Throughout the XIV century, accompanied by innumerable hardships of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, the only supreme church hierarch who did not obey the power of the Golden Horde was St. Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Russia. Having devoted his life to serving God and acquiring the crown of holiness, he entered the history of Russia as a prominent political figure of his era, writer, translator and editor.
The early life of the future saint
Very little is known about the childhood and adolescence of Metropolitan Cyprian, and most of the biographical material of this period is based on hypotheses that have very shaky foundations. So, it is assumed that he was born around 1330 in the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom - the city of Tarnovo. There is an opinion that by its origin it was the offspring of the ancient boyar clan Tsamblakov, which is also not documented.
The year of the adoption of the monastic tonsure is unknown, it is only assumed that this event occurred in the Kilifarevsky monastery, which until now is the largest spiritual center in Bulgaria. Nevertheless, information was preserved that in 1363, Cyprian left the monastery, and together with his confessor, the Monk Theodosius, and three other monks, he went first to Constantinople and then to Athos, where he worked in one of his monasteries.
The process of the spiritual formation of the future Moscow Metropolitan Cyprian was greatly influenced by the acquaintance and prolonged communication with the Patriarch of Constantinople Filofei Kokkin, in whom he served as a cell-man. Under his leadership, he mastered the basic skills of asceticism and joined in the constant inner prayer.
Confrontation of the Moscow and Lithuanian Principality
From the biography of Metropolitan Kiprian it is clear that his further fate was largely determined by the political processes taking place within the Old Russian state, so they should be discussed in more detail. It is known that the second half of the XIV century was filled with the struggle of the Moscow and Lithuanian principalities for the unification under their authority of all Russian lands, including those that formally belonged to Hungary, Poland and Moldova.
This caused serious concern on the part of the Patriarch of Constantinople, who strove with all his might to preserve the Kiev Metropolis under his control, which in the current situation was divided between the warring principalities. Taking a pro-Moscow position and expressing support for Metropolitan Alexy, he provoked the Lithuanian ruler, Prince Olgerd, to resort to the threat of conversion to Catholicism of all Orthodox living on his lands.
Desiring to reconcile the warring parties and preserve the unity of the Kiev Metropolitanate, the primate of the Church of Constantinople sent, according to the annals, Metropolitan Kiprian (then his cell-man) to Lithuania to search for ways of reconciliation between Prince Algerd and Moscow rulers, both spiritual and secular. It was an extremely difficult diplomatic mission, which he was able to brilliantly fulfill.
Messenger of the Ecumenical Patriarch
Thanks to his negotiations with the Russian and Lithuanian princes, at which Cyprian spoke not on his own behalf, but as a representative of the Patriarch of Constantinople, that is, the Ecumenical Patriarch (these titles are identical to this day), a number of measures have been implemented that made it possible to find a solution acceptable to both sides . Moreover, as a result of its activity, an all-Russian coalition led by Moscow was formed, and Lithuania took part in the growing anti-Tatar movement.
During his diplomatic trip to the Russian principalities, the future Metropolitan Cyprian met with many prominent religious and public figures of that era, one of whom was the Monk Sergius of Radonezh. He met him when he accompanied Metropolitan of Moscow Alexy, the de facto ruler of the state, on his trip to Pereslavl-Zalessky. He also visited the monasteries of northern monks, who were very close to him in spirit.
Rejected Metropolitan
However, the peace established through the efforts of Cyprian, was fragile. Very soon, Tver Prince Mikhail made claims to supremacy and forced Moscow to retaliate. The collapse of the coalition of Russian lands was also greatly facilitated by foreigners, in particular representatives of the commercial circles of Genoa, who were interested in strengthening the Horde and instilled anti-Moscow sentiments everywhere. To top it off, the Lithuanian prince Olgerd refused his earlier obligations and openly opposed Moscow.
Under these conditions, the Patriarch of Constantinople Felofy ordained his loyal servant Cyprian the Metropolitan of Kiev and Lithuania and decided after the death of Metropolitan Alexy to make him head of the entire Russian Church. This was a very incorrect decision, since during the life of Metropolitan Alexy Kiprian he was appointed to the department already occupied by him.
The fruits of patriarchal indiscretion affected very soon - neither in Kiev, nor in Vladimir, nor in Moscow itself, the powers of his protege were recognized. Even after the death of Metropolitan Alexy in 1378, Vladyka Cyprian could not take his place, which was rejected by most church hierarchs.
In Grand Duke
Nevertheless, after a long and exhausting struggle, in which secular and spiritual authorities of all levels were involved, he gradually managed to regain his position. As for the members of the episcopate, in their eyes he raised his own authority, having achieved the return of the Church to the lands illegally taken from her by the boyars.
However, the Moscow department remained unattainable for him, mainly due to opposition from the Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich (Donskoy), who had read out for this position his protege - Metropolitan Mitya. He went to Constantinople to receive blessings from the Ecumenical Patriarch, but died on the way under mysterious circumstances.
At the head of the Moscow Metropolis
Overcoming the negative attitude towards himself on the part of the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Ivanovich and representatives of the higher clergy, Cyprian was helped in many respects by the internal political situation that changed in the state by the end of the 70s. From passive submission to the Golden Horde, Russia turned to active resistance, the result of which in 1380 was the famous Battle of Kulikovo.
