Archbishop
Archbishop Tikhon (in the world Vasily Nikanorov) was born on January 30, 1855, in the family of Varsanofiy Nikanorov in the village of Kiryuga, Novgorod Province. From an early age, he showed a tendency towards a secluded prayerful life. After receiving his education at the Novgorod Theological Seminary and the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy, he was appointed assistant supervisor of the Belozersk Spiritual School in 1881. In 1884, he took monastic vows at the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery under the name Tikhon and was ordained as a hieromonk. In 1890, he became the rector of the Novgorod Theological Seminary, and in 1892, he was consecrated as the Bishop of Mozhaisk. In 1899, he was appointed Bishop of Polotsk and Vitebsk, and in 1902, Bishop of Penza and Saransk, where he contributed to the establishment of church societies and schools.
In 1906, he was unjustly accused of harboring revolutionaries and was retired. However, he soon became the administrator of the Moscow Voskresensky New Jerusalem Monastery. In 1912, he was appointed Bishop of Kaluga and Borovsk, and in 1913, Bishop of Voronezh, with elevation to the rank of Archbishop. In Voronezh, he distinguished himself as a good pastor, characterized by humility and piety, actively participating in the life of the diocese.
In 1917, he was arrested for disobedience to the authorities but soon returned to manage the diocese. He participated in the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church and the election of Saint Patriarch Tikhon. In 1919, he was forced to witness the sacrilegious opening of the relics of Saint Mitrophan. In October 1919, when Voronezh was occupied by the White Army, he served panikhidas for the victims of Bolshevik terror but remained in the monastery to share the fate of his flock.
On January 9, 1920, during the Divine Liturgy, he was hanged on the Royal Gates of the Annunciation Cathedral. He was buried on March 2, 1920, in the crypt of the cathedral. In 1956, his relics were transferred to the Komintern Cemetery, and in 1993, to the necropolis of the Alexeyevsky Akadov Monastery.
