Patriarch Nikon Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Nikon (Ни́кон), born Nikita Minov (Ники́та Мино́в) (1605-1681), was patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church from 1652 to 1658. This was one of the most important periods in the Church's history, as Nikon introduced many reforms which eventually lead to a schism.Nikon was born a peasant and rose through the ranks of the Church to eventually become its head. He was strong-willed, zealous, and had great ambitions for reform. At the time, Russia was reestablishing contact with other Orthodox Churches, as well as the Roman Catholic Churche, and Nikon wished to change the rituals of the Russian Church to better fit the others. By his efforts, innovations such as crossing oneself with three fingers rather than two were made mandatory.
These reforms lead to great turmoil, however (see Raskol). Many Russian believers saw Nikon's reforms as a betrayal of the Russian Church. The reforms coincided with a great plague in 1654 and Russians were also greatly concerned about the upcoming year 1666 which many considered the year of the apocalypse. These Old Believers were declared to be criminals by Tsar Alexei, but many of them still refused to conform.
Nikon's reforms and teachings were examined in a general Church council. The reforms were upheld, but Nikon was not. It was ruled that his assertion that the Patriarch was the equal of the Tsar was heretical, and Nikon was deposed and sent into exile in a monastery of Northern Russia.
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