Anthony Vadkovsky | |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan of Saint Petersburg and Ladoga | |
.jpg) | |
| Church | Russian Orthodox Church |
| Diocese | Eparchy of Saint Petersburg and Ladoga |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | March 4, 1883 |
| Consecration | May 3, 1887 by Isidore (Nikolski) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alexander Vasilyevich Vadkovsky August 3, 1846 Tsarovka |
| Died | November 2, 1912 Saint Petersburg |
| Buried | Nikolskoe Cemetery |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodoxy |
Anthony, born Alexander Vasilyevich Vadkovsky (born on 3 September [O.S. 22 August] 1846 in Tsarovka, and died on November 2, 1912 in Saint Petersburg)[a][1] was a Russian Orthodox bishop and Metropolitan of Saint Petersburg and Ladoga from 1898 to 1912.
He was the son of an Orthodox priest. Anthony completed his studies at the Tambov Theological Seminary and then at the Kazan Theological Academy. After obtaining his degree, he served as a lecturer in homiletics at the academy and also contributed to the journal Orthodox Companion. In 1872, he married Elizaveta Penkovskaya, who died of tuberculosis after seven years of marriage. When their two children, born from this union, died ten years later, Alexander Vadkovsky decided to enter monastic life and took his perpetual monastic vows on 4 March 1883. On 14 November, 1883, he was granted the dignity of archimandrite and appointed the superior of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Kazan. A year later, he became the inspector of the Kazan Theological Academy. With the support of the Ober-Procurator of the Most Holy Synod, Konstantin Pobedonostsev, he was transferred to the position of inspector of the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy. In 1887, he became its rector, also receiving episcopal consecration with the title of Bishop of Vyborg, vicar of the Diocese of Saint Petersburg and Ladoga.
From 1892 to 1898, Anthony served as the Bishop of Finland and Vyborg, where he initiated the translation of Orthodox liturgical texts from Church Slavonic into Finnish and participated in dialogues with the Old Catholic and Anglican churches. In 1898, he assumed the position of Metropolitan of Saint Petersburg and Ladoga, the highest ecclesiastical office of the synodal period. As Metropolitan, he was involved in charitable activities and continued his teaching role at the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy. After 1905, Metropolitan Anthony focused on reforming the structure of the Russian Orthodox Church. He sought the approval of Emperor Nicholas II for the abolition of the Most Holy Synod, the full independence of the church from state institutions, and the election of a Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, a position that had been vacant since 1700. Between 1905 and 1906, a committee led by Anthony prepared the necessary documentation to convene a Local Council to approve these proposed changes. However, the council was not convened due to opposition from Nicholas II.
Metropolitan Anthony was a consistent opponent of political involvement by the Orthodox clergy, including the election of clergy as deputies to the State Duma. As a result, he faced criticism from Black Hundreds organizations, which accused him of liberalism and hostility towards the monarchy. Conversely, he was seen as an inspiration and precursor by renewal movements, such as the Living Church.
He passed away in 1912 after an illness and was buried at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
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- ^ Cypin, W. (2001). "Antonij". Pravoslavnaâ ènciklopediâ (in Russian). Vol. II. Moscow: Prawosławnaja Encyklopedia. pp. 621–623. ISBN 978-5-89572-007-3.