Case of archimandrite Gavriil (Zyrianov), head of Kazanskaya Bogoroditskaya Sedmiozerskaya pustyn’
Abstract
This article deals with events that took place in Kazan diocese in April — July, 1908. Their central figure is head of Kazanskaya Bogoroditskaya Sedmiozerskaya Pustyn’, archimandrite Gavriil (Zyrianov). The accusation of Revd. Gavriil, by that time widely known for his asceticism far beyond the borders of Kazan diocese, as well as of his spiritual child, hieromonk Tikhon (Buzov), the treasurer of the monastery, of negligent management of the household of the monastery and of accumulating considerable debts in the monastery that they were in charge of, resulted in the resignation of the head and his subsequent persecution by the ruling archpriest, archbishop of Kazan and Sviyazhsk Nikanor (Kamenskiy). The case received considerable attention in church circles of the diocese of that time. However, it was not studied properly, and materials kept in the archive of Kazan Spiritual Consistory were not scrutinised in terms of reconstructing the true circumstances of the events. Lack of a careful analysis of certain episodes led to a partial mythologisation of the history, confusion in facts, and, most importantly, made it impossible to identify all the participants of the confl ict, determine the line and specificity of their conduct, aims and motives. The future canonisation of archimandrite Gavriil (Zyrianov) in the rank of all-Russian saints requires to eliminate the historical lacunae, including in the ethical and anthropological perspective. This article attempts to deal with this task. It makes public a large number of previously unpublished sources. Their base if made up of documents kept at the State Archive of Republic of Tatarstan and in the library of Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University.
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