Patriarch Germogen (Yermogen, 1530-1612) was the third Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus, holding the throne from 1606 to 1612. He proved to be one of Russia's patriots, actively opposing the Polish invasion during the Time of Troubles. Germogen resolutely spoke out against traitors to the homeland and supporters of union with Catholics. During the occupation of Moscow by invaders, he was forcibly deposed from the patriarchal post and imprisoned in the Chudov Monastery. The Church honors Germogen as a holy martyr and guardian of faith, who did not betray Russian Orthodoxy during the difficult years of the Troubles.

The origins of Patriarch Germogen remain one of the most significant mysteries in the history of the Russian clergy. Much about his biography still causes disputes among historians. It is known that he was born in Kazan and was named Yermolai. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but historians attribute it to 1530, around the time Ivan the Terrible was born. There is also no definitive information about his social background. According to one version, Germogen belonged to the Shuisky branch of the Rurik dynasty, while another suggests his ancestors were Don Cossacks. However, most historians lean towards the opinion that the future saint was a simple commoner.

In his youth, Germogen went to Kazan, where he was at the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, which strengthened his religious views. In the late 1570s, Yermolai served as a parish priest at St. Nicholas Church. His contemporaries noted his excellent knowledge of books and called him 'adorned with wisdom.'

Germogen's biography includes an interesting episode related to the miraculous appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in 1579. At that time, a strong fire occurred in Kazan, and the daughter of a local shooter, Matrona, dreamed three times that an icon of the Mother of God was hidden underground. After her relatives found the relic, a procession was organized, and the icon was solemnly transferred to the Annunciation Cathedral. Germogen was a participant in this event, during which two blind people were healed.

After the death of his wife in 1587, whose name has not been preserved, Germogen went to the Chudov Monastery in Moscow, where he took monastic vows. Two years later, he was ordained as a bishop and soon appointed Metropolitan of Kazan and Astrakhan.

In 1591, Germogen wrote a letter to Patriarch Job, proposing to establish a memorial date for the commemoration of Orthodox warriors who died during the capture of Kazan. Job signed a decree prescribing the performance of a panikhida on the Saturday after the Protection of the Mother of God.

Saint Germogen continued his service to the church, working to spread Orthodoxy among Tatars and other Turkic peoples. In 1592, he participated in the transfer of the remains of Kazan Archbishop Herman, and in 1595, he visited Uglich for the opening of the relics of Prince Roman Vladimirovich.

After the death of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich in 1598, the Rurik dynasty came to an end, and Boris Godunov came to power. Germogen was present at the election of the new tsar and participated in the nationwide prayer at the walls of the Novodevichy Monastery.

After the ascension of False Dmitry I, Metropolitan Germogen began to participate in the work of the Boyar Duma but proved to be a consistent opponent of Otrepyev. He did not accept the election of Patriarch Ignatius and demanded that False Dmitry I's bride, Marina Mnishek, be converted to Orthodoxy.

After the murder of Otrepyev in 1606 and the rise of Vasily Shuisky to power, Germogen's fate changed. Patriarch Ignatius was deposed, and Germogen was elected in his place.

On July 3, 1606, Saint Germogen was appointed Patriarch of Moscow. However, soon his relationship with the tsar soured. Germogen was a stubborn and strict man, but honest and unwavering in his convictions. Despite disagreements with the tsar, he defended Vasily Shuisky.

During the civil war of 1606-1607, Germogen remained a supporter of Vasily Shuisky and mobilized the church's forces to fight against the rebels, whom he declared heretics and excommunicated from the church. He supported Vasily in suppressing the uprising of southern cities and opposed his overthrow.

In February 1609, conspirators demanded that Germogen support the deposition of Shuisky, but the patriarch refused. He sent letters to the camp of False Dmitry II, calling for a return to the rule of Tsar Vasily Shuisky.

During the deposition of Vasily Shuisky in 1610, Germogen defended him and cursed his opponents. He did not recognize the violent tonsure of the tsar and insisted on his return to the throne. When many claimed the throne, Germogen proposed the candidacy of Mikhail Romanov, but most leaned towards the Polish prince Władysław.

Germogen agreed to recognize Władysław as the Russian tsar on the condition of his Orthodox baptism and the withdrawal of Polish troops from Russia. However, Zholkevsky did not wait for Władysław's change of faith and began to move towards the capital.

When Zholkevsky stood under Moscow, the patriarch insisted on the Orthodox baptism of the prince. The Moscow authorities drafted an agreement, trying to protect the Orthodox faith, but Germogen stood firm: 'If you do not intend to violate the Orthodox faith, may the blessing be upon you, otherwise: let a curse fall upon you.'

In conclusion, Patriarch Germogen

After the Poles refused to fulfill the conditions, Germogen began to write appeals to the Russian people, calling them to fight. From December 1610, while in captivity, he sent letters calling for a struggle against the Polish intervention. He blessed both militias summoned to free Moscow from the Poles.

In 1612, when the Poles learned of the gathering of a new zemsky army in Nizhny Novgorod, they demanded that the patriarch write an appeal to the Nizhny Novgorod people, but Germogen replied: 'May there be mercy from God upon them and blessing from our humility.' On February 17, 1612, not waiting for the liberation of Moscow, he died of starvation.

Initially, the patriarch was buried in the Chudov Monastery, but later his relics were transferred to the Assumption Cathedral. In 1913, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Patriarch Germogen. His memory is celebrated on May 12/25 and February 17/March 1.

In 2013, in honor of the centenary of his canonization, a monument to Patriarch Germogen was unveiled in Alexander Garden near the walls of the Moscow Kremlin. The monument was created by a team led by sculptor S. A. Shcherbakov and architect I. N. Voskresensky.

Germogen cared for the observance of church order and composed 'An Epistle of Instruction to All People, Especially to Priests and Deacons on the Correction of Church Singing.' In this epistle, he admonished clergy for non-canonical conduct of church services and laity for irreverent attitudes towards worship.

Among his works: The Tale of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and the service for this icon (1594), a letter to Patriarch Job about the Kazan martyrs (1591), a collection of liturgical questions (1598), patriotic letters and appeals to the Russian people (1606, 1613).