Metropolitan Bishop
Saint Metropolitan Philip was born in Moscow to pious parents, the boyars Kolychyov. At baptism, he was named Theodore. From a young age, he showed diligence in reading and avoided worldly amusements. After reaching the age of thirty, hearing the words of the Gospel about serving two masters, he decided to leave the worldly life and withdrew to the Solovetsky Monastery, where he took monastic vows under the name Philip.
Philip labored in the monastery, demonstrating humility and patience, and soon became the igumen. Under his leadership, the monastery flourished, and he was known for his virtuous life. Soon Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich summoned him to the metropolitan see. The saint, showing humility, initially refused, but eventually agreed.
At the metropolitan see, he began to denounce the abuses of the oprichniki, which provoked the wrath of the tsar. Saint Philip was deposed and exiled to the Tver Otrach Monastery, where he suffered greatly. Eventually, he was killed by the order of the tsar, Maluta Skuratov.
After his death, the body of the saint was found to be incorrupt, and twenty-one years after his repose, it was transferred to the Solovetsky Monastery. During the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the relics of the saint were moved to Moscow and laid to rest in the Assumption Cathedral, where they remain to this day.
