Early administrative activity of archimandrite Sergiy (Tikhomirov) at the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary (1899-1905)

Metropolitan Sergiy (Tikhomirov) is widely known as the head of the Japanese Orthodox Church and a disciple of the equal-to-the-apostles Nicholay of Japan. However, the events of the early life and work of metropolitan Sergiy (Tikhomirov) have not yet received proper coverage. This publication examines the period of formation of the future Church hierarch, while based on the materials of the revision reports of theological educational institutions, it is shown that the first managerial positions held by him in the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, due to the general unstable state of the educational institution, from the very beginning required archimandrite Sergiy considerable experience in administrative management. The young archimandrite had to face the problems of the educational, and economic part of the seminary life. The article shows the main stages of the formation of archimandrite Sergiy (Tikhomirov) as an administrator and highlights the problematic and prosperous aspects of the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary in 1899-1905.