Hierarch 16th century

Saint Herman Archbishop of Kazan

1505–1567

Also known as German of Kazan

A Russian monk who became Archbishop of Kazan and helped strengthen Orthodoxy in the newly Christianized region.

Feast Day

November 6

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Herman, Archbishop of Kazan and Sviyazhsk

Come to them for

Missionary Work

Life

Saint Herman of Kazan (1505–1567), born Grigory Fyodorovich Sadyrev-Polev in the town of Staritsa, was a Russian monk and hierarch who became the second Archbishop of Kazan and Sviyazhsk. Descended from the old boyar nobility of the Polevi family, he took monastic vows at the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery, where he devoted himself to copying books.

Herman served under Hegumen Gury (Gurias), who in 1555 became the first Archbishop of Kazan, and accompanied the founding missionary expedition to the newly conquered Kazan region as an archimandrite. There he led the Bogoroditsky (Dormition) Monastery in Sviyazhsk, which played a central role in spreading Christianity among the non-Russian peoples of the area.

On Gury's death he was elected his successor as Archbishop of Kazan and Sviyazhsk (1564–1567). In 1566 Tsar Ivan the Terrible appointed him Metropolitan of Moscow against his will, but Herman's demand that the Tsar abolish the oprichnina led to his disgrace and banishment. He died in Moscow on November 6, 1567. He is commemorated on November 6 (his repose) and on the translations of his relics.

Timeline 9 moments Read Hide

1505 Birth in Staritsa Grigory Fyodorovich Sadyrev-Polev is born in the town of Staritsa, descended from the old boyar nobility of the Polevi family.
c. 1530 Monastic profession at Joseph-Volokolamsk At approximately age 25 he enters monastic life at the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery under Hegumen Gury (later first Archbishop of Kazan), dedicating himself to the copying of books and forming a close friendship with Saint Maximus the Greek, then confined at the monastery.
1551 Elected archimandrite of Staritsa The monks of the Dormition Monastery in Staritsa elect him as their archimandrite.
1555 Mission to Kazan When Gury is appointed first Archbishop of the newly established Diocese of Kazan, Herman is called to head the Bogoroditsky Monastery in Sviyazhsk, which becomes a center for spreading Christianity in the Kazan region.
1564 Archbishop of Kazan and Sviyazhsk Upon Gury's death he is elected his successor as Archbishop of Kazan and Sviyazhsk.
1566 Appointed Metropolitan of Moscow Ivan the Terrible appoints him Metropolitan of Moscow against his wishes; Herman demands the abolition of the oprichnina and is banished from Moscow in disgrace for his opposition.
November 6, 1567 Repose in Moscow He dies in Moscow and is initially buried in the Church of Saint Nicholas the Hospitable.
1595 First translation of relics His relics are transferred for the first time, to the Bogoroditsky Monastery in Sviyazhsk, commemorated on September 25.
2000 Later translation of relics A further translation of his relics to Sviyazhsk takes place, commemorated on July 23.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributions Read Hide

Historical Context and Contributions

Herman's career unfolded against the consolidation of Muscovite rule over the Khanate of Kazan, which fell to Ivan the Terrible in 1552. The Diocese of Kazan was established soon after, with Gury of Kazan as its first archbishop, and Herman among the founding clergy who traveled to Kazan alongside Gury and Barsanuphius.

As head of the Bogoroditsky Monastery in Sviyazhsk, Herman helped build the Church's presence in a recently Christianized frontier region, the monastery serving as a key instrument for spreading Orthodoxy among the non-Russian population.

His brief tenure as Archbishop of Kazan and Sviyazhsk ran from 1564 to 1567. He is recorded in the lists of the Russian Orthodox Church as German of Kazan, the second bishop of the see after Gury.

Conflict with Ivan the Terrible

In 1566 Ivan the Terrible named Herman Metropolitan of Moscow, an appointment Herman accepted only reluctantly. He used his position to demand that the Tsar abolish the oprichnina, the policy of terror and confiscation by which Ivan governed.

For this opposition Herman was banished from Moscow in disgrace before he could be enthroned. He died in the city on November 6, 1567, and was first buried in the Church of Saint Nicholas the Hospitable.

Relics & Shrines

Herman's relics were transferred from Moscow to the Bogoroditsky Monastery in Sviyazhsk. The Orthodox calendar records a first translation of the relics in 1595, commemorated on September 25, roughly twenty-eight years after his death.

A further translation of the relics to Sviyazhsk took place in the year 2000, commemorated on July 23. In liturgical contexts the saint is also named by the Greek form Germanus.

Notes

Principal repose feast; the translation of his relics is commemorated Sep 25.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints