Metropolitan Bishop
Saint Seraphim (in the world Leonid Mikhailovich Chichagov) was born on January 9, 1856, in Saint Petersburg into the family of a colonel of artillery. He was baptized in the Church of Saint Alexander Nevsky. His service to God began with military service, where he displayed heroism during the Russo-Turkish War.
After the war, in 1878, he met Saint John of Kronstadt, who became his spiritual mentor. In 1879, he married Natalia Nikolaevna Dokhturova, with whom he raised four daughters. Having acquired medical knowledge, he developed a system of treatment using herbal remedies, outlined in his work “Medical Conversations.”
In 1890, he retired and moved to Moscow, where he prepared for the priesthood. On February 26, 1893, he was ordained a deacon, and on February 28, he was ordained a priest. His ministry was complicated by the death of his wife in 1895, after which he buried her in Diveyevo.
From 1896, he served in Moscow, engaging in the compilation of the “Chronicle of the Serafimo-Diveyevo Monastery.” In 1898, he took monastic vows with the name Seraphim. In 1899, he became the abbot of the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery, and in 1902, he republished the “Chronicle,” which contributed to the canonization of Saint Seraphim of Sarov.
On April 28, 1905, he was consecrated as the Bishop of Sukhum. His ministry coincided with revolutionary events, and he actively defended the Orthodox faith. In 1906, he was appointed to the Orlov diocese, and in 1908, to the Kishinev diocese, where his activities were highly appreciated.
In 1912, he became the Archbishop of Tver and Kashin. During World War I, he actively supported the clergy and laity. After the revolution of 1917, he was expelled from Tver and was appointed to the Warsaw diocese, but could not go there due to the civil war.
In 1921, he was arrested and sent into exile in Arkhangelsk. After returning to Moscow in 1924, he was arrested again and released thanks to the petition of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon. In 1933, he was retired, and in 1937, he was arrested and executed on December 11.
