St. Petersburg Academy with a bachelor's degree in moral and pastoral theology. Due to his “religious inclination,” as noted by Professor I. Chistovich, in 1847 he went to Jerusalem to the Russian Spiritual Mission. After the termination of the mission in 1855, he returned to the academy with a bachelor's degree in church jurisprudence, but again not for long: six months later he was transferred to the rector of the Petrozavodsk Theological Seminary, and on May 21, 1856 he was appointed rector of the embassy church in Constantinople. In his new position as rector of the capital’s academy, Archimandrite Feofan proved himself to be a man of high spiritual qualities. Under rector Feofan, students sighed after the difficult regime of rector Macarius, noted the compiler of a biographical dictionary of academy students, A. Rhodessky. O. Feofan was appointed professor in the department of dogmatic theology, but he soon abandoned teaching. In 1858, the academy officially resumed its work on translating the Holy Scriptures into Russian. The chairman of the Translation Committee was the rector, Archimandrite Feofan. At the same time, a Committee was created under the chairmanship of Father Theophanes for the publication of the works of Byzantine historians at the Academy. Archimandrite Feofan was the editor of the academic journal Christian Reading. Since 1859, the useful practice of self-paid students arose, that is, students who did not enter government support and lived in the academy or in apartments at their own expense. A significant event during the rectorship of St. Theophan was the 50th anniversary of the academy, celebrated on February 17, 1859. In honor of this event, a solemn celebration took place. Many graduates and former mentors and guests arrived at the academy, among them Metropolitan of St. Petersburg Grigory (Postnikov), Archbishop of Kazan Afanasy (Sokolov), famous church historian, theologian, patrolologist and biblical scholar, Archbishop of Kharkov (later Chernigov and Nizhyn) Filaret (Gumilevsky), protopresbyter V. Bazhanov, Protopresbyter V. Kutnevich, famous translator of the Holy Scriptures Archpriest G. Pavsky, Archpriest I. Rozhdestvensky and others. Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) of Moscow was invited to celebrate the anniversary, but he could not attend for health reasons and sent his message, in which, in particular, he wrote: “I greet the Academy, which has completed half a century under the protection of sovereign and sacred power, bringing good fruits to the church and the fatherland. May the Lord prolong her years in grace and peace, may her fruits multiply - the fruits of love for the truth, even according to piety, for the wisdom not of this world, but for God, for the teaching not only of knowledge, but especially for the teaching of life, and finally, the fruits of zeal to strive for Orthodoxy and serve the salvation of souls.” They donated an icon of the Mother of God to the academic church. The anniversary was attended by notable socialites: Prince Peter of Oldenburg, Minister of Public Education E. Kovalevsky, Chief Prosecutor of the Synod Count A. Tolstoy, Kiev Governor General Prince I. Vasilchikov, Rector of St. Petersburg University P. Pletnev, President of the Medical-Surgical Academy P. Dubovitsky and others. In honor of the anniversary, for “excellent, zealous and useful service,” the rector was awarded the badge of the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd degree. In memory of the 50th anniversary, an “eternal” capital was created from donations from various individuals for awards for the best student essays, theological works and to replenish the student library. In 1858–1859, the academy's library was replenished with two rich collections of manuscripts - from the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral and the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. Nevertheless, administrative worries weighed heavily on the saint, who was looking for a contemplative life. In September 1858, an unpleasant incident occurred at the academy - inspector Archimandrite Viktorin (Lyubimov), irritated by a mocking review published in the Sovremennik magazine by student A.V. Stefanovsky on his book “The True Friend of the Spiritual Youth,” as the historian reports, “allowed himself to be harsh and other harsh in his dealings with students.” 55 junior students wrote a complaint and submitted it to the rector. The issue was resolved by the dismissal of the inspector and the expulsion of the six main culprits. In October 1858 there was again an "unfavorable movement" among the students. The desire of young people, and especially students of theological schools, to bring good was quite naturally expressed in the social sphere. But this desire to help the disadvantaged, suffering from various hardships and misfortunes, often fell into the net of socialist teachings. Such speculations were widely spread in printed literature and deeply disturbed people who saw the harm of such misconceptions. In 1857, St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, wrote in a letter to the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod, Count A.P. Tolstoy: “We are more than once embarrassed by news about a magazine, then about a book, in which the clergy will be reproachfully and mockingly portrayed... The type of literature currently offers the discerning authorities the question: is there any complicity that is trying to bring everything respected in society into contempt and shake the convictions of faith and morality." During these same years F. Dostoevsky, who also once fell under the influence of the “freethinkers” of Petrashevsky’s circle, returns from hard labor and soon creates his works exposing the utopias of the godless existence of human society. Saint Theophan himself perfectly saw the destruction of time and tried in every possible way to resist it in his sermons, speeches and conversations with students. The sermons of Archimandrite Theophan “gained him the reputation of being the best preacher of that time and a very intelligent theologian, since they responded to the demands of that time and satisfied the religious needs of that time,” recalls an eyewitness. To combat false teachings among students, he invited to the academy a famous missionary, educator, excellent preacher, a graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy and its former rector, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg Gregory (Postnikov), who arrived at the academic church one Sunday for an admonishing conversation. On May 9, 1859, Archimandrite Feofan was moved to the diocesan see in Tambov, and on June 1 of the same year he was consecrated bishop. From June 17, 1866, the saint was in retirement in the Shatsk Vyshenskaya desert of the Tambov diocese. Bishop Theophan reposed on January 6 (Old Style), 1894, on the day of the Epiphany, a holiday especially revered by the saint, whose name means Epiphany. He was buried in the Kazan Cathedral of the Vyshenskaya Hermitage. Canonized in 1988.