Embassy, Emigrants and Englishmen

The Three Hundred Year History of a Russian Orthodox Church in London

Christopher Birchall

• Publisher: The Printshop of St Job of Pochaev
• Year: 2014
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9780884653820
• Subtopic: British History
• Index: History

This is the unlikely history of a centuries old church located at the heart of England's capital city. Founded in the early-18th century by a Greek Archbishop from Alexandria in Egypt, the church was aided by the nascent Russian Empire of Tsar Peter the Great and joined by Englishmen finding in it the Apostolic faith. The church later became a spiritual home for those who escaped the upheavals following World War II or who sought economic opportunities in the West after the fall of communism in Russia. For much of this time the parish was a focal point for Anglican–Orthodox relations and Orthodox missionary endeavors from Japan to the Americas. This is a history of the Orthodox Church in the West, of the Russian emigration to Europe, and of major world events through the prism of a particular local community. The book calls on stories from an array of persons, from archbishops to members of Parliament and imperial diplomats to post-war refugees. Their lives and the constantly changing mosaic of global political and economic realities provide the background for the struggle to create and sustain the London church through time.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Maps
• Introduction
• 1. 1713–1725: The Delegation from Alexandria
• 2. 1725–1780: The Beginning of Orthodox Church Life in London
• 3. 1780–1840: Archpriest James Smirnove
• 4. 1842–1875: Father Eugene Popoff, Pastor of the Embassy Church
• 5. 1842–1875: Father Eugene Popoff, Pastor to English-Speaking Converts
• 6. 1877–1919: Archpriest Eugene Smirnoff
• 7. 1919–1922: The Church in Exile
• 8. 1923–1927: St Philip’s Church
• 9. 1928–1932: Bishop Nicholas (Karpoff)
• 10. 1933–1938: Archpriest Boris Molchanoff
• 11. 1938–1948: Archpriest Michael Polsky
• 12. 1945–1950: The Second Wave of Emigrants
• 13. 1948–1951: Archimandrite Vitaly (Oustinow)
• 14. 1951–1959: Archbishop Nikodem: The Preston Diocese
• 15. 1959–1976: Archbishop Nikodem: Emperor’s Gate
• 16. 1976–1989: The Last Years at Emperor’s Gate
• 17. 1990–2009: Building the New Cathedral at Harvard Road
• Appendix 1 Guidance from Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow Regarding English Converts to Orthodoxy
• Appendix 2 Persons Mentioned Glorified as Saints
• Appendix 3 List of Bishops and Priests of the London Russian Orthodox Church
• Appendix 4 Ecclesiastical Ranks in the Orthodox Church
• Notes
• Sources
• Acknowledgments
• Index