Archbishop
Saint Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson and Taurida, was born on December 15, 1800, in the city of Elets, Oryol Province. His father, priest Alexei Borisov, sought to convey the words of the Church Fathers to the parishioners. His mother, Akilina, was pious and had a home pharmacy. In 1819, Ivan Borisov graduated from seminary and entered the Kyiv Theological Academy, where he engaged in preaching.
In 1823, he graduated from the academy and was appointed to the Saint Petersburg Theological Seminary. After taking monastic vows with the name Innocent, he was ordained as a hieromonk. In 1836, he was consecrated as Bishop of Chigirin and then appointed to the Vologda Diocese.
His service in the Kharkiv Diocese lasted about seven years, during which he restored monasteries and established a women's convent. In 1845, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop and appointed to the Kherson-Taurida Diocese, where he sought to restore ancient Christian monuments.
In his later years of ministry, he actively participated in the hardships of the Crimean War, encouraging the soldiers. His intensified labors undermined his health, and he passed away on May 25, 1857, in Kherson. He was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1997.
