THE KOSTROMA PERIOD IN THE LIFE OF ST. SERAPHIM (SOBOLEV). ON THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS REPOSE

Mikhail I. Zhigalov, Georgy Vladimirovich Andrianov

Kostroma Diocese, Kostroma, Russia / Center for training Church specialists Kostroma Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kostroma, Russia

Email: director44@inbox.ru, brfhec2@yandex.ru

ORCID: 0000–0001–7534–6776

Issue: № 1 (29), 2025

Pages: 187

Annotation

The article describes the previously unexplored period of service in the city of Kostroma by one of the outstanding hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, who served in Bulgaria in 1921–1950, Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev). His Eminence is currently canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. The future saint arrived in Kostroma at the age of 30. He was ordained a hieromonk and was appointed to the post of inspector of the Kostroma Theological Seminary. Father Serafim stayed in Kostroma for only one year. The available biographies of St. Seraphim do not contain any materials about his ministry during this period. In connection with the 75th anniversary of Archbishop Seraphim's repose, which is celebrated at the church level in 2025, the editorial board of the scientific and theological journal Ipatievsky Vestnik instructed two permanent authors of the publication to find and prepare for publication historical and other materials that may shed light on an unexplored stage in the life of a famous spiritual figure of the Russian Diaspora. As a result of painstaking work, it was possible to reconstruct the life path of St. Seraphim on Kostroma land. The article provides previously unpublished data and photographic materials, as well as tells about the modern veneration of the saint in Kostroma land. The authors would like to thank Sergey Popov, Director of the State Archive of the Kostroma Region, for his assistance in preparing materials for this article.

Keywords

Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) of Boguchar, Kostroma, Kostroma Theological Seminary, Voronezh Theological Seminary, inspector, hieromonk, Ipatievsky Monastery, Bulgaria, Marshal Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky, Bishop Tikhon (Vasilevsky), Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), Nicholas II, Ipatievsky Monastery

For citation

Andrianov G. V., priest. Zhigalov M. I. The kostroma period in the life of st. Seraphim (Sobolev). On the 75th anniversary of his repose // Ipatievsky vestnik. 2025. № 1. Р. 187–202 (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.24412/2309–5164–2025–1–187–202