“Living personofication of Orthodoxy”: pedagogical potential of the hagiographic icon of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51216/2687-072X_2025_3_179-194Keywords:
Patriarch Tikhon, personification of Orthodoxy, Orthodox values, hagiographic icon, pedagogical potential.Abstract
The article examines the phenomenon of the “living personofication of Orthodoxy”. Using the example of Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, the qualities characteristic of a person who can be called such are revealed. It is known that this name was given to the saint by his contemporaries.
The life of the archpastor new martyr has not yet been studied in depth enough in the scientific and pedagogical environment, although his example is worthy of following and can teach a lot to the contemporary young people. Today, when Russian society turns to its traditional spiritual and moral values, it is important to give young people guidelines for building a life strategy. The examples of saints who lived in difficult periods of Russian history can become a source of inspiration for young people. Patriarch Tikhon provides a vivid example of such a person, and his life path shows impeccable adherence to the values of Orthodoxy.
We learn about the fate of Saint Tikhon not only from historical documents, but also from his life, as well as from his hagiographic icons, the borders of which depict the main events in the life of the Patriarch, and the centerpiece of which depicts his image. Based on this, the article analyzes the iconography of the saint, compiled on the basis of lifetime photographs and portraits, through the teaching on Christian virtues, and reveals the pedagogical potential of the hagiographic icon. As an example of hagi-ographic icons, we take a copy written by a modern icon painter based on his study of the life and historical material for the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow.
The author comes to the conclusion that hagiographic icons of saints (using Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia as an example) have significant pedagogical potential, as they help to visualize and comprehend historical events in the context of the life path of the archpastor, as well as to highlight the values on the basis of which the personality of the future primate was formed in his youth and which he followed until the end of his days.
For citation: Gusakova V. O. “Living personofication of Orthodoxy”: pedagogical potential of the hagiographic icon of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia DOI: https://doi.org/10.51216/2687-072Х_2025_3_179-194. EDN: GMNITO // Theological Collection of Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025, no. 3 (32). p. 179-194. (In Russian)
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