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Pimen, Metropolitan of Moscow


Metropolitan Pimen (known as Pimen the Greek, Russian: Пимен Грек) was Metropolitan of Moscow (technically Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus') from 1382-1384.

He was hegumen of the Goritskii Monastery in Pereiaslavl-Zalevskii when Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy sent him to Constantinople with his nominee for the metropolitanate, Mitya, where the latter was to be consecrated by the Ecumenical Patriarch. Mitya, sometimes referred to as Mikhail, was a secular (non-monastic) priest and Namestnik (vicar) of the late Metropolitan Alexius as well as the Pechatnik (carrier of the seal) of the Grand Prince. Mitya, however, died within sight of Constantinople and was buried at Galata (a Genoese possession north of the Golden Horn), and Pimen was consecrated in his place, although this was done without the knowledge of the Grand Prince and the Patriarch was said to have been tricked (perhaps to exonerate him later for any complicity he may have had in the deception), as Pimen had apparently used forged grand princely letters to get Patriarch Nilus of Constantinople to consecrate him. Donskoy was angry upon hearing the news of Pimen's consecration and swore not to accept Pimen upon his return. Thus Pimen's metropolitanate was contested from the start, and he accomplished little as a result.

While Cyprian had been the rightful metropolitan - he had been named Metropolitan of Lithuania and Western Rus' and was to succeed to the Metropolitanate of Kiev and All Rus' (residing in Moscow since 1325) upon the death of Metropolitan Alexius in 1378, the grand prince only accepted him in March 1381 because of his anger at Pimen's consecration. In fact, Donskoy sent his confessor, Hegumen Fedor of the Simonovskii Monastery, to Kiev to bring Cyprian to Moscow (he arrived in May of that year). When Pimen arrived back in Russia, he was arrested by the grand prince and sent to Chukholm in the Kostroma district. Upon hearing the news, Patriarch Nilus excommunicated Donskoy and imposed an interdict, whereupon Donskoy deposed Cyprian, whom he blamed for the matter. Cyprian was banished from Moscow in October 1382 and Pimen allowed to come to Moscow and take up his duties as metropolitan; Donskoy wanted to avoid excommunication and interdiction - his personal feelings, however, had not changed.


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