During this period, many boyars and clergy were tried and executed, trying to draw the Protestant line, and at the same time, those who advocated the overthrow of the hated yoke were exalted. Among them was Metropolitan Cyprian. In a letter addressed to the Pskov prince Andrei Olgerdovich and his brother Demetrius, he blessed them to fight the Horde. The Grand Duke became aware of this, and shortly after his victory in the Battle of Kulikovo, he proposed to Cyprian to take the vacant seat of the head of the Moscow Metropolitanate.
Having risen to the highest level of ecclesiastical authority, he first of all became concerned with strengthening the memory of those who, in former times, had successfully worked for the good of the fatherland. Thus, the Life of Metropolitan Peter, compiled by Cyprian, became the first of the Primate of the Russian Church, who chose Moscow as his place of stay and thereby contributed to its rise among other cities. He established the veneration of Prince Alexander Nevsky, not yet canonized.
A new turn of events
The subsequent period in the life of the Metropolitan of Moscow Cyprian brought him many spiritual torments and experiences, which, like his unexpected take-off, were a consequence of the changing domestic situation. In 1382, the Tatar khan Takhtamysh captured and plundered Moscow, after which Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy, who had barely escaped death, was forced to resume paying tribute. The Protestant party raised its head again and gained strength, the representatives of which mainly pursued their personal, and by no means state, interests.
Through their efforts, Cyprian was removed from the chair he occupied, which went to another applicant - Metropolitan Pimen. Between them began a stubborn lawsuit, for the resolution of which both went to Constantinople. The Moscow Metropolitan Cyprian, slandered by enemies and deposed, found himself in an extremely difficult situation, out of which he was only helped by the death of the Ecumenical Patriarch Nikon and the accession to the throne of the successor Anthony, who knew him well and had good feelings for him.
Cyprian returned to Moscow in March 1390 and again occupied the department that he rightfully owned. The church turmoil by this time was over, and the unity of the metropolis was violated only by the waywardness of the Novgorodians, who did not recognize the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople and did not accept the metropolitan appointed by him. However, the troops of the Prince of Moscow sent in 1393 brought clarity to their rebellious minds, and the general harmony was restored.
Christian Church Unification Activities
At the end of the fourteenth century, the threat of the Ottoman invasion hung over Byzantium and a number of other Christian states, and the only way to avoid it was the unification of universal efforts. The obstacle in this case was not so much political disagreements as religious confrontation between Catholicism and Orthodoxy.
In this regard, Metropolitan Cyprian advocated the early unification of these two areas of Christianity, but not under the authority of the pope, as the representatives of the so-called Uniate party demanded, but on the basis of a jointly developed concept that allows to eliminate all the theological contradictions that have developed between them. To this end, he proposed convening a general church council, in which representatives of all Christian states could take part. Cyprian devoted the last years of his life to the solution of such a complex but extremely urgent task at that time.
Completion of life
In 1400, the metropolitan moved his residence from the capital to the village of Golenishchevo, near Moscow, where he was much involved in translating the works of the holy fathers of the church into Church Slavonic, as well as working on his own compositions, both theological and purely secular. It is noted that the socio-political content of the literary activity of Metropolitan Cyprian covered a wide range of issues.
In particular, several documents related to the claims of the Polish-Lithuanian princes to the western regions of Russian lands came out of his pen. This question worried him so much that in 1404 he personally went to Lithuania and, being present at the negotiations between the princes Jagailo and Vitovt, convinced them to refrain from decisive action.
Saint Cyprian, Metropolitan of Moscow, departed to the Lord on September 16, 1406. From the village of Golenishchev, his ashes were transported to Moscow and, after the solemn funeral service, were buried in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. In 1472, during the reconstruction of the cathedral, the imperishable relics of the righteous were found and reburied next to the grave of his successor in the management of the Russian Church - Metropolitan Photius. Official canonization took place only in 1808.
Statute of Metropolitan Cyprian
Having completed his earthly journey, Vladyka Kiprian left behind a rich literary heritage, which, as mentioned above, was composed of religious works and works of a socio-political direction. Of particular popularity among them was the so-called Statutory Certificate of Metropolitan Cyprian of 1391.
It is a detailed written response to the complaint of serfs who were owned by the Konstantinovsky monastery located near Vladimir. In a message addressed to him, they complained about the excessive burden of the duties entrusted to them by Abbot Ephraim, as well as other forms of exploitation.
It appears from the text of the document that before making and making public his decision, Metropolitan Cyprian conducted a detailed investigation into the substance of the complaint submitted to him. To this end, he sent his representative to the monastery - a certain Akinfiy, who asked the old-timers about whether the size and form of the currently established duties are the result of the arbitrariness of their abbot, or they correspond to the tradition established earlier. A similar survey was conducted by him among the inhabitants of Vladimir, who often visited the monastery, and, importantly, among the serfs themselves.
As a result of the inquiry, Akinfiy found that the abbot, whom the complaint was received, did not bring anything new in the previous order, demanded from the taxable peasants the same as his predecessors, and thus the subject of discussion could be not his actions, but himself previously established custom. That is why the obligations of the peasants, according to the letter of Metropolitan Cyprian, were recognized as completely legal, and the complaint submitted by them remained without consequences. However, the consequences, in all likelihood, were still there, but not for the abbot, but for the complainants themselves.