The history of Russia in the first half of the 14th century is inextricably linked with the names of two prominent personalities - its secular ruler, Grand Duke John I Kalita and Metropolitan of Kiev Feognost, whom the Patriarch Isaiah of Constantinople placed at the head of the Moscow Metropolis.
Protégé of the Patriarch of Constantinople
About the birth and early life of the venerable archpastor, documentary information has not been preserved. It is only known that he was Greek by his origin, and in his youth he adopted monastic tonsure, which can be judged not from biographical data, which are very stingy, but from his own words that you can only occupy the highest church post in all fullness is a lasting monastic art.
The earliest chronicles about him date back to 1328, and they are associated with the relocation of Metropolitan Feognost to Moscow, where he was sent by the Patriarch of Isaiah of Constantinople. It is known that at that time Byzantium was rapidly approaching its sunset, and, paying particular attention to personnel policy, the primate of the church, who was also the Ecumenical Patriarch, tried to stop this process.
The role of the Metropolitan in the construction of Moscow churches
Arriving in the capital of the Moscow principality and occupying the chair of the former head of the Russian Church - Saint Peter, Metropolitan Theognostus worked closely with the then-reigning Grand Duke John I Kalita, who carried out large-scale temple construction both on the territory of the Kremlin and abroad. In this regard, the Metropolitan was entrusted with the duty to monitor compliance with the canonical requirements for all erected religious buildings, whether it be a cathedral or a modest chapel.
During the first years of its activity, Metropolitan of Moscow Theognostus had the opportunity to consecrate three white-stone churches, which were included in the treasury of Russian architecture. Among them were: the Cathedral of the Savior on Bor, which became the core of the future Transfiguration Monastery, the Archangel Cathedral, erected in gratitude to the Lord for the deliverance from the famine that befell the capital in 1330, as well as the Church of St. John Climacus, famous for the famous bell tower erected near it two centuries later Ivan the Great.
Concern for the reconciliation of warring princes
Caught in the midst of a political struggle for the centralization of the Moscow state, which sometimes turned into an open military confrontation between the princes, Metropolitan Feognost could not help but become an active participant in it. So, thanks to his intervention in 1329, it was possible to conclude an alliance between Moscow and Pskov, whose inhabitants enjoyed the broadest rights of internal self-determination. This helped to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
In 1331, thanks to his efforts, the conflict was successfully settled with another center of democracy of those years - Novgorod. The reason for the turmoil was the desire of the Novgorodians to have not only political, but also church independence from Moscow. However, this time the success of the metropolitan was greatly facilitated by the army sent by the Grand Duke to the walls of the rebellious city and cooled the ardor of its inhabitants.
Victim of Khan's greed
Like most major political and religious figures who lived during the Tatar-Mongol yoke, Metropolitan Theognostus was forced to periodically visit the Horde. Such trips were made by him twice, and both times they were associated with severe mental and physical suffering.
Evil tongues informed Khan Dzhanibek that the head of the Russian church receives huge incomes from his dioceses and, thus, has significant funds. The Tatar ruler demanded to give him part of the wealth and subjected the protesting bishop to severe torture. Only a fair amount of self-control then allowed Theognostus to remain alive and prevent the devastation of the church treasury.
Archpastoral cares of the venerable Metropolitan
Despite all the worries of the bustling world, the main area of activity of Metropolitan Feognost always remained his archpastoral ministry, aimed at centralizing and streamlining church authority. In this regard, he did a lot of work to liquidate the self-established metropolises, such as the Lithuanian, Galician and several others.
At the initiative of Feognost, his predecessor at the Moscow Department, Metropolitan Peter, was canonized and glorified in the face of the saints, and an outstanding literary monument of that era, the Siy Gospel, is stored today in the collections of the library of the Academy of Sciences of Russia.
The end of the earthly life of the saint
In 1353, the capital of the Moscow principality was at the center of a terrible disaster - an epidemic of plague, which often visited Ancient Russia and claimed many lives. This time, one of her victims was Metropolitan Theognostus, whose death followed on March 11 and became an irreparable loss for the church he leads.
A few days later, he was buried in the altar of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, and almost a century later, according to the annals, during the repair the relics were identified incorrupt. This fact, as well as miracles manifested repeatedly in prayers at the grave of the righteous, became the reason for the canonization of Metropolitan Theognostus and the glorification of the saints with the annual celebration of memory on March 14.