Tikhon

Metropolitan Tikhon (Russian: Митрополит Тихон, secular name Georgiy Alexandrovich Shevkunov, Russian: Георгий Александрович Шевкунов; born 2 July 1958 in Moscow) is a bishop of Russian Orthodox Church and a popular writer. He is the Metropolitan of Pskov and Porkhov and was in 2015–2018 the head of the Western Vicariat [ru] of Moscow city. Superior of the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow from 1995 to 2018. Bishop Tikhon is often referred as the personal confessor of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In 1982 Georgy Shevkunov graduated from the Screenwriter school of the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography. The same year he accepted Christianity, was baptized and moved to the Pskov-Caves Monastery first as a toiler then as a novice. His confessor was Archimandrite John Krestiankin.

In 1986 he was transferred to the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, where he worked under Metropolitan Pitirim (Nechayev) [Wikidata]. His first appointment was connected with commemoration of the millennium anniversaryBaptizing of Rus.

In the first Perestroika years he published a few polemic articles including "Ne uchastvuyte v delakh t'my" (Do not participate in the business of the darkness) originally published in the Zhurnal Moskovskoy Patrirakhii [ru] and republished more than one hundred times by different publishers. The work criticized then emerged practice of occult healing. His article "The Church and the State" was published by Literaturnaya Rossiya [ru] in November 1990. In the article Shevkunov argued that emerging Russian democracy would definitely act against Russian Orthodox Church.

On 2 July 1991 in Donskoy Monastery Georgiy Shevkunov took monastic vows assuming the name Tikhon after Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow. At the same time he was ordained into a Hierodeacon and in a month he was ordained into a Hieromonk.

In 1993 Tikhon was appointed the head of the newly created Moscow Metochion of the Pskov-Caves Monastery. The building of the Metochion was previously occupied by the collective of Orthodox Christian thinker and missionary Georgy Kochetkov [ru]. Tikhon later criticized Kochetkov and his followers for their "modernism".

In 1995 the Metochion was reformed into the restored Sretensky Stauropegic Monastery and on 8 September 1995 Patriarch Alexy II ordained Tikhon into a Hegumen.

On 8 September 1998 Tikhon was elevated to Archimandrite status.

In 1999 he was appointed the Rector of the Sretensky Spiritual Seminary [ru], He graduated (by correspondence) the same seminary in 2004.

On 5 March 2010 he was appointed the Responsible Secretary of the Patriarch's Council for Culture [ru] and on 31 March 2010 a member of the Council for Culture at President of Russia.

Since 22 March 2011 he is a member of the Supreme Council of the Russian Orthodox Church [ru].

22 October 2015 the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church appoints Tikhon to be a Vicar of Moscow Eparchy. The next day is announced the Bishop of Yegoryevsk and on 24 October 2015 Patriarch Kirill of Moscow Chirotonized him as the Bishop. On 29 October 2015 he was appointed the head of the Western Vicariat of Moscow city.

Tikhon organized construction of a huge Cathedral to New Martyrs and Confessors of Russian Church in the historical centre of Moscow, Lubyanka. The construction is considered controversial as the newly build cathedral (55 meters high) would by much higher than Dormition Cathedral in Moscow Kremlin (45 meters high). Building of churches higher than Dormition Cathedral was traditionally forbidden in Moscow.

Tikhon is the author of the following books:

• "Father Serafim" (2002) - a children book telling the story of Seraphim of Sarov
• "Death of an Empire. Byzantium Lesson" published by Eksmo in 2008.
• Everyday Saints and Other Stories (Russian: Несвятые Святые и Другие Рассказы; literally "Unsaintly Saints and Other Stories") first published in 2011, translated to English in 2012. The book was published in more than 2 million copies claiming to be the most popular modern book of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2012 the book was the best selling book in Russia, competing only with Fifty Shades of Grey.
• "With God's Help Everything Possible. About Faith and Fatherland" (2014).

• 1989 — Сказы матушки Фроси о монастыре Дивеевском (documentary) (Mother Frosya's Tales about Diveyevo Monastery)
• 2007 — Псково-Печерская обитель (Pskov-Caves Monastery) (documentary).
• 2008 — Death of an Empire. Bysantium lesson [ru](documentary). The movie won the Golden Eagle Award for Best Documentary of 2008. While film tells about Byzantium Empire many critics believed that the lesson about frequent turnover of the leaders causing death of empires is directed to modern Russia rather than ancient Byzantium.
• 2009 — «Чижик-пыжик, где ты был? Фильм о взрослых проблемах наших детей».
• 2010 — «Береги себя». Короткие фильмы антиалкогольной рекламы.
• 2010 — «Давайте выпьем!».
• 2013 — «Женский день».

Tikhon organized a number of historical exhibitions in Moscow Manege. The last one "My History. 20th Century" was devoted to the 1930-1940s in Russia and often talked about supposed positive contributions by Joseph Stalin. The critics considered the exhibition as an "apology of the Orthodox Christian Stalinism".

Tikhon is a prolificinternet writer. He is the editor-in-chief of the internet-portal Pravoslavie.ru and the author of many publications there.

Tikhon is considered to be an ultra-conservative, but it is claimed that he never published anything 'xenophobic.' However, while leading a commission investigating the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, Tikhon stated in 2017 that "many members of the commission believe it was a ritual murder that held special significance for Bolshevik commander Yakov Yurovsky," the commander of the execution squad who was of Jewish birth. This description fits the longstanding formula of blood libels used as pretexts for pogroms and other atrocities against Jews in Europe. Tikhon denied accusations that his accusations were antisemitic or that they referred to Jews at all.

Tikhon supports the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and he is a member of Crimean Exxpert-Consultative Council.

He is said to be against ecumenism between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, repeating the saying “Catholics are not even a church and as a result not even Christian.”

Tikhon is rumoured to be the personal confessor and spiritual adviser (dukhovnik) of Russian president Vladimir Putin although both men neither confirm nor denied it. Once asked about his relations with Putin, Tikhon answered: “You can believe those rumours if you want, but they certainly aren’t spread by me,”adding “I am no Cardinal Richelieu!" Still the men are very close, with Putin often taking Tikhon on his international trips. Their acquaintance goes back to late '90s.According to controversial Russian banker Sergei Pugachev, it was he who introduced Shevkunov to Putin.

Tikhon is awarded Order of Friendship (2008) and a number of other church and state awards.