Оn the history of veneration of St. Mitrophan of Voronezh before the canonization in 1832

Abstract

This article analyzes epistolary, homiletic, journalistic, and pictorial data to clarify the history of the saint's veneration from 1703 to 1832. The canonization of Saint Mitrofan of Voronezh in 1832 was the fourth glorification of a saint in the Synodal era and became a significant event in the religious life of the Russian Empire. Following this event, Voronezh local historians began painstakingly searching for documents and written sources to more accurately reconstruct the saint's life. Nevertheless, the period of Saint Mitrofan's veneration prior to his canonization (1703-1832) has been extremely understudied, although it was precisely this more than a century of veneration that led to the eventual approval of his canonization. Most books on Saint Mitrofan emphasize his special contribution. Anthony (Smirnitsky), however, his zeal alone would clearly not have been enough to convince the Holy Synod and Emperor Nicholas I of the need for the universal glorification of the Voronezh First Hierarch. Consequently, the author concludes that the veneration of St. Mitrofan prior to his canonization was not widely documented. Memorial services were held for the Voronezh First Hierarch, but his name is not mentioned in the surviving sermons of the clergy of that era. The earliest biographical information, recorded in the Synodikon of the Mitrofan Monastery before 1742, was limited to the key dates of his life. At the same time, few written sources indicate the widespread veneration of St. Mitrofan among the people: many miracles, the oldest of which dates back to 1821, occurred during prayers at his tomb. Old portraits of the saint have also survived, the oldest of which dates back to 1735.